James Frieson Flamenco Guitar, 1989

Here we have a rarity – a James Frieson Flamenco guitar, built while Frieson was working in his native Canada. He currently builds spectacular guitars in Hokkaido, Japan, and is one of, if not the only Western builder in that area.   

Frieson began building in 1972 and soon met South American luthier Olivo Espin, and worked with him for five years, developing his skill and knowledge. 

This instrument is built to closely follow the traditional Flamenco style. The top is Spruce, the sides and back are Cypress, the neck is Spanish Cedar with Ebony for the fingerboard, headplate, bridge and friction-peg tuners. It uses the ‘slipper heel’ construction found on most high quality Classical and Flamenco guitars, where the sides fit into slots in the heel, tying them directly to the neck. The top has a full-size golpeador or tap plate, in thin plastic to protect the top.

This guitar is in overall very good condition with . There is a small crack in the top, near the tail block, that was repaired long ago.     As this guitar appears to have been hardly played, it won’t have fully developed its tone.  As is, however, it is bright, lively, and projects a fair amount of volume.  

We have seen a very few James Frieson flamenco guitars; most of his work is in private hands and is seldom sold. As is the case with almost all quality builders, he is booked far into the future.

This guitar comes with a formidable classic flight case by Mark Leaf, which has the serial number 241.