Felipe Conde Spruce Madagascar Rosewood 650 Model CC 39

Felipe Conde traces his guitar building lineage back to the beginning of the last century when Domingo Esteso and his wife Salamanca set up their own workshop in 1915 after Domingo had served as the leading luthier in the Ramirez workshop.  Salamanca was later joined by her nephews, the Conde brothers Mariano and Faustino and they worked together until her death in 1959.  In 1971 Felipe joined the enterprise working with his father Mariano and uncle Faustino. In 2010 Felipe set up his own own workshop together with his son and daughter.  So there is a long tradition of guitar building in the family.

The guitar offered for sale is the top of the Felipe Conde range, being a CC 39 model which features a German Spruce top and Madagascar Rosewood back and sides.  The CC 39 model retails at around £12k including taxes.  It has the standard concert set up of a 650mm scale length and 52mm nut. The action is also standard concert. The sound is big hearty and full and also retains a superb balance across the strings.  It also has the clarity and power one would expect of the highest level of concert guitars.  Depite being a few years old the guitar is in virtually mint condition.  In correspondence Felipe mentioned that the older guitars are more sought after as they have somewhat higher quality woods.  Felipe's guitars have been used by such players as Paco de Lucia, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Leonard Cohen to name but a few. The guitar is a professional level instrument for the the advanced player or the discerning collector.  A very fine guitar in my opinion.

Price £7,950