1964 Manuel de la Chica SP/CSAR (ex Frederick Noad)

Like Santos and Barbero, Manuel de la Chica was at home building both classical and flamenco guitars, indeed his finer instruments have the flexibility of being played by either style and are often compared to the work of these other two builders for their very "Spanish" style of sound. This is such an instrument, and it has a lyrical, singing quality to it yet at the same time can bite if pushed. It is very light in weight, and has piercing volume. We first purchased this guitar many years ago from Marilyn Noad, just shortly after her husband, the great classical guitar personality (mainly remembered now for his educational PBS TV series as well as instructional books) Frederick Noad's passing. She left a note stating the provenance, which is still with the guitar. There are a few cracks in the body of the guitar (top and back) which were repaired while still owned by Fred, and remain perfectly stable to this day. The instrument is in performance-ready condition and sounds absolutely fantastic. Although a longer-scale instrument, playability is a breeze with a very comfortable neck shape, as is the norm for this maker. This is an exceptional instrument in every regard from this great builder with great provenance.