Santos Hernandez　［サントス・エルナンデス］ Classical (Flamenco) Model

Product Description

Neck:Mahogany
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:FUSTERO
String Height(1st):3.1mm
String Height(6th):3.9mm

[Luthier]

Santos Hernandez Rodriguez (1874–1943) was born in Madrid, Spain. He studied guitar making under Valentín Viudes and Hijo de González, and later joined the workshop of Manuel Ramírez.

It is well known that in 1912, Andrés Segovia made his Madrid debut playing an instrument made by Santos during his time at the Manuel Ramírez workshop, and that Segovia continued to play this guitar for many years thereafter.

Following the death of Manuel Ramírez, Santos became independent in 1921 and established his own workshop at Calle de la Aduana in Madrid. The workshop soon became an important center of Madrid's guitar culture, attracting numerous prominent guitarists, including Regino Sainz de la Maza, Celedonio Romero, Ramón Montoya, and Niño Ricardo, who would gather there to play, exchange ideas, and discuss guitars.

Through the efforts of José Luis Romanillos, the workshop has since been relocated to the museum in Sigüenza, where its original atmosphere can still be experienced today.

After Santos died in 1943, his disciple Marcelo Barbero succeeded him, and the tradition of his highly sought-after guitar-making techniques was subsequently passed on to Arcángel Fernández and others.

[Instrument]

Santos Hernandez 1922 Classical (Flamenco) Model – Spruce Top, Cypress Back & Sides – Used

This instrument was made in 1922, the year after Santos became independent from Manuel Ramírez and established his own workshop at No. 27 Calle de la Aduana in Madrid (later renumbered No. 23 following urban redevelopment).

Originally constructed as a flamenco model, the guitar was subsequently converted for classical use by its previous owner. The original golpeador was removed, the instrument was refinished in shellac, and the action was reset. It has since been used as a classical guitar for many years.

With the establishment of his own brand in 1921, Santos entered an extraordinarily productive period, while simultaneously demonstrating a strong experimental spirit, putting new ideas into practice in almost every instrument.

These experiments are particularly evident in the configuration of the soundboard bracing. During his years at the Manuel Ramírez workshop, Santos had followed the symmetrical bracing tradition established by Torres. After 1921, however, he began boldly developing and employing asymmetrical designs.

Where Torres had achieved a unified acoustic character in the guitar as a single organic entity, Santos used asymmetrical construction to give the treble and bass sides distinct identities. This enabled him to create an almost chamber-music-like sense of tonal sculpture, with different phases and characters emerging across the instrument.

Here we encounter the ultimate expression of the Spanish tonal ideal: a deep, generous bass with genuine authority; a middle register with a strong presence and an almost eloquent speaking quality; and a treble that is sharp, lustrous, and vocal in character. The two instruments made in 1924 for Andrés Segovia and Luise Walker are generally regarded as among the highest achievements of this period.

As is often pointed out, 1921 was still a transitional period, and a number of instruments from this time retain characteristics strongly associated with Torres. Yet, remarkably, these guitars already contain much of the distinctive tonal character that would come to define Santos in later years, resulting in instruments of extraordinary clarity and depth of character.

The present 1922 instrument is an excellent example of this transitional yet already highly developed approach.

Here too, Santos's characteristic acoustic design can already be heard in full. The instrument is overflowing with musical potential and possesses a character that makes one instinctively think, “This is Spain.”

The response of the soundboard has the characteristic “hard yet flexible” quality associated with Santos, producing a wonderfully satisfying rebound beneath the fingertips. From this comes a vivid, almost tactile wooden quality—particularly enhanced by the use of cypress—combined with a highly refined and powerfully bouncing tonal image.

The guitar makes excellent use of its generous body volume while maintaining remarkable clarity and freedom from unwanted overtones. Its speed of response, depth of articulation between individual notes, and vivid projection give the impression that each musical sound emerges in its complete and natural form.

The overall refinement and dignity of the instrument make it particularly well suited to continued use as a classical guitar, following its long-established role.

The soundboard bracing is an unusually simple symmetrical design, making it rather distinctive among Santos guitars.

Two harmonic bars are positioned above the soundhole and one below it. On either side of the soundhole, the treble and bass sides each have a rectangular reinforcing plate, positioned at a slight angle toward the neck joint so that they follow the extension lines of the fan braces described below.

Seven fan braces are arranged symmetrically. Their lengths and positions are symmetrical from side to side, but their dimensions differ: the three treble-side braces measure approximately 6 mm wide × 6 mm high, while the three bass-side braces measure approximately 5 mm wide × 4 mm high, making the treble-side braces noticeably larger.

There is no closing bar.

The resonance is set between E and F.

There is a repaired crack running from below the soundhole toward the lower bout on the treble side of the soundboard. There are also several-centimeter-long repaired cracks along the bass-side edge of the area where the original golpeador was installed.

Both areas have been cleanly glued and securely reinforced from the inside with patches, and there is no issue with their continued use.

The golpeador was removed and the entire instrument was carefully refinished in shellac relatively recently. As a result, the guitar is currently in remarkably clean condition, with very few playing marks, scratches, or impact marks.

Although the soundboard has a history of repaired cracks, the plate itself remains remarkably free from distortion and is in good structural condition. The back of the neck is likewise well preserved.

The neck and frets remain within appropriate specifications. The neck has a rounded D-shaped profile.

The current action is 3.2 mm on the first string and 4.0 mm on the sixth string at the 12th fret, with 1.0–2.0 mm of saddle protrusion remaining.

The original tuners have been replaced with Spanish-made Fustero tuners in the Fleta style. Because the headstock is relatively thin, the plates protrude slightly beyond its edges. There is also a hole approximately 5 mm in diameter in the headstock plate.

Weight: 1.21 kg

It is also worth noting that both the rosette and soundhole label designs of this instrument are relatively unusual among Santos guitars.

The rosette features a pale green chevron pattern at the center, flanked on both sides by thick black lines, creating an appearance that somewhat recalls the work of Antonio de Torres.

The soundhole label is neither the well-known “Renaissance” pattern nor the “cross” design, but rather an extremely simple—one might even say commonplace—design. Paradoxically, this makes it rather rare.

During this period, Santos sometimes used several different designs within the very same year, and it is difficult to determine whether this resulted from his personal choices at the time or from a systematic method of workshop management.