{"id":14939,"date":"2020-07-07T05:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=14939"},"modified":"2020-07-06T16:54:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T23:54:53","slug":"ecuadorian-master-luthier-luis-uyaguari-uses-hand-tools-and-designs-his-own-guitar-molds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/ecuadorian-master-luthier-luis-uyaguari-uses-hand-tools-and-designs-his-own-guitar-molds\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecuadorian Master Luthier Luis Uyaguari Uses Hand Tools and Designs His Own Guitar Molds"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

From the\u00a0July\/August 2020<\/a>\u00a0issue\u00a0of\u00a0Acoustic Guitar<\/em>\u00a0| By Gary Parks<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Almost 50 years ago, master luthier Luis Uyaguari Quezada, then an adolescent, moved with his family to the metropolis of Cuenca, Ecuador, leaving behind the remote mountain village of San Bartolome. Their tiny pueblo had a generations-long tradition of guitar making, and Uyaguari\u2019s father was one of the village\u2019s best, yet he wanted to better his family\u2019s lot in life. So in the early 1970s, Julio Uyaguari Vintimilla established his new Cuenca workshop to build and repair instruments, with young Luis as his assistant. \u201cMy father had heart problems, so as a youngster I did the planing and sawing,\u201d says Uyaguari. \u201cI worked with him regularly from the age of 13, starting just before we left San Bartolome, and with my father\u2019s help built my first complete guitar at age 18.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Alongside his father, the younger Uyaguari spent long hours working and learning his trade. By the time he was 26 he had become a skilled luthier in his own right, so the elder Uyaguari encouraged him to enter an instrument into a guitar competition in the capital city of Quito.\u201d My guitar won first prize, and my father was very proud of me,\u201d he says, adding that his father died soon afterward, and he took the reins as the shop\u2019s master luthier.<\/p>\r\n

Uyaguari, who is in his early 60s, estimates he has built about 1,500 guitars in his lifetime. His specialty is nylon-strings, though he has made some custom steel-strings and even seven-strings. One indication of his output is the stacks of soundhole cutouts on his shelves, each hand-labeled with the date and customer name. He\u2019s not sure when he began this record-keeping practice, but one shelf alone contains around 600 spruce and cedar disks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Mixing Tradition with Innovation<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Upon entering Uyaguari\u2019s workshop, a striking realization is the lack of machine tools\u2014power saws, planers, routers, and the like. Instead, one sees a variety of handtools\u2014chisels, planes, knives and files, vices, and wooden clamps\u2014and a handmade device for bending sides, consisting of an electrically heated pipe placed between the edge of a workbench and a vertical wooden brace. Uyaguari says, \u201cI learned the traditional method of guitar making from my father. The style of the instruments was influenced by the Spanish masters, since Ecuador was a colony of Spain for centuries. My principal tools are my hands\u2014we don\u2019t have machines to help us build\u2014and creativity, because I don\u2019t use standard molds for the guitars and make my own designs. And I put my heart into all of these instruments.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The joinery and fine details on Uyaguari\u2019s guitars are impeccable, and the luthier explains that key to this precision is keeping his tools very sharp. Prior to demonstrating how he prepares the tiny segments for rosettes, he goes through a multistep process of sharpening and polishing a small knife to a surgical edge. His technique with that knife shows the fluidity and assurance born of a lifetime of daily practice. \u201cWhenever I pick up a knife or chisel, I test and sharpen it so that it will cut smoothly and accurately. That way everything fits tightly,\u201d he says.<\/p>\r\n

Joints for the tops and backs are precisely hand-planed and glued, cut to shape, and carefully braced and tuned. Rosettes, whether basic or elaborate, are painstakingly assembled around the soundhole. When ready, the mostly carved neck is joined to the soundboard to await fitting and clamping the sides. Bending those sides is also an intensive, by-hand process, with moistened wood gradually shaped to the desired curvature with two hands over a hot pipe. And the process continues, through many steps of fitting, gluing and clamping, binding, sanding, and finishing. \u201cWe\u2019re working on at least four instruments at a time, in different stages,\u201d says Uyaguari. \u201cBut on average, I can complete a guitar in three months.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The Art of Lutherie<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For ornamentation, Uyaguari uses thinly sliced strips of naturally colored woods, veneers, and mother-of-pearl, which he stores in an armadillo shell. The depth of Uyaguari\u2019s artistry is apparent in the wide variety of rosettes, bindings, and multilayered strips on the backs and lower bout\u2014each unique to the instrument. \u201cThis is the elegant part of the guitar where masters demonstrate their ability and talent, giving the instrument its personality,\u201d the luthier says.<\/p>\r\n

Once a customer has approved the custom design, Uyaguari begins assembling the rosette. Guidelines and outlines are lightly penciled on the soundboard, and he uses them to precisely hand-cut the hollows where the rosette will be assembled piece by piece. The chosen colors and thicknesses of woods are layered and glued to create the desired patterns. Uyaguari demonstrates the process by slicing off slightly angled bits of wood and putting them together in a pattern. \u201cI use my small knife to cut the tiny pieces,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt can take a full week just to make one of these rosettes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Uyaguari sources much of his wood from vendors in the United States and Spain, along with tuning machines and fretwire. Like most classical luthiers, he prefers to use European spruce tops and rosewood backs and sides for their textural and sonic characteristics. He says,\u201cDepending on the customer, some will want the mellower sound of cedar. And I occasionally use Ecuadorian teak and Peruvian walnut\u201d\u2014woods that look and sound good but are less costly\u2014\u201cfor practice guitars.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

For necks, Uyaguari diverges from the standard mahogany or Spanish cedar, opting for Ecuadorian cedar, which he calls mango or mastil.<\/em> \u201cThe texture of this wood is very different from mahogany; it has very special characteristics. Mango is very strong and not overly heavy, and is also a very pretty wood,\u201d he says. Another deviation from tradition is his use of a strip of chonta<\/em>, a very dense blackwood from an Amazonian palm, to strengthen the neck. It runs from midway up the headstock to the heel.<\/p>\r\n

Building for the Player<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For Uyaguari, creating a guitar begins with knowing the player\u2014the music they favor, the sound they\u2019re looking for, their technique and approach to the instrument, their hand size and finger length and dexterity, and how they would like the guitar to look and feel. \u201cI build and sell individual guitars, made for the customer,\u201d he says. \u201cWe usually talk at least two or three hours about the design, the wood, and other details. It\u2019s important to make a neck that is very comfortable for the player to use, and that fits their hands and style of playing.”<\/p>\r\n

One of Uyaguari\u2019s basic concert instruments<\/a>, with moderate ornamentation, starts at $2,500. For guitars with complex rosettes, specialized binding, and other customized details, the pricing can run up to $3,200. Though some Ecuadorians are wealthy, most earn only a modest income, and so it is difficult for local musicians to afford high-quality instruments. That\u2019s why most of Uyaguari\u2019s client base is outside of his country. \u201cThe people from countries like the U.S. and Europe value fine guitars and have the ability to pay for them,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe tourists come here to Cuenca and visit my workshop, like the instruments, and then order them. I don\u2019t export premade instruments to stores.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Just as Uyaguari\u2019s customers come from around the world, so too do his influences in terms of lutherie. Though he began his training in lutherie following local traditions, he has long been an avid student of master builders in North and South America, as well as Europe. He says, \u201cI have learned from studying the best guitars of other makers. For example, in Mexico there are some very good luthiers. I have also visited workshops in Spain, and I have some close colleagues in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

In particular, he cites Massachusetts luthiers William Cumpiano and Alan Chapman, along with Gary Lee from New York. Uyaguari spent several months visiting them, and recalls, \u201cI observed and took in all the details and quality of their work, and then put it into practice with my own instruments.\u201d He also says he reads books by the great masters such as Jos\u00e9 Romanillos, who has written extensively about Antonio de Torres, and others, adding \u201cI read, learn, and practice.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The Next Generation<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Like his father before him, Uyaguari is passing his love and skills in guitar making to his sons. Pablo Uyaguari has been apprenticing for over seven years, and is now building beautiful guitars in his own right alongside his father. Diego Uyaguari uses his visual arts and design skills to realize highly creative and beautiful rosette and inzlay patterns, along with his photography to document their process of lutherie, and his communication and customer savvy to continue the business. Seeing them together in the workshop, it\u2019s obvious that Luis respects his sons\u2019 ideas and quality of craftsmanship as he shows me a photo album of Diego\u2019s rosettes, and points to Pablo\u2019s most recent guitar in process. That respect and admiration is mutual.<\/p>\r\n

After half a century of building, the elder Uyaguari has slowed his personal output of instruments. \u201cNow, with the help of my sons, I personally build six or seven guitars a year. I don\u2019t have as much time to make new instruments.\u201d He says that he has taken on the role of master builder and teacher, as well as handling repairs and restoration. \u201cI\u2019m so happy that Pablo and Diego are following the family tradition, making beautiful Uyaguari guitars for a new generation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

This article originally appeared in the\u00a0July\/August 2020<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>issue\u00a0of\u00a0Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the\u00a0July\/August 2020\u00a0issue\u00a0of\u00a0Acoustic Guitar\u00a0| By Gary Parks Almost 50 years ago, master luthier Luis Uyaguari Quezada, then an adolescent, moved with his family to the metropolis of Cuenca, Ecuador, leaving behind the remote mountain village of San Bartolome. Their tiny pueblo had a generations-long tradition of guitar making, and Uyaguari\u2019s father was one of the village\u2019s best, yet he wanted to better his family\u2019s lot in life. So in the early 1970s, Julio Uyaguari Vintimilla established his new Cuenca workshop […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":14946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-14939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-luthier"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Luis-with-Sons.jpg?fit=750%2C563&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}