Domingo Esteso 1927

The guitar maker

Domingo Esteso (1882 - 1937)

Domingo Esteso is one of the greatest makers in the history of the Spanish guitar. He began working as an apprentice in the workshop of Manuel Ramirez, and upon Ramirez death he worked for his widow, though including his own name on the labels. He ended up working in this workshop at the same time as Santos Hernandez and Enrique Garcia, the three of them becoming the standouts of the Manuel Ramirez workshop. The guitars from this shop to this day have a special quality that sets them apart from all others of this period, be it for their exquisite workmanship or their sonic characteristics.

Later, Domingo Esteso went independent and set up shop at Gravina No. 7 in 1915, with his wife Nicolasa Salamanca, who polished the guitars. This was his most prolific period – one can still find specimens of beautiful workmanship that have had the good fortune to fall into the hands of those who knew how to care for them, and they are played and enjoyed to this day. Many of these guitars were sold abroad, especially to Argentina, where they carry the label he "made for Romero Y Hernandez of Buenos Aires". This was primarily due to the high cost of the guitars and the terrible economic situation in Spain during that period. 

Faustino Conde joined the workshop in 1926 and Mariano Conde joined in 1929. This was the beginning of the next epoch of these guitars. The Conde brothers learned their craft and their love of the art of guitar making from Domingo Esteso. They stayed with Domingo Esteso until his death in 1937, in the middle of the Spanish Civil War. Esteso died of a respiratory infection due to an air current in the workshop, which might have been cured but for a lack of penicillin. They continued making guitars until 1939, but very few, due to the civil war. 

Description

This guitar is of the finest quality and made with excellent materials that are embellished gorgeously.  It has solid, brilliant Spanish sound.

Condition

This guitar is more than 100 years old and for that time is in very good condition.

The soundboard appears to be in perfect condition with no repairs or visible cracks.

Well-repaired hairline crack on the rosewood back.