Manuel Velazquez (1917-2014) was born in Puerto Rico, and built his first guitar when he was 12, and continued working well into his 90s. His guitars are heavily influenced by those of Torres, Santos Hernandez, and Hermann Hauser. Manuel Velazquez is widely consider a world class maker, and his guitars have been played by Andres Segovia, Julian Bream,  and many others. 

This particular guitar is his “La Mixta” which is a somewhat rare model. It was made in 1963 with German spruce top of a quality that is seldom seen with back and sides of European maple. The guitar has led the life of a flamenco guitar—scratches, nail marks, small dings. The lacquer finish has crackled. Although it is well-worn, structurally it is solid. More importantly, it has a magnificent flamenco tone. The sound reminds me of a Santos Hernandez, full, powerful, with great depth, and real flamenco rasp. The set up is comfortable.