Antonio Lopez Martin Model 1 (Built in 1966)

 Antonio Lopez Martin 1966 

The Spanish luthier Antonio Lopez Martin is relatively unknown. 

He manufactured a lot for other more reputable workshops in
which his guitars were resold. He made classical and flamenco 

guitars. There is very little information around his guitars. He 

apparently started his career in Madrid in the early 60s late 50s 

and then moved to Melilla in the late 60s. However, given the 

quality of the model 1 presented here for sale, one can think 

that this luthier made very good instruments! Original case 

included. SOLD.

Antonio Lopez Martin sold his guitars through shops in Cadiz 

and Sevilla. He was a supplier of guitars in Malaga as well.

This guitar comes with its' original case, another plus to 

our believe. I've seen these suitcases around other guitars 

built by Madrid based luthiers, e.g. Manuel Contreras.

and of course Jose Ramirez among others

A nice back with straight figured rosewood. It simply

means that a back like this is less prone to cracks as

the pieces of wood have almost been quarter sawn.

As is the case most of the time, the layers of

polish tends to color rosewood a bit more yellowish

after the years. When I'm forced to relacquer or 

polish an old guitar the final result is much darker 

most of the time.

This is the original label in pristine condition that

says the guitar to be built in 1966. It was his highest

model he built at that time and it was nr. 195.

It is also proof that Antonio Lopez Martin was already

situated in Melilla half way the years sixties and 

possibly even early sixties...

This guitar hasn't been oversprayed though it is almost 

hard to believe that a guitar that old could be in a condition

like this. As this instrument is entirely French polished

it is easy to do some cosmetic repairs to the lacquer

on some spots. (Headfront and upper left shoulder.)

The tuners most likely are handwork from a Marrocain firm

and possible silver has been used for the base plate. Superior

quality both in looks and way of working. I've seen these

tuners also on a concert classical guitar from the fifties but

can't remember who made that guitar.

By clicking on this picture an even closer look is possible.

A nice undamaged headstock and that counts for both 

front and back. As the polish on the front showed some

craquelures I figured it to be more beautiful to French 

polish the head as well. Striking detail is that the head-

form also can be found on Casa Garrido labelled

instruments. As Antonio Lopez Martin was active

in Madrid during the first half of the sixties of the

past age it could be possible that he built for this

music shop. Then he possibly must have used this

headform after settling in Melilla. The topnut is

an example in the eye for details from this luthier.

The knobs are riveted on the axes as is the case 

on the higher end Fustero's also. And no damage

to be discovered at the top of this head.

The label again tells us that this guitar has been made in 

Melilla I 1966 and was nr. 195, probably by counting his 

number 1 models. Useable for those who have a guitar

but with a missing label.

The guitar has been provided with a nice rosette.

The rosewood bridge with its' inlay and a freshly cut bone 

saddle adjusted to a nice playing action. Often I'm lowering

the slot for the bridgebone in order to get it closer to the

soundboard itself and have more "flesh" to hold the

bridgebone in a proper way.

The Spanish luthier Antonio Lopez Martin is relatively unknown. 

He manufactured a lot for other more reputable workshops in
which his guitars were resold. He made classical and flamenco 

guitars. There is very little information on his guitars. He apparently 

started his career in Madrid in the early 60s late 50s and then 

moved to Melilla in the late 60s. However, given the quality of 

the model 1 presented here for sale, one can think that this 

luthier made very good instruments!

The label is most likely the equivalent of A concert model , or 1A 

depending on the name of other luthiers. For the year we can conclude

 it to be made in 1966 and this is number 195. The body is of course entirely 

solid with a solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, 

ebony fingerboard and bridge. A very beautiful marquetry on the rosette, 

bridge and very fine purfling. Very neat work with very nice finishing

work. In terms of sound, this guitar is ment for the classical player 

though the bridge has more a flamenco like hight. The soundbox

is extra deep to enhance the low frequencies but the balance certainly 

is there. The guitar has power and at the same time beautiful 

roundness of tone . 

Specifications:
Solid spruce top, Solid rosewood back and sides, Ebony fingerboard, 

rosewood bridge, rosewood purfling, inlaid rosette, rosewood 
headstock veneer, Mahogany neck, French polished, tuners original. 

New strings.

The outer heel of this guitar, Gracefully done with again

great craftsmanship. Nice low action.

And that counts for the bass strings as well.

The only "minor" (but I would not call it that way)

is the seam of the two halves of the soundboard that

shows a very slight hairline crack. As this guitar has

been provided with a 5 fan bracing, the brace in the

middle simply covers this area. But to be sure I

worked in some wood glue and I think it is stable

now as a good glue joint is even more strong than

the cells of the wood itself. There are always tensions

between the parts of a guitar and if a crack occurs

it can be seen as a "relief" and the result is that

other cracks are not likely to happen anymore.

Garrido Guitar from 1977 (Probably Vicente Perez Camacho built!)

Guitar distributed by Casa Garrido in Madrid, Spain, 

Garrido worked with several builders from different parts 

of Spain, such as Ricardo Sanchís, Juan Estruch, Modesto 

Borreguero, Telesforo Julve, among others, it is the history 

of Spanish lutherie. It is a solid wood guitar with a good 

and authentic Spanish construction. Wood: Solid cedar 

soundboard. Sides and back solid rosewood, with long 

drying time. The marquetry details are of the time, beautiful. 

The sound is vintage, very versatile, you can see the 

personality that this builder put in his guitars, very com-

fortable and light to play The condition is good, it shows 

hardly signs of use. Scale: 657 mm. Width nut: 53 mm.

It is to be noted that a Vicente Camacho labelled guitar

on the site of Vintage Guitar World has exactly the

same scale: 657 mm. That guitar is also from 1977. Odd

thing is that in both guitars the date has been stamped.

NOT FOR SALE.

A beautiful rosette but difficult to determine wether

if this is the work of Vicente Camacho as he made

a big variety in rosette designs.

Every picture can probably tell us more about this

high quality guitar, but who was the builder? Anyway,

the cross bar, Vicente Camacho used in his guitars is 

present in this guitar as well as the long and flat 

horizontal brace under the bridge. Inner woodwork 

is of a high quality. Furthermore the soundboard

has been provided with a 5 piece fan bracing.

A cedar topped guitar in the Madrid tradition of that 

time, initiated by Jose Ramirez III. This soundboard

really resembles the soundboards used on the 1A 

model of Jose Ramirez in that it is narrow grained

and shows medullary rays that gives it a kind of

silky pattern. Vicente Camacho didn't use the 665

mm scale that much, popular at that time in Madrid.

The own frequency of the soundbox lies quite low:

on a F# which means around 92,5 Hz.

         Garrido appears to be a retail store brand with the store in 
Madrid, Spain. Came across this brand on eBay – a purported 
1960s classical guitar (Brazilian Rosewood) labelled Garrido with 
an association with the luthier Modesto Borreguero. According 
to Acoustic Guitar Forum, Modesto Borreguero set up his own 
workshop in 1952 and worked exclusively for the dealers Casa 
Garrido in Madrid. He also taught the now retired maker 
Vicente Perez Camacho (b.1928). 
Borreguero (b.ca.1893 in Madrid) retired from guitar 
making in 1963 and he died in 1969.

Garrido Classical guitars have a long tradition of construction 

in Spain, and the first units in 1955 soon became a quality 

standard within its mid-range guitar segment. Nowadays, Garrido 

guitars have construction and sound at the best price. See: 

http://www.guitarrasgarrido.com/guitarras-clasicas/

This information comes from the Jedistar site. Not

entirely correct as the second label here attests Casa

Garrido being already present in 1953 and possibly

even 1952.

Though Casa Garrido sold guitars in different price 

ranges, this guitar can be considered "Concert Quality". 

Camacho built even more elaborate models with lots 

of ornamentation.

As for the address, Casa Garrido was situated:

Desengano 2 - Valverde 3 are both in a way mentioned

to be the workshop of Modeste Borreguero. Both Vicente

Perez Camacho as Modeste Borreguero sold their guitars 

to the Garrido music shop in Madrid.

Nicely shaped head with a topnut that is fine tuned.

The headform definitely points towards Vicente 

Camacho as a luthier. Also the rather wide sleeves

can be considered a Camacho trademark as is the 

rather flat inner tongue.

No damage on the top of the head which often 

occurs when placing a guitar against a wall. The

often used ebony reinforcement strip in the neck

can be studied here as well.

This guitar must have been stored by a collector as 

there are hardy any traces of normal use on this guitar. 

Therefore the frets are still in a like new condition.

The wood remains a bit questionable to me as it has an

orangy character here and there that reminds me of Brasilian 

rosewood. The cedar top anyway can be compared with the 

first grade quality Jose Ramirez III uses on his 1A concert

instrument. Very fine grained.

The slanted bridge tie block can be studied here.

General information about Vicente Perez Camacho:

Vicente Perez Camacho was born in Madrid in 1928. 

Like so many guitar makers of his epoch he apprenticed 

first as a cabinet maker, beginning his working life 

when he was eleven. In 1952, he decided to apprentice 

with Modest Borreguero (1901-1969, one of the famous 

guitar makers to come out of the Manuel Ramirez 

workshop, who he had known since 1943. Vicente worked 

in Borreguero's small workshop on the Calle Desegano 

No 3 until he decided to open his own workshop in 1959 

on Amparo No 3. During the 1960s Vicente sold his guitars, 

as did Borreguero for some years, through Garrido, one 

of the major music stores in Madrid for many years. 

Vicente retired in 1992.  This could be one of those sold 

through Garrido. It bears the stamped Casa Garrido label 

A choice of maple is not as unusal for flamenco as it might 

appear. Until the 1930s, maple was the top choice for a fine 

flamenco guitar, and only fell out of favor because during 

the depression, few could afford it and local cypress was 

much cheaper. There are not any cracks repairs or issues. 

The guitar still has its' original lacquering: the finish is 

flawless. Mechanical tuners (probably Fustero's) appear 

to be original.

A post by someone who owns a Vicente Camacho guitar.

Actually I do have a V. Camacho made in 1975, cedar top, Indian rosewood 

back and sides. A very nice guitar, 66 cm, rather light (much lighter than the 

Ramirez 1a of this time, and also less weight than most other guitars that 

I know - except for some flamencas). The 5 fan-style braces look quite 

usual, with a long and flat horizontal brace under the bridge, but a diagonal 

asymmetric harmonic bar (less diagonal than in the Ramirez), starting and 

ending at ribs. The head shape is quite special (like Santos but with a 

"Ramirez" tip in the middle), and the rosette (individual, never seen another 

one exactly like this) has the Madrid colours (red, green and black wood) 

and it is repeated on the bridge. The label is dated, signed and stamped, 

and the sound board is stamped again on the inside close to the bridge. 

Clearly individual work, and the man was proud of his product. 

Concerning the sound, it is suprisingly loud, but lighter and clearer trebles 

than the Ramirez of this time that I know. Lots of overtones, beautiful 

harmonics, well balanced, especially the basses are not too loud, but present. 

I cannot compare with any other guitar that I have. Also, it is easy to play, 

because of the nice neck (width 52 mm at the nut). 

This is indeed one of my favourite instruments.

Vicente Camacho designed a cross-braced system for the guitar top that produces a loud and clear tone even in small body guitar. The tone is well balanced and projects really well. If you have heard El Trio Los Panchos, you will recognize the sound. Camacho’s guitars are also famous because they were one of a kind piece of art. Every single part was made by the luthier, except the machine heads. His rosettes looked similar to each other but were different. The design matches the bridge. None of his guitars is equal to another. He made small scale guitars by demand. He used spruce, cedar, Indian and Brazilian rosewood mainly.

Among his collectors are Angel Romero, Peter Capell, Emma Martinez, Greg Lake, Pepe Vergara and Ramon Villar.

Camacho was very well known in London, where his guitars were sold by the London Guitar Studio. An interview with Vicente Camacho was published by Classical Guitar Magazine in July 1986.

Some of his guitars have Garrido brand on the sound hole label (circa 1960s) as he sold his guitars fro many years through this Madrid store.

From the Zavaletas Site:

In 1952, Borreguero moved his workshop to Desengaño No 4, and began to build exclusively for the music store Casa Garrido. There he also took on the training of Vicente Perez Camacho, who went on to become a noted luthier. He also taught a young Felix Manzanero how to French polish, a skill that allowed Manzanero to enter Jose Ramirez III workshop as an apprentice.

VICENTE CAMACHO

Vicente Pérez Camacho nació en Madrid en 1928. Como tantos guitarreros de 
su época, primero aprendió cómo ebanista, comenzando su vida laboral a los 
once años. En 1952 comienza como aprendiz de Modesto Borreguero. 
Vicente trabajaba en el pequeño taller de Borreguero en la calle Desengaño Nº 3 
hasta que decidió abrir su propio taller en 1959 en el Amparo nº 3. 
Durante los años 60 Vicente vendió sus guitarras, al igual que Borreguero durante 
algunos años, a través de Garrido, una de las tiendas de música más importantes 
de Madrid. Vicente se jubila en 1992.
Translation:

VICENTE CAMACHO

Vicente Pérez Camacho was born in Madrid in 1928. Like so many guitar players 
of his time, he first learned how to become a cabinet maker, beginning his working 
life at the age of eleven. In 1952 he began as an apprentice of Modesto Borreguero.
Vicente worked in the small Borreguero workshop at 3 Desengaño street until he 
decided to open his own workshop in 1959 at 3 Amparo. During the 1960s Vicente 
sold his guitars, like Borreguero for some years, through Garrido, one of the most 
important music stores in Madrid. Vicente retired in 1992.

Manuel Adalid 

This luthier sometimes used labels that were mentioning Casa Garrijo - Madrid.  
To my opinion it must also point towards the Casa Garrido company described 
here above!

A remark around this guitarrero made by Siegfried Hogenmueller:

"Did you know, that in the 60es of the past age he had worked  for Hernandez y Aguado 
from time to time? And, as he has learned most from Modeste Borreguero, it could be 
realistic, that MB advised his later student to collect experiences from HyA." (With 
many thanks to Mr. Hogenmueller for this contribution.)

The guitar in France:

They all came with their Spanish guitars and the first Ignacio Fleta guitars 
showed up in Paris in 1955 in the hands of Sierra and Cueto. They were im-
mediately greatly admired and gradually caused the guitars of Torres, Manuel 
Ramirez, Esteso, Simplicio, Garcia, etc. to be put back in their cases. Other 
makers, such as Conde Hermanos, Mateu, Vicente Camacho, Arcangel 
Fernandez and De la Chica, found a place on the French market where they 
sold hundreds of their instruments.

Juan S. Rivas Guitar

This guitar received a label: Juan S. Rivas Model 7.

There is not much to be found about these guitars

apart from that they possibly could have been built 

by the Alhambra company and that their model 7

in fact is the same guitar. Ceder top and rosewood

sides and back, both solid. Ebony fingerboard.

SOLD.

Both lacquering process as the inner woodwork are of  

a high quality. Same can be said about the sound and

the balance in this instrument. Good tuners and a firm

tone with lots' of volume. In that sense factory made

guitars can sometimes be surprisingly good. This is

one of them.

Reinforced neck with an ebony strip. It is reputable

however wether if it works to prevent any deformation

of a neck in the near future.

These tuners are the typical Alhambra tuners I also found 

on another guitar from this company. When you click 

on this picture you might discover the Alhambra prefix

"A". which is a sign of one of their products.

Francisco Esteve: Model ELEC 1989 (with cutaway)

        

This particular model has been built by master luthier

Manuel Adalid in collaboration with Francisco Esteve.

It is the top of the line electric cutaway guitars in their

collection. All solid woods and acoustic a really

surprising tone. Solid Indian rosewood sides and 

back, a cedar neck that is provided with an ebony 

fingerboard. This is a cedar topped guitar and so is

its' sound. Scale on this guitar is 655 mm. 

Price 1200,- SOLD.

The back of the neck has been reinforced with an ebony

layer. The outer heel on this guitar was still more rounded

as the later examples that also have another bridge.

Not the most expensive Fustero tuners but they work 

surprisingly well. I've had the same ones on an Antonio

Duran Concert guitar so "good company"!

Clearly visible is the ebony fingerboard and the finely

executed binding. For better playability the neck has been

refretted and before that the fingerboard was shaved off a 

bit towards the head in order to get a better angle over the

bridge bone and a better tone and playability!

The later ELEC models have an ebony bridge which is beautiful

but in fact a bit too heavy. On this guitar, that has been imported

in England by the Juan Teijeiro Music Company, the bridge is 

executed out of Brasilian rosewood. Only in small characters

the name of Francisco Esteve has been mentioned on the label

though it clearly says: ELEC and has been dated 1989.

When you order this guitar, the electronics that are OK

will be delivered separately as I wanted to know how this

guitar would sound without the under saddle pick up that 

has a negative influence on the sound to my believe.

Recent development was the adding of a 12 hole bridge which

makes mounting strings much easier and moreover gives a better

angle from the strings over the top gof the bridgebone. And if

you want to know more feel free to contact me. Also after the 

sale I will be ready for you the solve problems on your guitar.

Is the guitar not to your satisfaction for serious reasons 

(hidden shortcomings) you will get your money back.

Of course there are some traces of use here and there 

and people have to know that as well besides other

things such as a not straight soundboard, a neck with 

too much relief, a bridge that might come off, broken

rollers what often happens on older guitars as the

metal in the roller expands and as a result the plastic

surrounding cracks. In this Blog Greatguitarsshop

you can also find all things to inspect when you buy a 

second hand guitar. Here a kind of burn mark is 

detectable on the back of the head. How someone 

is able to cause that remains a question...

The front of the head is in pristine condition and the

new added topnut can be admired here. The small 

damage on the back is only cosmetically.

Want to know more around this brand and in general

about the Valencia made guitars, just check this site:

www.guitarrasvalencia.wordpress.com