Santos Hernández was born in Madrid in 1873. He is one of the luthiers trained by Manuel Ramirez, with whom he started working around 1905 to replace Enrique Garcia. The famous guitar that Manuel Ramirez gave to Andres Segovia in 1912 was built by Santos Hernández. When Manuel Ramirez died in 1916, Santos continued to work for his widow until 1920. In 1921, Santos opened his own workshop on la Aduana street, in the center of Madrid. Santos Hernández was a reticent and withdrawn man, and he never had any apprentice. There’s a reason why the name Santos Hernández has become mythical : his guitars' really unique character, their depth, the melancholy in their voice — something not to be found in the instruments by other luthiers. How did he do it ? What magic made it possible to achieve such a sound ? In any case, this particular guitar, built in 1922, is endowed with these very specific qualities.
