Juan Alvarez
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Juan Alvarez Gil was born in Madrid in 1932. In 1946, Juan began building guitars with his elder brother Lorenzo, a cabinet maker. At first they sold these badly made guitars in El Rastro, a flea market. As their guitars improved, they sold them to music stores. Later, Marcelo Barbero (1904-1955), one of the great guitar builders of the century, became Juan's mentor, offering him his advice and counsel, from which he acknowledges that he benefited enormously. In 1952, Juan Alvarez established his own shop. As might be expected, Juan Alvarez's guitars share some of the qualities of his mentor's instruments. They have a bright round treble and a firm resonant bass. Although he is now semi-retired; his son, Juan Miguel Alvarez, (born 1960) however, continues building. Juan Miguel learned guitar making from his father. Initially he did not want to become a guitar maker, and earned a B.A. in aeronautical engineering. Yet, the fascination and love of building that his father instilled in him as a young man, eventually lead him back into building guitars. Building in the tradition of the Madrid School, Juan Alvarez's professional classical and flamenco guitars are made entirely by hand using traditional methods. The shop also sells factory made semi-professional, and student models that are made for them to their specifications. |
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