Luthiers

Luthiers includes all the craftsmen dedicated to building wooden musical instruments. Therefore, a luthier (or violin maker, guitar maker, etc.) is an artisan who builds, adjusts or repairs this type of instrument including violins, violas, cellos, all kinds of guitars, lutes, etc.

The origin of the term comes from the old builders of lutes, Italian liutos and French luths. In Spain this Gallicism has become generalised, replacing the original word, violeros, a name used during the period of guild associations.

There is evidence of the production of musical instruments in the ancient cultures of Asia Minor. On the Spanish peninsula, the Romans and Moors introduced different types of stringed instruments, and the guitar quickly stood out in Andalusia.

Guitar building in Spain currently has two high-quality luthier schools, located in Madrid and Granada, although there are also individual high-quality workshops in many parts of Andalusia, such as Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, Algodonales (Cadiz) and Andújar (Jaén).

It is noteworthy that the Granada guitar is of extremely high quality, and a very significant part of their production is commissioned by clients from foreign countries - for both flamenco guitars and classical guitars.