Who was the most widely recorded guitar builder before WWII? Who used his instruments? March 13, 1997
Who was the most widely recorded guitar builder before WWII?
Who used his instruments?
March 13, 1997 Updated October 22, 2026,
Copyright Randy Osborne F.F.S.I. La Guitarria Fina 1997
Santos Hernandez
Santos Hernandez was born on November 1, l874. At the age of 10 he was an apprentice in a shop that made clothes for the Catholic clergy. Then at the age of 12, he began working in the guitar shop of Valentin Viudes Jr. Somewhat shortly after he was working in the Rafael Ortega shop, following his continued apprenticeship in the taller of Saturnino Rojas then in the workshop of Hijos de Gonzalez (whose father in law was Maestro to Jose Ramirez I starting in l870). In l893 he entered military service (artillery). After a stint of 2 1/2 - 5 years, depending on the source of information , he entered the taller of Manuel Ramirez in 1898. He stayed there until Manuel's death in l916. In l912 he built an 11 string classical for Antonio Gimenez Manjon. Manjon offered Manuel Ramirez substantially less for the guitar though it was a special order. Manuel was disgusted with Manjon's ridiculous offer and the guitar remained unsold. Somewhere between the time it was originally constructed and 1916 it was converted back to a 6 string (not being a lot of buyers for 11 string models that one can play J. S. Bach compositions at original pitch).
Andres Segovia
In 1912 Andres Segovia came to the Manuel Ramirez shop hoping to rent a concert guitar for his upcoming recital in Madrid. Upon hearing Andres bring out the glorious tones from the guitar, Manuel offered the instrument as a gift telling Segovia "Go out in to the world and make my works better known by your marvelous playing" In 1924 the gift from Manuel was in need of repair but Manuel was dead 8 years by then and Segovia went to the Santos Hernandez shop at Aduana 23 in Madrid. Whereupon Andres was to learn all this time that the guitar had been made by Santos himself -Santos being the foreman of Manuel's shop at the time. Santos wanted to put his own label on the guitar and Andres refused saying only "Put a label inside that states you repaired it." To which Santos replied "My initials SH are to the right of center to identify that I made it though the label says Manuel Ramirez." This was the instrument that Andres Segovia was to begin his glorious recording career just 3 years later in 1927. He recorded 20 songs on this instrument until in 1937 Andres began to use a Herman Hauser I guitar. Hauser took every opportunity to measure this 1912 Manuel Ramirez by Santos when Segovia would be concertizing in Germany. This viewing of the 1912 Santos went on from about 1923 -1936, but Hauser also took in to account his occasional viewing of Miguel Llobet's 1860 Antonio de Torres. So the "greatest guitar of our epoch" to quote Segovia was a combination of a Santos and a Torres.
Ramon Montoya
One of the earliest flamenco virtuosos was Ramon Montoya. He was born on November 2,1880. Though born in Madrid faraway from Andalucia, he grasped the ability to play flamenco so that by the time he was 14 he was employed in a Madrid cafe to accompany cantantes. His virtuosity grew as fast as his fame. His recording profile begins at about 1910 more or less. He was active until about 10 years before his death in l949. The cantantes that he accompanied were: (listed by artist then quantity of songs)
Nino de Almaden 8
Angelillo 13
Aurelio de Cadiz 22
Juan Breva 10
Nino de Cabra 30
El Canario de Colmenar 8
Manuel Centeno 6
Jose Cepero 30
El Cojo Luque 2
El Cojo de Madrid 4
El Cojo de Malaga 22
Don Antonio Chacon 26
Chaconcito 12
Antonio Grau 8
Fernando E. Herrero 11
Nino de la Isla 20
Nina de Jerez 10
Nina de Linares 17
Nino de Los Lobitos 14 (Bernardo de los Lobitos)
Pepe Marchena 133
Nino de las Marianas 21
Nino de Medina 23
Juan Mojama 10
Nino del Museo 16
Manuel Pavon 18
Nina de los Peines 88
El Pena hijo 44
El Personita 8
Nino de Priego 2
Nina de la Puebla 16
Jose Rebollo 10
Luisa Requejo 10
Nino de la Ribera 3
Encarna Salmeron 4
El Sota 10
La Trianita 20
Juanito Valderrama 25
Manuel Vallejo 26
Juanito Varea 5
This accounts for 765 recordings on a Santos Hernandez Flamenco guitar. We must also add 24 solos, that Ramon did in l936, making a total of 789.
Nino Ricardo
Our next immortal figure is Nino Ricardo. He was born in Sevilla on July 1, 1904. At 13 years of age he began playing in the Salon Vigil in Sevilla. In 1924 he began his long career by accompanying La Nina de los Peines and her brother Tomas Pavon. Nino Ricardo was to be extremely influential guitarist having his fingerprints in the playing of Paco de Lucia. He died on April 14,1972. The great cantantes he accompanied were:
El Chato de Valencia 2
Carmen Florido 2
Guerrita 2
Nina de Jaen 4
L. Lavao de Parades 2
El Limpio 8
Manolo El Malagueno 6
Manolo Manzanilla 4
El Mochuelo died in 1937 unknown quantity of about 350 songs
Nino Olivares 6
Pepe El Moro 2
Palanca 10
El Pena hijo 24
Pericon de Cadiz 7
Platerito de Alcala 8
La Andalucita 12
El Cojo Luque 6
Manuel Vallejo 10
La Nina de Los Peines 41
Tomas Pavon 12
Pepe Marchena 18
Manuel Centeno 10
Jose Cepero 24
Nino Isidro 14
Nino de Alcala 12
Paco Mazaco 10
Bernardo El de Los Lobitos 11
Nina de Gloria 13
Nino de La Huerta 12
Nino de Alfalfa 6
Pepe Pinto 72
Paco El Boina 8
Emelio Abadia 4
Nino de la Calza 8
Canalejas de Puerta Real 42
Rafael Canete 4
El Carbonerillo 23
Cepero de Triana 8
Currito de San Julian 11
Curro de Utrera 2
Nina de Puebla 9
Rafael de Jerez 2
Antonio Rengel 16
Nino de la Ribera 2
El Sevillanito 4
El Sevillano 40
Juanito Valderrama 56
Nuanito Varea 20
Nino de Velez 2
Nino Villanueva 8
So this brings us another 650 recordings done on a Santos Hernandez Flamenco guitar.
Manolo de Badajoz
The next figure of extensive recordings is Manolo de Badajoz. He was born in the city of Badajoz in 1892. He was a disciple of Javier Molina and Don Ramon Montoya. Manolo died in Madrid in 1962. The important Cantantes that he accompanied were:
Nino de Alcala 2
Nino de Almaden 3
Nino de Alora 2
El Americano 40
La Andalucita 6
Angelillo 18
Andres Heredia (EL Bizco) 4
Pepita Caballero 4
Lola Cabello 2
Nino de Cabra 12
Nino de la Calza 6
Canalejas de Puerto Real 6
Nino de Caracol (Manolo ) 8
El Carbonerillo 19
Estrellita Castro 2
Manuel Centeno 15
Jose Cepero 16
El Cojo de Pomares 4
El Corruco de Algeciras 6
El Cuacua 1
El Chato de Jerez 1
El Chato de Valencia 2
El Chato de Las Ventas 24
Luis El Chulito 2
Encarna la Finito 2
Nino de la Flor 10
Paco Flores 2
Nino de la Fuente 6
Nino de Fuentes Andalucia 6
Rosario Garcia 8
Nino de Gloria 14
El Gorito (de Triana) 10
Gracia de Triana 10
Guerrita 10
Herrerito 2
Miguel Herrero 2
Nino de la Huerta 60
Isabelita de Jerez 8
Nino Isidro 10
El Limpio 6
Nina de Linares 10
Bernardo de Los Lobitos 2
Pepe Marchena 4
El Malagueno 8
Paco Mazaco 8
Pepe El Molinero 8
Paquita Moran 4
Nino del Museo 4
Mariquita Ortega 2
Palanca 16
Nina de Los Peines 12
El Peluso 18
El Pena hijo 34
Jesus Perosanz 34
Pepe Pinto 28
Nina de la Puebla 22
Jose Rebollo 10
Antonio Rengel 3
Nino de la Ribera 4
El Rojo de Salamanca 2
El Sevillanito 2
Jose Suarez 8
Nino de Talavera 4
Juanito Varea 10
Nino de Velex 8
These listings comprise 636 recordings on a Santos Hernandez Flamenco guitar.
Luis Maravilla
Next on our journey of those who used a Santos is Luis Maravilla. He was born in Sevilla in 1914. He and his wife Pilar Calvo were the principals in the 1952 motion picture "Duende yY Misterio". But well before that time he accompanied the following artists:
Pilar Calvo 2
El Cojo de Huelva 2
Jose Greco 2
Roque (Jarrito) Montoya 4
El Gafas (Manolo) 2
Luis also recorded 4 guitar solos- Danza Oriental, Tanguillo de Cadiz, and 2 Zambras. This adds another 16 recordings on a Santos Hernandez Flamenco guitar.
Javier Molina
Javier Molina was born in Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) in 1868. He probably played in more Cafe Cantante environments than anyone else due to the time in which he was born (1868). A notable singer that he accompanied was Manuel Torre for 4 songs.
So our composite totals of recordings on a Santos Hernandez Classical or Flamenco guitar before the death of Santos in 1943 are as follows:
Don Ramon Montoya 789 (includes 24 solos)
Nino Ricardo 650
Manolo de Badajoz 636
Luis Maravilla 16
Javier Molina 4
Andres Segovia 20
2115
Paco de Lucena had a prodigious student Rafael Marin who in 1902 published a Flamenco method in Spain. Rafael played a Manuel Ramirez flamenco guitar but at that time Santos had already been working in Manuel's shop for 5 or 6 years. As to who actually made Rafael's guitar your guess is as good as el mio.
Coming next week
In Granada there is a street named Cuesta de Gomerez. There are at least 6 guitarmakers on that street. Who did they learn from?