2016 Fernando Moreno "Negra" SP/IN

Fernando lives and works in Alcala de Guadaira, a small village just outside of Seville, deep in the heart of Andalucia, birthplace and home to flamenco. However his origins a a guitar maker began in Granada when Antonio Ariza encouraged him to build on his own after seeing the quality of his work while Fernando was assisting in the guitar shop of Valeriano Bernal. Under the tutelage of both Antonio Ariza and Juan Garcia Fernandez, he built his first guitar and later entered the family workshop of Francisco Manuel Diaz where he fine tuned his skills in all aspects of construction from the cutting of the wood to the finishing with shellac, largely with the support of Francisco's son, Victor Diaz.

This instrument - a flamenco negra - is very true to its origins in that it clearly feels and sounds southern Spanish in character. It's incredibly lively with fast attack, with great bark when pushed. The setup is very comfortable and has just the right amount of "sizzle" from the low action, and this would make a great accompanying guitar or solo instrument for any flamenco player. Although a second-hand instrument, condition of the guitar is in near-mint.