Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:RODGERS
String Height(1st):2.7mm
String Height(6th):3.7mm

【A Fine 1978 Madrid Guitar by Marcelo Barbero Hijo from the Arcángel Fernández Workshop】

〔Luthier〕
Marcelo Barbero Hijo (1943–2005) was born in Madrid and was the son of the renowned Spanish luthier Marcelo Barbero I (1904–1956), one of the most respected makers of the mid-20th century.

After his father’s death when he was only thirteen, Barbero Hijo entered the workshop of Arcángel Fernández, himself a former apprentice of the Barbero workshop. Arcángel first sent the young Barbero to the workshop of José Ramírez III, where he learned the foundations of Spanish guitar making within Spain’s most influential guitar house.

By the age of seventeen he had already built his first guitar. He later returned to Arcángel Fernández’s workshop, where he worked closely with his mentor for many years. Many guitars labeled “Para Casa Arcángel Fernández” were in fact entirely handcrafted by Barbero Hijo himself, and these instruments gained a reputation among knowledgeable players for their exceptional quality, often considered equal to Arcángel’s own work.

From the late 1990s he also produced guitars under his own label, and his instruments have come to be regarded as outstanding examples of the modern Madrid school, admired for their focused, refined tone and deep connection to the traditions of his father and teacher.

〔Instrument〕
This is a 1978 classical guitar built by Marcelo Barbero Hijo, bearing the label “Para Casa Arcángel Fernández”, indicating production for the Arcángel Fernández workshop.

The guitar has undergone several modifications affecting the acoustic structure. It has been fully refinished in shellac by Japanese luthier Hideyuki Ezaki, fitted with Rodgers Fustero-style tuning machines, and includes additional internal wooden elements intended to influence the instrument’s tonal response. These changes give the instrument a slightly different character compared with its original state.

The bracing design is somewhat unusual for the Arcángel workshop tradition. The top features seven symmetrical fan braces, along with harmonic bars above and below the soundhole and a reinforcement plate around the rosette area. Two closing bars are placed at the lower bout in a traditional V-shape configuration.

Additional small circular wooden blocks have been added near the bridge reinforcement plate, possibly intended to adjust resonance and tonal balance—an idea occasionally seen in the work of modern makers as well.

The resonance is set slightly above F#.

Tonally, the guitar retains the characteristic density and depth associated with Barbero Hijo, yet the modifications give it a brighter, clearer voice with a smooth, polished quality. The response is immediate and balanced, producing a clear projection with a well-centered tonal image across the strings.

The shellac refinishing by Ezaki is extremely well executed, giving the instrument a beautiful gloss and an appearance close to that of a new guitar.

Condition is excellent overall. Apart from a small repaired string mark below the first-string area of the bridge, the guitar shows very little visible wear. The neck and frets are in good condition.

The neck profile is a slightly fuller D-shape, comfortable in the hand. Current setup measures 2.7 mm / 3.7 mm (1st / 6th string at the 12th fret) with approximately 0.5–1.0 mm of saddle remaining.

The original tuners were likely Spanish Fustero machines, but the guitar is now fitted with high-quality Rodgers tuners in a Fustero-style design, functioning perfectly.

〔detail〕