Gerundino Fernández

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Gerundino Fernández (Full name: Gerundino Miguel Fernández Garci'a) - Gerundino, as he is commonly known, was born in Almeria, Spain in 1931 and died in November 2005. Considered one of the world's greatest makers of flamenco guitars. His instruments are known for their raspy growl and volume, well balanced intonation and "gutsy" percussive sound. His instruments are typically made of lightweight Cyprress wood for the neck, back and sides with either German Spruce or Western Red Cedar for the top. Occasionally, although quite rare, he would make a "flamenco negra" with back and sides of Indian Rosewood -- when combined with a Spruce top these instruments begin to take on more of the tonal qualities of a Spanish Classical, although Gerundino's bracing system and construction maintain the essence of the flamenco sound. Players of his instruments include Paco Peña, Paco de Lucia, Tomatito and Eric Clapton (Clapton's 1976 Gerundino sold for $16,730 at his 2004 Christie's auction, believed to be the highest price ever paid for a Gerundino.)

Common to almost all flamenco guitars, Gerundino has clear plastic "tap plates" or golpeadors above and below the sound hole where the guitarist can strike his/her nails and nuckles to create the percussive effects which are essential to and idiosyncratic of flamenco guitar playing. In flamenco playing, the guitarist acts as much as a rhythm instrument as a solo instrument.

At the age of 19 he began to learn to play the guitar, and to study music, perhaps influenced by his father and grandfather who were musically inclined. In 1958, he began to build guitars--a full time, and this self-taught luthier opened his own workshop in Almería in 1960. Experiments in guitar design, and years of pondering the matrix of elements that produce outstanding guitars, have led him to develop what he considers to be a perfect design. Gerundino was a low volume maker - producing perhaps 10-12 instruments each year so the availability is quite limited. Gerundino died in November 2005. His workshop continued to put out a few instruments each year after his retirement, although his personal input cannot be confirmed for guitars issued past 1999.