The fine art of making Spanish guitars: a family matter

(5 Feb 2023)
SPAIN GUITARS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS:

LENGT: 07:40

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Madrid, Spain - 31 January 2023

1. Various of Mariano Conde Sr. sanding and checking a guitar
2. Various of Mariano Conde Jr. sanding the interior of a guitar
3. Close of wood chips
4. Tilt up from saw dust to Conde Sr.
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mariano Conde Sr., guitar maker:
“The professional customer is our customer. We have requests (from customers) for which we adapt the guitar to the touch of the person. To do this, we choose materials, we measure keystrokes, string lengths, one string is better for one person and another for another. In other words, it's a very personalised assignment and then we give them the sound they are looking for, if it's a guitarist of one style or another, we have to give them the sound they are looking for. And it can take half a year from the time we start looking for wood to the moment the guitar is finished."

6. Hand carving wood
7. Wide of father and son working in their guitar atelier
8. Various of Mariano Conde Jr. working on the interior of a guitar and gluing pieces together
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mariano Conde Jr., guitar maker:
“Here you start with the broom, you begin sweeping the workshop, little by little you are allowed to make some pieces, some interiors, bars, do some simple gluing and little by little you see how you can make the instrument on your own. Likewise, for me all my life, as my father always says, you never stop learning.”

10. Various of Mariano Conde Sr. sanding a guitar
11. Guitar necks with the stamp of the Mariano Conde workshop
12. Pull focus from tools to Mariano Conde Jr.
13. Various of Conde Sr. gluing and clamping the body of a guitar
14. Poster reading (Spanish): “1916-2016 Guitar maker Mariano Conde”
15. Tracking of Antonio Sánchez, flamenco guitar player, greeting Mariano Conde Sr. in the workshop
16. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Antonio Sánchez, flamenco guitarist:
“Mariano's guitars facilitate your work, let's say that when you pick up the guitar it gives you the comfort to express what you want to play. That doesn't usually happen with just any guitar, so that's where you can see the hidden work that goes into making a guitar.”

17. Various of Sánchez playing “Soleá”
18. Wide of Mariano Paredes Sr. and Paredes Jr. in their varnish workshop
19. Mid of Mariano Paredes Jr. preparing materials to varnish a guitar
20. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mariano Paredes Sr., guitar varnisher:
“I started with my father more than 30 years ago and I liked it, I liked it. Varnishing has always been focused on a job for guitar makers, because the guitar maker builds the guitars but he also needs the guitar to be varnished, to be dressed up, right? Let's say that we are like the tailors of this craft. I've always liked it, I've always liked music, I'm also very fond of the guitar.”

21. Various of guitars in Mariano Paredes varnishing workshop
22. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mariano Paredes Sr., guitar varnisher:
“It is a delicate and laborious job, but it is not only about making the guitar, you have to know how to apply the varnish, you also have to know how to give it a nice colour, here, in this house, we make many types of handmade varnishes. But the acoustics is the most important thing, that is to say, we don't smear the guitar with varnish and we don't give it too much thickness, we have our own mixtures.”

23. Various of materials, jars with resins and dyes
24. Various of Mariano Paredes Jr. dusting the guitars, picking up a guitar and varnishing it with shellac and crushed volcanic rock


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