Description
Very beautiful historical guitar by the famous Salvador Ibanez, built around 1900. Fantastic looking guitar with an amazing sound!
Salvador Ibáñez (1854–1920) was a Spanish luthier. He made all kind of stringed instruments. These instruments were considered the finest of their age and are prized for their excellent quality and impeccable workmanship.
At eleven years of age Ibáñez became an apprentice in guitar construction at Calle Muela Valencia.
In 1870 he started his own company: Salvador Ibáñez y Albiñara. The company was registered at Calle Cubells. Working in his shop were the ten-year-old José Ibáñez and Magdalena Albiñara y Magraner, from Ollería, Valencia. In 1896 he first appeared in the trade guides at Calle Ruzafa Valencia and from 1898 to 1906 his shop was located at Calle Bajada de San Francisco. Salvador Ibáñez made bandurias, lutes, six and nine-string guitars and also guitars with detachable necks.
In 1897 he made the world’s first double-necked guitar. In the period 1915-1920 Salvador Ibáñez e Hijos (Salvador Ibáñez and Sons) were located at Calle Bajada de San Francisco and at Calle Padre Rico Valencia.
When he died in 1920 his workshop continued to be managed by his two sons until it was sold in 1933 to Telesforo Julve. Julve bought the Salvador Ibanez name, personnel and machinery and incorporated it in its own enterprise.
Julian Bream has played a Salvador Ibáñez guitar. Eric Clapton has owned several original Salvador Ibáñez guitars, one of which was sold at a benefit auction in 1999 obtaining a final price of US$42,000.
It is a pleasantly light guitar, finely built with a nicely coloured rosette, a straigt forward design and a smooth and fluid headstock shape.
This guitar has a wonderful vintage sound, the playability is incredibly comfortable and the guitar responds to the finest touch.
It has a lyrical, singing quality to the sound and the bases are thick and well present. It can be very loud with a piercing volume and still it retains a charming tone.
It is a truly graceful instrument with a fascinating sound.
If someone is trying to find a lightweight flamenco guitar with this typical old world and deep flamenco sound at a reasonable price … this is the guitar to go for!
The guitar is in a restored and well playable condition. The scale lenghts is 648 mm and the nut width 51 mm. The top is of fine alpine spruce and the back and sides of very beautiful and high quality cypress.