Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva, Tom Blackshear and Sean O'Brien who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
Closure of the company Guitarras Hnos. Sanchis López.
Dear friends and customers,
It is very hard for us to have to write these lines today, with a mixture of gratitude and sadness, to announce to you from Guitarras Hermanos Sanchis López, sons of Ricardo Sanchis Carpio, that after 110 years of history, hundreds of friendships, and thousands of stories lived alongside all of you, we have to permanently close our workshop. A family and artisan workshop that has been part of our lives and the community for many decades. This has been one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make, especially from a sentimental perspective, since for us the workshop has always been an extension of our father, and that has been the main reason why we have tried to prolong this difficult decision that we knew would come sooner or later. However, after a long process of reflection, we understand that it is time to close this chapter.
Over the years, we've had the privilege of your trust, constant support, and affection, which has been the very essence of who we are. We've always said that we didn't just build guitars as a business; for us, it was something deeper. Seeing how an instrument we'd built with our own hands managed to make you happy has always given us great satisfaction. For us, you've always been much more than just customers; you've been a fundamental part of our history and have allowed us to grow and learn day after day.
Unfortunately, we've been seeing sales decline for some time now, but it's not just us. We know that the guitar world, not just classical and flamenco guitar, is suffering increasingly worldwide. Rising costs—including energy, taxes, labor, and materials—low demand for artists, the economic hardship affecting us all, the changing interests of generations, and the limited profit margin—have all been the triggers for this closure. For that reason, we leave with a clear conscience, knowing that we have done everything possible to ensure the continued existence of our legacy.
Although this closure marks the end of an era in our lives, we want to assure you that we will always carry with us the memories and legacy of everything we've experienced. And, of course, our gratitude to all of you, who have been key to our journey.
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Arash)
yes, it has been discussed a couple of months ago in the general section if I remember well. I don't know why the topic doesn't come up with the search function.
Posts: 4636
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to estebanana)
I don't know the history and who the guy is, but it's a pain in the ass when searching and just see dots as titles. Specially if the keywords were only mentioned in title. It affects other people's posts in that thread, making them not searchable many times
Posts: 16033
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Arash)
quote:
I don't know the history and who the guy is,
He still posts. He was a little abrasive by pushing this issue in the luthier section that Luthiers "need to" be offering inferior instruments they produce at low cost, as in below 1K. More so than insulting to builders trying to sell their work on here, I was trying to explain how it was not really possible for a Luthier to do this as cost of materials means those instruments are a loss, and you need a huge factory to turn out those things, and most cases in Spain show that yes, makers contract a factory to produce low end models or this purpose. He insisted I was wrong and proceeded to spam the hell out of the luthier section with the cheapest guitars ever! I was entertained at least.
Posts: 3508
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
The guy was clearly out of bounds in so many ways.
Early on when he was being especially abrasive I advised him that, in addition to his meaning of "Lata," (Manitas de Lata), Spanish also uses the term "lata" to mean a "pain" or "nuisance," as in "Que Lata" (what a nuisance). He got all bent out of shape at that.
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to BarkellWH)
quote:
ORIGINAL: BarkellWH
quote:
The guy was clearly out of bounds in so many ways.
Early on when he was being especially abrasive I advised him that, in addition to his meaning of "Lata," (Manitas de Lata), Spanish also uses the term "lata" to mean a "pain" or "nuisance," as in "Que Lata" (what a nuisance). He got all bent out of shape at that.
Bill
I’m chuckling-
Eventually he did mellow out and Simon moved the offending post to Reviews section, so all is good. 😂
Posts: 4636
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo
quote:
I don't know the history and who the guy is,
He still posts. He was a little abrasive by pushing this issue in the luthier section that Luthiers "need to" be offering inferior instruments they produce at low cost, as in below 1K. More so than insulting to builders trying to sell their work on here, I was trying to explain how it was not really possible for a Luthier to do this as cost of materials means those instruments are a loss, and you need a huge factory to turn out those things, and most cases in Spain show that yes, makers contract a factory to produce low end models or this purpose. He insisted I was wrong and proceeded to spam the hell out of the luthier section with the cheapest guitars ever! I was entertained at least.
Got it :) thanks
---
@mecmachin , haha! Actually mine is somewhere in the back. These were both my friends. But I also visited Media Luna Mafia
Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Arash)
It’s surprising how many luthiers and factories built their reputations on being linked—directly or by rumor—to Conde. Over a decade I tried more than three dozen Hnos .Sanchis guitars, visited their Valencia factory, and owned two top models (RSC and F. Extra Concierto). All were disappointing: poor setup, thick tops, heavy varnish, and they only sounded good with a very heavy attack. Several friends even had to get fretboard and other work done just to make theirs more playable.
There’s a reason they closed—quality simply didn’t justify the price, especially when other Valencia makers like Camps are far more consistent. As with most factory guitars, you might find the rare great one, but most are average—same story with Conde Atocha.
I also tried 4 Javier Castaño guitars (at Jordi’s shop) and none were impressive, what surprised me was the poor setup on those guitars, one would expect a flamenco specialist to at least get that right ... though Prieto makes his sound incredible.
Bottom line: if you want a Conde, go try and buy a Conde. I’ve never played a Sanchis that outperformed (or came close to) a good Felipe V. Otherwise you're basically buying a Chrysler because it was owned by Mercedes.
Posts: 4636
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to sol512)
quote:
ORIGINAL: sol512
and they only sounded good with a very heavy attack.
This is an interesting point. When I started, I loved flamenco guitars which would immediately growl like an angry Wolf, with a long sustain, once you touched them.
Over time I can't stand those flamenco guitars anymore. They sound like an uncontrollable Mess to me. Lot of people love those and that sound. Almost banjo and bell like sound and short sustain and guitars which need to be tormented a bit to give you their juice is what I currently like.
Also Sanchis always felt different to me than Conde. Sanchis has "bassier" basses. By the way , I don't think Sanchis repurtation was only because of Conde Rumors and connection. They actually built good guitars for years. I remember their 2F or whatever Model that beginner guitar was, was very good for the price. I never liked the Negras from Sanchis that much (Let's say 95% of them, cause one Centenario Model and one from Padre were exceptional). But their blancas were mostly great. I think there were quality control issues for a period of time though.
Regarding Atocha, it's funny, my current favorite Negra is a newer one and actually from that supposed "inferior" shop. I just never pay sucker prices for anything incl. guitars, otherwise I would have bought this exact Negra. If I find this at reasonable price, I will buy it. Don't care about Atocha label or if they're built by Conde A.I. robot in the basement, I just find their prices ridiculous, that's all.
Posts: 16033
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to sol512)
quote:
There’s a reason they closed—quality simply didn’t justify the price, especially when other Valencia makers like Camps are far more consistent.
Rafael Cortes in Germany uses them often. At one point both Nuñez and N. Josele appeared on stage with them. I use mine when traveling, a 1F maple. It is not a "perfect" guitar but for how cheap it is I have never seen a better quality to price ratio. I recorded the live album in Fresno with Jesus Montoya with that guitar and constant offers to buy it from me. Their cypress 1F model has uncanny similarities to the A26 from the 90s era, and that Conde remains my workhorse flamenco (I owned two in my career and had to sell one reluctantly). At some point it was conjectured that the A26 was built by either R. Sanchis or his sons, and A25 by Adilid. None of that was ever proven. A good guitar tends to be mysteriously whatever the player gets used to, as seen with the Russian blind fold test recently that suggests ALL guitars with any name at all, are overpriced.
Posts: 4636
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo
that suggests ALL guitars with any name at all, are overpriced.
My friend bought two expensive Gibson and a Fender (acoustic guitars) and returned them both immediately. Terrible quality control, fret work like ass, setup. He bought a top model Yamaha at the end after comparing. Japanese still don't f around with quality control I guess.
So another problem is that the "names" aren't the names they used to be. Even if you decide OK I'm gonne pay lots of extra just for the name, at least you would expect perfect quality control when you pay sucker prices. Instead you get inferior quality from the "names" even sometimes compared to some current chinese firewood factory stuff. It is a sad development and frustrating. Probably more so in acoustic, electric world than flamenco, but still.
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Arash)
A while back I mentioned how many pros play Mariano Conde, and some members insisted that doesn’t prove quality—it’s just endorsements or paid promotion.
Now those same members claim that because Núñez or Cortés played a Sanchis years ago, it does prove quality. Not endorsements or paid promotion.
Funny how the logic changes when it supports their own preferences.
Also, as previously stated, with any factory instrument its always possible to find that great outlier, but the majority are quite average.
Ultimately though the market decided their product either wasn't good enough or the price-quality ratio was untenable and they folded.
Posts: 4636
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to sol512)
One thing I learned is that you have to try guitars yourself and never depend on somebody elses opinion (provided you gained a minimum level of understanding and level of playing and not total beginner). We are all built different, anatomy, power in the hands, size, and lots of small but important details. Even Sound: same guitar will sound completely different played by different players. What you describe as average or feels like a piece of plastic to you, could be another man's dream guitar and vice versa. What I consider a growling piece of junk, could be your lyrical treasure.
Also important, what works in gigs and concert enviroment, might not work, sound and feel at home that good and vice versa.
Here are some interesting anectodes by Jose Carlos Gomez.
In this one he shares the story of how as a young man, he went to buy a Guitar from Gravina, accompanied by Ramon de Algeciras and what happened next. It is interesting. Basically he wanted a Negra like Paco like everyone at that time. Ended up finding his "treasure", a cheap estudio model (not Media Luna) with Madagascar wood from 1977 with a crack. He prefered it over the "Paco de Lucia" Primera Media Luna with best Indian Palisanto etc. brought out and presented by Conde and recommended by Ramon. That student guitar was his favorite for years and he played concerts with it. Unfortunately due to temperature change problems during a concert in cold NY, the crack spread to bridge, and the guy who did the repair, ruined it for Jose forever. It never sounded the same again. (Maybe it was the guy with the drilled holes in the other post ). Then he gives some good advices and conclusions. He gave that same guitar to Paco at one point and Paco was surprised, liked it and even recorded something with it.
Here are some more interesting anectodes. How Paco ended up choosing and playing an "unplayable, uncomfortable and bad" guitar stored in the closet of his brother instead of any of his other 40 or so guitars. Anyone else who played that closet guitar, found it terrible incl. his brother, but Paco loved it for concerts, after his other guitar was stolen. At home, he didn't like it though.
And here more anectodes how Jose got some guitars from Atocha, but they all fell apart when doing concerts and more interesting stuff.
This whole debate is nonsensical and much more complicated than just some general comments and how certain names are good or bad or average or whatever. Even top luthier guitars all turn out different. Including names such as Reyes. Even though collectors always try to convince everyone they all have similar god like sound and feel. When wood and hands are involved, you can't be consistent and build guitars as if they are cars or ipads. But you can lean towards certain concepts according to your preferance and try to find a good one for you from those brands/luthiers.
Also, I can't stand these stock market "the market is always right" quotes and views, when it comes to stuff like this. Luthiers are not particularly famous for their money making and business skills and marketing genius, like TEMU. I bet my ass that this will happen to more such guitar companies in Spain. I saw it in the music fair and saw the empty stands and talked to bunch of them, including Saez, Camps, etc. This small flamenco market is not very safe in Spain. Declining interest in general and more competition from Asia, etc. There will always be interest in very high end collector stuff but the other stuff might get difficult to even survive with in the future in Spain.
Posts: 16033
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to sol512)
quote:
Funny how the logic changes when it supports their own preferences.
You can back off with that type of insinuation. I don't know cortes but I know nuñez and the fact is he was offered several options, don't want to hurt feelings and name those, and chose the H Sanchis Lopez of the group, to the surprise of the owner. I don't think Gerardo owns one but I don't know. Josele, anecdote so it goes, was supposed to use the PDL promotion model but instead took his HSL. Again, this was long ago and it was funny to many of us that looked at HSL as "cheap Valencia" stock.
I only know my own hands and what they tell me, I have not had the "bad Sanchis" as you seem to have experienced, sorry. Conversely I have not yet discovered the "good" MC Conde, that all these pros supposedly love (I played several at 8k). I do see pros also using F Conde jr, and have yet to play a bad one, in fact I wish I had one as they have been superior to my own collection. I paid for my HSL and have no need to promote them and have no agenda, but I do have a right to balance the opinion that was given that they have no quality control and are overpriced, since I have known MANY examples that are polar opposite, and the close of the shop is the topic of the thread so it warranted push back.
You also mentioned "camps" which I have only seen a few and they were quite good, but not in the same arena as the HSL that I am familiar with. If they are cheaper, it would make sense, and they seem to be good for their price range too.
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to sol512)
quote:
ORIGINAL: sol512
A while back I mentioned how many pros play Mariano Conde, and some members insisted that doesn’t prove quality—it’s just endorsements or paid promotion.
Now those same members claim that because Núñez or Cortés played a Sanchis years ago, it does prove quality. Not endorsements or paid promotion.
Funny how the logic changes when it supports their own preferences.
Also, as previously stated, with any factory instrument its always possible to find that great outlier, but the majority are quite average.
Ultimately though the market decided their product either wasn't good enough or the price-quality ratio was untenable and they folded.
RE: Hermanos Sanchis Lopez Closed?! (in reply to Arash)
Sanchis earned a good name in the market of flamenco guitars for decades. It’s just a fact. Probably they were not your cup of tea while they were a deal for many others, including many pro: good workhorses. I always find them interesting and have played also very good ones among those made under Ricardo.
I find some truth in what you said though. In recent years they tried to shift their guitars to the high segment of the market but the overall quality wasn’t enough to match the level of a properly luthier made guitar or anyway the price they asked for.
I’d add that some Conde Felipe V; particularly in their last years, were very well made and estremely expensive but just crap sounding. Once I had in my shop 2 Felipe V and an old Ricardo 1F and easily the latter was the best. Tha inconsistency of the Conde shops in the 2000 was the first reason for the success of Sanchis.
Many pro players play Castano. It’s not at all as bad as you say. He and Jeronimo Perez are probably the best Conde like option if you cannot afford a proper Conde made by Marianon or Felipe.
Printable Version
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread