1999 Jose Marin Plazuelo SP/CY

Jose Marin Plazuelo is one of our favorite contemporary Spanish builders, and one of the most consistent makers from southern Spain, building flamenco and classical guitars of equally impressive quality, with concert-worthy tone, ease of play and volume. This particular guitar was previously owned by John Dearman of the Grammy award winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (provenance letter from John accompanies the guitar). It is in excellent condition with no prior damage or repairs, only some very minor wear in the finish, frets are in great shape and overall the condition is excellent. The action is perfect, and the sound is huge, open and well-aged, reflecting thousands of hours of play - the kind of tone you just can't find in a new instrument. It has a particularly big bottem end and a brilliant, bitey attack in all registers. It is very lightweight, especially for this luthier and feels/sounds more like a mid-century flamenco than a guitar built in 1999. Overall a fantastic example from this legendary builder in every way.

Orfeo Magazine #8 - The Granada School

José Marín Plazuelo was born in Granada, on the 13th of June, 1960. He is the nephew of Antonio Marín Montero. In 1974, when he was just 14 years old, he started working alongside his uncle where him and José González López learned how to build instruments. From the very beginning, José’s uncle praised his nephew’s job. José follows Antonio Marín’s technique, he makes his own guitars in a traditional Spanish way. Nowadays José makes his own guitars even though he shares the workshop with his family, including his uncle who is one of the most prestigious luthiers in the world. José’s classical and flamenco guitars are mainly inspired by the experience acquired from his uncle.