Benito Ferrer 1925
MADE IN GRANADA

Benito Ferrer (1845-1925)

It has been very interesting and special to experience the different sensations and thoughts that this guitar has brought to us, both when seeing it and when hearing it. Made a century ago by one of the most renowned historic luthiers in the city of Granada.

First, It is also worth noting that this guitar remains entirely original since 1925. Incredibly, we are looking at a 100-year-old instrument, crafted in Granada by one of the city’s historic makers, with no cracks or repairs top of any kind.

We were already aware of one of the characteristics often mentioned by people knowledgeable about the Granada guitar and its history when speaking about Benito Ferrer’s guitars. We were always told something along these lines: “Ferrer’s guitars are not especially known for a perfect or precise finish, nothing like that. The materials are similar, rather modest in quality. But when you play them, you are truly amazed.”

And this is indeed the case. Because the sense of wonder does not come only from the sound they produce. One also cannot help but wonder how this guitar maker was able to achieve such a sound from those woods. It was certainly not easy in Granada at the beginning of the century to obtain first-rate tonewoods for instruments, nor were such materials economically within easy reach for a guitar maker. In a way, this is something we find in many guitars by the great masters that are highly valued today. When you look at guitars by Antonio de Torres, which today can reach prices of over one million euros, or by Vicente Arias or Manuel Ramírez … you often find, once again, that the woods used are not of outstanding quality, as is also the case with this Benito Ferrer guitar we present here. And yet, they possess that beautiful and authentic sound of historical Spanish guitars. A sound that many traditional guitar makers seek today, and that is only achieved on rare occasions. It is a sound of great warmth and purity, clean and gentle, that truly absorbs you. It isolates you and draws you into the music, into your interpretation, allowing you simply to enjoy the sound and the guitar. A true pleasure.

Another standout feature of this guitar is its magnificent intonation throughout the fretboard, a quality often lacking even in well-known, expensive contemporary guitars. It reflects the good skill and extensive knowledge of this Granada historical master luthier.

On the other hand, we find an extremely light guitar. It does not even reach one kilogram. It is, in fact, one of the lightest we have ever had. In terms of neck profile and playability, it is very comfortable, with an action of 3 mm on the bass strings, which tells us a great deal about how the guitar has maintained its geometry correctly after more than one hundred years. This is particularly admirable considering its light construction.

This leads us to yet another sensation worth mentioning. Rarely does one have the opportunity to play a guitar made one hundred years ago that still offers the sound of its time, traditional Spanish in character, easy to play, and preserving that beauty of tone rooted in the Granadan tradition of guitar making and instrument construction, a tradition that has existed here in Granada for no less than 250 years. If we add to this that it is worth noting that this guitar was crafted in the master’s final year. As such, it represents the culmination of all the knowledge and experience that Don Benito Ferrer acquired throughout his life.

This guitar represents one of the best opportunities currently available in terms of quality, price, and historical value, we believe it to be an excellent option for those who wish to own a guitar that could easily belong in a museum, and which at MADERA we are offering at an exceptional price.

Benito Ferrer, 1845-1925

Benito is regarded as one of the most important “patriarchs” of guitar making in the history of the city of Granada and, given the great importance of this city in the history of the Spanish guitar, by extension, in Spain.

Born in Granada, Benito established his first workshop in 1875 on Calle de Las Campanas. He later moved to Calle Jarrería and finally to Calle Santiago, the address shown on a 1925 guitar that we present at MADERA.

Although Benito initially trained in the construction of string instruments in general, such as bandurrias and lutes, he soon specialized in the guitar, studying the fan bracing system and the proportions that today define the Spanish guitar.

One of his most distinctive qualities is that, despite often working with woods that were not of exceptional quality, due to the difficulty of sourcing better materials at the time, he possessed the special ability and talent, like the great guitar makers of the nineteenth century, to achieve a very beautiful sound from them. This is particularly striking when one considers the materials he had available.

He is considered an essential link in the transition from the Granada guitar of the nineteenth century to that of the twentieth century, and a fundamental part of the Granadan guitar-making tradition and of today’s guitar makers. He taught his nephew Eduardo, who in turn trained many of the most important Granadan guitar makers active in the late twentieth century.

The essence of his work can be described as distinctly Granadan in character, evident in its sobriety, lightness, playing comfort, and in a construction philosophy entirely focused on the primary goal of achieving a beautiful, traditional sound, so closely associated with Granada and its long-standing guitar tradition.