1976 Juan Martin's Gerundino Fernandez Flamenco Natural

Juan Martin - 1976 Gerundino Fernandez Flamenco guitar, hand made and used extensively by Juan Martin throughout his prolific career; Back and sides: Spanish cypress; Top: fine grain cedar; Fingerboard: ebony; Hardware: good; String length: 65cm

*Juan Martin is a Spanish Flamenco guitarist and author of many Flamenco guitar method books. Raised in Malaga, Juan Martin started learning the guitar at the age of six, moving to Madrid in his early twenties to study under Nino Ricardo and Paco De Lucia. He soon moved to London where he developed most of his career. One of his first recordings was Picasso Portraits in 1981 which was based on the music he played at Picasso's ninetieth birthday celebrations. In 1984 he recorded a track with Rory Gallagher which featured on the album 'Wheels Within Wheels', also in 1984 his track 'Love Theme from The Thorn Birds' reached number ten in the UK singles chart which resulted in a performance on Top of the Pops. He recorded with Herbie Hancock in 1987 and has played on stage with Miles Davis amongst many others. Juan Martin is the author of several Flamenco text books including 'El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra' and later 'Solos Flamencos'

Juan Martin used the guitar after receiving it in 1976 in concert at the Wigmore Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London among many other venues throughout Europe. The guitar is featured on the cover of his first record for Decca and also in his method book 'El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra', now in its twentieth print.

Gerundino hand made this Flamenco guitar for Juan Martin from the best Spanish cypress wood for the back and sides and fine grain cedar for the table that gives a large volume and incredibly responsive vibrancy but also a warm tone. It has a 65cm string length and a low fast action which is comfortable for the left hand. The instrument is light and has Flamenco tuning pegs set up in the handsome typical Gerundino headstock with a carved V shape at the top. Everything on the guitar is original and as new with a superb honey colour varnish and beautifully proportioned upper and lower bouts and the luthier's classic rosette around the sound hole

Gerundino Fernandez (1931-2006) was a Spanish luthier and considered one of the world's greatest makers of Flamenco guitars.  Gerundino lived at Buena Vista 4 in the name of Quemadero of Almeria in the southern most part of Andalucia, Spain. His wood dried on the top deck of his house in this extremely warm part of Spain and he once said to Juan Martin that when you played a Flamenco chord on his guitars he wanted it to sound like the guitar could explode! The dried and seasoned wood had much to do with this. What he managed to achieve as well was a warm, sweet treble which is no doubt why Eric Clapton bought two of his guitars and used for his ballads and the tragic song about his son. The guitar he made Juan emerges from the purest of Flamenco traditions but added to this are the qualities of the Stradivarius of Flamenco, Gerundino Fernandez