What is the Flamenco Guitar?

by Richard Bruné, Eugene Clark, and John Park, with moderator and organizer Jeffrey Elliott

from their 2006 GAL Convention panel discussion

Originally published in American Lutherie #97, 2009



Jeffrey Elliott: Our panelists are all esteemed flamenco guitar makers and accomplished flamenco players. I’ll begin by asking each of them to answer a single big question: What is the flamenco guitar?

Richard Bruné: Here’s a little quiz. These pictures (below) show three guitars by Domingo Esteso, illuminated from the inside so we can see the bracing pattern. Would anybody venture a guess, according to conventional wisdom, which is the flamenco guitar? The one on the left is a 1932 with rosewood sides and back. In the middle is a 1936; it’s part of my collection. And the one on the right (also far right) is the flamenco guitar, La Maravilla, which was made for Ramón Montoya. It actually has very high action, almost like a classical guitar.