Felipe Conde

Felipe Conde Cavia (born August 24, 1957 in Madrid, Spain) is a Spanish guitar constructor[1] (luthier) heir to a celebrated guitar maker dynasty Esteso-Conde. He is the nephew of Domingo Esteso and son of Mariano Conde Salamanca of the well knownHermanos Conde. Today, Felipe Conde directs his own workshop at C/ Arrieta 4 in central Madrid.[2] He constructs artisan guitars following the long Esteso-Conde tradition, played and venerated by most artists in the world of Spanish guitar.

History

Felipe Conde Cavia was born in Madrid, Spain on 24 of August 1957 to Mariano Conde Salamanca and Valentina Cavia Mardones. He first entered his father's and uncle's guitar workshop at C/ Gravina 7 in Madrid, as an apprentice in 1971 when he was 14 years old. In the following year he has learned the craft of making guitars from his father and uncle Mariano and Faustino Conde better known as the celebrated Hermanos Conde. During this time, Felipe combined his work with his formal studies and learning the art of guitar playing. He remained as an apprentice at the Gravina street workshop until 1980 when his father established a new workshop at C/ Felipe Vº, 2 where he moved together with his father and younger brother. The three continued the family tradition at this workshop until the death of Mariano Conde Salamanca in 1989. From this year and forward, Felipe embarks on a new era in the history of the family tradition started by Domingo Esteso in 1915, and together with his younger brother Mariano continues the construction of the standard models as well as introducing some new models and creating, for the first time, reeditions of celebrated models of the three epochs of the family guitar construction tradition.

In 2010, Felipe Conde separates from his brother and sets up a new workshop at C/ Arrieta 4, in front of the Teatro Real in central Madrid where he still constructs hand made artisan guitars following the Esteso-Conde tradition, conserving most of the historical tools and methods used by Esteso and his father and uncle alike. During his professional life, Felipe Conde has fostered close relationships with artists that played or still play Conde guitar, especially with Paco de Lucía, Niño Ricardo, Regino Sainz de la Maza, Moraíto Chico, Gerardo Nunez, Juan Carmona, Al Di Meola, Pepe Hbichuela, Rafael Riqueni, Diego del Morao, Sabicas, Melchor de Marchena, David Byrne, and many others.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Article in the supplement of the Spanish daily Expansión from June 6, 2012
  2. ↑ A Spanish television report about Felipe Conde