David Martinez Cabanillas Flamenco Guitar Cutaway Blanca with TWO Carlos Juan Amplification Systems!!!

Please don't hesitate to make an offer. I will do my best to work with you.

This is a beast of a guitar. It was constructed by Spanish luthier David Martinez Cabanillas (based in Malaga) as a special project for the world-famous Carlos Juan (now also based in Malaga), the guru of guitar (and other instrument) amplification systems. This was David's first-ever cutaway build (made in 2023) as he veered from his traditional body shape to cater to Carlos' needs as a smooth jazz player. Of course, though, this guitar is very flamenco, and it growls when pushed by the player.

Since purchasing it from Carlos, I've made some additions and adjustments to tailor the instrument to my needs. The action was a bit too low (2.2 millimeters) for my taste, so I had the guitar professionally set up. The distance from the top to the strings came originally at a perfect 8.5 millimeters (to allow for effortless and painless golpes with the index / middle finger above the basses), so rather than raise the saddle, my luthier and I opted to plane the fingerboard and refret the instrument to nudge up the action a tad (now sitting at 2.75 to 3.00 millimeters) thereby eliminating some buzzing and beefing up the sound of the instrument (because of the added string vibration room). This guitar plays like pure butter and is an absolute dream for the left hand (and the right hand). There are some minor scratches (impossible to capture by camera) on the top by the 19th and 17th frets (on the bass side) which can only be seen if the guitar is held up to the light in a very specific way so the reflection makes these visible. You probably would never have noticed these if I didn't point them out, but since I set my expectations very high, I wanted to mention them (which is the reason why this guitar is not listed as "excellent" condition, but rather "very good" condition) for the sake of full transparency. There is also a small area of finish blanching on the back.

I also upgraded the tuning machines to a sleek and smooth gold and black Der Jung set. These machines work effortlessly and allow for ultra-precise tuning.

Of course, you know me and my love for pickups, so I figured, since this guitar is already equipped with a Carlos Juan VIP DM ($785 value) that Carlos himself expertly installed, why not add another Carlos Juan system for even more possibilities? This was the Carlos Juan CS Sensor ($340 value). Let me tell you a bit about these two systems. The VIP DM is an active system (one 9V battery that is super easy to replace via the battery compartment in the tail of the instrument) combining an under-the-saddle piezo transducer and an internal microphone via one mono TS output jack. This system comes with custom controls built into the side of the instrument (so very stylish and easy to access as compared to the standard controls mounted in the sound hole) to include master volume, microphone gain (blend), and a tone control knob. This is a *marvelous* system that is perfectly balanced (string-to-string volume), *very* loud, *ultra* clean (no hiss), and *extremely* resistant to feedback. Plug this into an amp or PA system, and you're ready to perform on stage in front of thousands! If you want to record with this system, plug it into an IR pedal, and you'll get natural, microphone-like sound. This is an impressive system! However, it doesn't end here. The guitar also includes a passive system (no battery required) on a separate mono / TS output jack - the Carlos Juan CS Sensor. This is a body / top sensor that is also ultra clean and loud, with great feedback resistance, and really beefs up the signal you can get from the instrument if you combine it with the VIP DM system. Also, this can be used as a backup system in case you forget to bring a spare 9V battery to a gig and you happen to run out of battery on the VIP DM (an extremely rare occurrence as the battery life on the VIP DM is outstanding). In my YouTube video, I recorded the first section of the demonstration plugged into an IR pedal, with the VIP DM in the center in mono, and the CS Sensor in stereo panned hard left and right - an incredible combination approach!

The top of the instrument is made of German spruce. The back and sides are made of cypress. The neck is Honduras mahogany. The fingerboard is ebony. The bridge is coral. The headstock is Madagascar. The scale length is 650 millimeters, and the nut width is a very comfortable 54 millimeters.

A sleek and stylish yet functional hard case (imaged) is included and is a snug fit, as it should be.

Please check out the YouTube video to hear the instrument in action. There are three sections with the following timestamps:

Section 1 is at 0:00 of the video: Me playing the guitar plugged into an IR pedal straight into an audio interface (no external mic, no amplifier used)

Section 2 is at 2:23 of the video: Amir John Haddad and Rycardo Moreno playing the guitar plugged into Carlos' combo amp system

Section 3 is at 3:45 of the video: Me playing the guitar purely acoustically (unplugged) recorded via an external microphone.

I am selling because I have no space to hold onto more guitars in my tiny apartment, so I have to downsize. Thanks for looking, and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions!