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 "What’s best" is always a personal decision, but if I had to describe it ... I’d say that the best flamenco guitar, whether it’s a traditional "blanca" or a modern "negra", would need to possess a sound that’s clearly evocative of Southern Spain. It would also need to be finely handcrafted from master-grade woods and perfectly set-up for the demanding techniques of the flamenco guitarist. As a guitarmaker dedicated to the design and construction of custom-made flamenco guitars, I create a limited number of concert-quality instruments each year and the photographs in this online collection represent some of what I consider to be my "best flamenco guitars".  Daniel Turner Flamenco Guitarmaker www.flamencoguitarmaker.com   1 The golden sides of the Oro model, made from high-flaming Hawaiian koa, are combined with a bear-clawed sitka spruce soundboard trimmed with Brazilian rosewood bindings. 2 The Oro model and the Ébano model both have tap-plates that are an integral part of a flamenco guitar and protect the soundboard during the tapping technique called "golpe". 3 A hand-sculptured Brazilian rosewood bridge, with a unique black horn-white bone saddle, sits atop a "master-grade" French polished sitka spruce soundboard. 4 The luthier's "signature" Spanish bull horn-style head design is highlighted with a Brazilian rosewood veneer and a set of gold-plated Fustero tuning machines. 5 The beautifully marbled Macassar ebony sides of the Ébano model are matched with a Port Orford cedar soundboard and trimmed with African ebony bindings. 6 An image of the guitarmaker's "signature" rosette, which is constructed from small strips of colored veneer and inlayed by hand, in this case, into a Port Orford cedar soundboard. 7 Three exotic side woods that each have unique acoustic characteristics; a marbled ebony from Papua New Guinea, a flaming koa from Hawaii, and a rosewood from Madagascar. 8 A Brazilian rosewood bridge upon a sitka spruce soundboard. The "bear-claw", that looks somewhat like scratches on the surface of the soundboard, is caused by runout in the grain. 9 The back and sides of this Cacao model are made from a rare set of Madagascar rosewood that supports a soundboard built of "master-grade" Western red cedar. 10 The Oro model featuring flaming Hawaiian koa sides and back, which are French polished with a special shellac that helps produce the instrument's golden hue. 11 A close-up and unique image of high-tension clear nylon and wound silver strings over the guitarmaker's "signature" hand-made rosette. 12 A rare ebony from South East Asia gives this "negra" guitar a stunning appearance. The Macassar ebony is matched with a Port Orford cedar top and trimmed with African ebony bindings. 13 The traditional Spanish-style Fustero tuning machines with "faux" ivory knobs are gold-plated. The neck and head are carved from the best Spanish cedar. 14 The sculptured heel and neck of this Ébano model is hand-carved from some of the finest Spanish cedar. The edges of the African ebony fingerboard are bound. 15 A bear-clawed sitka spruce soundboard with the luthier's "signature" hand-inlayed rosette adjoining a premium-grade African ebony fingerboard. 16 A rare set of high-figure Madagascar rosewood on the sides and back of a Cacao model. The sides are trimmed with dark Brazilian rosewood bindings. 17 A traditional "blanca" guitar made from premium Spanish cypress combined with a European spruce top protected by upper and lower tap-plates above a Brazilian rosewood bridge. 18 French-polished Macassar ebony sides, with African ebony bindings, support a "master-grade" Port Orford cedar soundboard. 19 The Oro model featuring sides and back made from high-flaming Hawaiian koa, a Spanish cedar neck, a bear-clawed sitka spruce soundboard, and Brazilian rosewood trim. 20 A premium-grade Madagascar ebony fingerboard that has been constructed with ebony bindings along its edges. The instrument's sides are made from the best Hawaiian koa. Listen while you browse ... Flamenco Guitar Radio features some of today's best flamenco guitar players, including Paco de Lucia, Vicente Amigo, Gerardo Núñez, Pepe Habichuela, Tomatito, Paco Peña, and Pedro Soler.  A special "limited-edition" pair of flamenco guitars has been designed by guitarmaker, Daniel Turner, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of flamenco. Each pair includes an acoustically powerful "negra" guitar built with exotic Macassar ebony and a Port Orford cedar soundboard, and a stunning "blanca" guitar built with highly-figured Hawaiian koa and a bear-clawed sitka spruce soundboard. As with all of the guitarmaker's instruments, these guitars are made-to-order and as a result the scale length and neck shape can be built to suit the exact requirements of the player. |
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  The Ébano was designed for maximum acoustic projection with a dynamic tonal range that allows the instrument to be used in a broad spectrum of musical styles ... from Flamenco and Jazz, to Classical and Latin. Its acoustic strength comes, in part, from the use of the best Port Orford cedar on the soundboard and dense woods on the back and sides. Although the Ébano’s back and sides are most frequently constructed with Macassar ebony, this model is also available in African blackwood, ziricote, snakewood, and Asian ebony. As an alternative to the Port Orford cedar top, the soundboard can be made from "master-grade" European spruce, which gives the instrument a slightly more sophisticated sound that may be an attractive option if it is to be used primarily for recording. See photography and specifications  This is the luthier’s personal "concert-quality" version of a traditional light and agile Flamenco guitar. Its back and sides are constructed with Spanish cypress, curly or quilted maple. The soundboard is made from master-grade European spruce, Engelmann spruce, "blonde" or "chocolate" Western red cedar. Although it has the visual stylings of a traditional "blanca", it still includes all the luthier’s structural innovations that are an important and universal part of these fine instruments, including a unique method of lining and bracing the top. The complete guitar is French polished to maximize its acoustic qualities and long-term value. See photography and specifications  The flaming Hawaiian koa that is used to build this guitar gives the instrument a stunning appearance and a acoustic profile that lies between that of a flamenco guitar and a classical guitar. By modifying the set-up and strings, this instrument can be used to project a clean, well-sustained, balanced tone that works well when playing a classical repertoire ... or it can be easily re-configured for a "Southern Spanish" sound and feel that is optimized for the flamenco guitarist. To complement the koa, Brazilian rosewood, African ebony or snakewood is used for the bindings. The soundboard is made of bear-clawed Sitka or creamy-white alpine spruce. The Oro is a versatile instrument that works equally well in an acoustic setting or when amplified with its optional internal wireless pickup/microphone system. See photography and specifications  The seductive acoustical characteristics of this instrument can be primarily attributed to its beautiful rosewood back and sides. The Cacao can be constructed with Brazilian, Siam, Cocobolo, East Indian, or Madagascar rosewood ... usually matched with a "master-grade" European or Engelmann spruce soundboard. As an alternative, the top can be made of Western red cedar for a more mellow, lyrical, percussive sound. The bridge, bindings, and head veneer often match the rosewood of the back and sides. As with all of the luthier's models, the Cacao is finished completely by a traditional technique called "French polishing" and in the case of the Cacao, the finishing is often done with a dark shellac to bring out the contrast in the naturally attractive grain of the rosewood. See photography and specifications  This visually and acoustically stunning "blanca" gets its name from the Monterey cypress back and sides, which are finished with French polish to enhance the natural reddish hues of the wood. The Monterey cypress combined with a "master-grade" European, Engelmann, or Sitka spruce top lays the foundation for a consummate "blanca" that can easily be tuned to the acoustic characteristics required by the player. Curly Hawaiian koa, African ebony, or Brazilian rosewood are used for bindings that complement the Monterey cypress back and sides. To add a further touch of the exotic, it is possible to have the fingerboard, head veneer, bindings, and bridge made entirely from matched and highly-figured Cocobolo rosewood.  The Oregon myrtle backs and sides paired with a uniquely-braced alpine spruce or redwood top give this instrument a traditional Southern Spanish "blanca" sound. Dark Brazilian or Cocobolo rosewood is used for the bindings, bridge and head veneer. The instrument is French polished with a unique formula to enhance the green-brown tinted characteristics of the Oregon myrtle ... and the soundboard and Spanish cedar neck are similarly finished with a deep brown shellac to darken the wood ... giving the completed instrument an uncommon, yet very attractive appearance.  This high-end, concert-quality instrument has been specifically designed for professional jazz musicians and "nuevo" flamenco guitarists. The guitar has a shallow body with a Selmer-style or "Custom-V" cutaway, highly-figured Cocobolo rosewood back and sides, and a master-grade "bear-clawed" Sitka spruce, curly redwood, or "chocolate" cedar soundboard. Its acoustics, for both recording and performance, are enhanced by an internal wireless pickup/microphone system. The Cerezo’s "master-grade" woods, uniquely shaped top and internal bracing, optimized set-up, and high-quality strings all combine to provide exceptional acoustic characteristics that are uncommon in "production" guitars of similar design. |
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 Interested in the exotic woods that are used by the guitarmaker to create his custom-made flamenco guitars ? Click here to see images of some of the back and side woods he currently has in his workshop, including Hawaiian koa, ziricote, Mexican cocobolo, Brazilian rosewood, Monterey cypress, quilted maple, bubinga, and Tasmanian tigerwood.  |
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 Have you ever thought of having a very unique flamenco guitar made to your own specifications ? An interactive web program (below) has been created to help you evaluate all the options available when ordering a custom-made flamenco guitar. Using this Flash-based program you can essentially design your own guitar by selecting options in more than 20 different categories (e.g. Brazilian rosewood for the back and sides, 655mm for the scale length, Rodgers for the tuning machines, ...). Once you have defined your requirements you will be able to view the exact price of the instrument and, if you wish, request further details about ordering a custom-made guitar based on your particular specifications. To start designing your own "best flamenco guitar", just follow the directions on the right-hand side. |
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 A cellular telephone ring tone, created especially for flamenco guitar enthusiasts, can be downloaded from this website. The ring tone, which will work on any mobile telephone that supports MP3 sound files (most new ones do), can also be sent directly to your mobile phone (or to your computer) by e-Mail. If you would prefer to receive the ring tone by e-Mail, you can request it by using the e-Mail form above. (Click here to listen to the ring tone) (Click here to start the download) |
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