Biography

I am from a family of Spanish immigrant joiners, who found in Sorocaba – São Paulo – Brazil their way of surviving.

This was the beginning.

As a kid I already developed some wood work skills, always looking for pieces of wood in my father’s shop.

With ten years of age I started playing the cavaquinho – like a Portuguese ukulele – and immediately both forms of art got very close.

I build my first cavaquinho when I was 14. Laminated Brazilian pine and awful sound, I knew that. In that moment I could see that an musical instrument is much more than a wood object. A world of mystery was in front of that boy.

On next 20 years, I build many cavaquinhos and mandolins, only for fun, until a day that a real concert classical guitar came to my hands. It was a challenge. After a couple weeks watching, taking measures, trying to understand that instrument I decided I could make something like that. And I did.

I liked my first guitar. I became a professional luthier.

Since then, my instruments have been in great musicians hands.

With these contacts I take many opinions, looking for more and more development of my work.

I have been my own teacher, and learn more with making then reading or looking for scientific explanations.

It’s important to say that this is my particular way of work, of course we know there are great luthiers that use advanced scientific knowledge on their work.

For me listening good music and talking to guitarists about an instrument is more important then reading a book about acoustics.

I trust my ears more than I trust any measurement equipment.

A technician or an artist? If I can choose, I prefer the second one.