I started studying luthery with my friend Carlos María Odriozola in 1976. My first instruments were copied or influenced from his professor's ones, Joaquín García Fernández, who has already come from Spain.
Around 1976, I was working with my father (making furnitures in his carpentry): after working all day with furniture, I used to make my first steps in making guitars.
The first thing Odriozola and I did was a drawing of one of the Joaquin's models, which were two basically: the big one and the small one. He drew with me in a big paper the silhouette of the big one and the small one, but the sizes were so different that we decided to make an average between both drawings. The result was this model, which is 49,5cm: see the draw.
I spend many years making this model with it's fan and bottom like the ones Joaquín García used to make.
Around 1980 I asked Vitali Import. Co. for a plan Domingo Esteso (classic) that I made with these materials: bottom and rips in Jacarandá Boliviano, cover in Spruce, handle in Cedro, and diapason in Incienso Paraguayo. This instrument was excellent.
Then, I made this guitar again in Caoba Africana, and Algarrobo, with similar results.
In this year (more or less) I met the flamenc guitar player Miguel Coelho, who used to talk about guitars and art in my home.
Miguel introduced me to Ricardo Gombock and Alcides, both of them from Martínez; and then (through this people) I met Roque Guagliardi, who used to talk about guitars with me.
Roque is an excellent reconditioner and "hand-polisher": José Yacopi gave him his fine guitars to polish it. Roque and I used to see each other to learn about the technique we used. It was through Roque, Ricardo and Miguel Coelho that I knew flamenc guitar, in playing and making.
In Roque's place, I met the guitar player Enrique de Córdoba, Agustín Hellín, and I saw many old guitars that Roque fixed: Simplicio, Santos Hernández, Pascual Viudez, Enrique García, Manuel Ramírez y José Ramírez.
Then, we went with Ricardo Gombock to meet Esteban de Sanlucar, who received us with generosity and show us three of his guitars: a Santos Hernández with pegs, a Viuda y Sobrinos de Domingo Esteso and another one (I can't remember right now).
I wanted to make a flamenc guitar and know all the information I could get.
Later, after many years, I could see many flamenc guitars, and I see that today the new guitar maker has much more information.
I copied some flamenc guitars like: José Ramírez, Santos Hernández, Esteso, Conde Hnos.
In classic guitar, I learned many things copying: José Ramírez, Esteso (classic), Santos Hernández, Torres, with it's original and own fans.
Now, I make many models from different guitar makers, but using my own criterion in the resonance-box and the fan building, trying always to think in the guitarist's needs (this is for the electro-acoustic too).