The Great Classical and Flamenco Guitarists Signature Study

Hello everyone,

The last thing i want to do is to start a bunch of signature study threads and have each incomplete. The problem is, there are just so many to add, and by continually adding to multiple threads, it mixes it up a little.

So far, thanks to the members of this site, the Great American Blues Player signature study has been a great success. I have so many more names to add, and the great people of this site are constantly adding examples as well. I think its safe to say, that it is already the largest blues autographs study/exemplar file on the net. At least all in one place. Which is really important, as finding examples to compare too are really hard for alot of genres. Thank you to everyone who has made that thread a success, and hopefully this one can be as well. It probably will be a little less popular, but it still may prove of benefit to future collectors. I know i sure wish it was around when i started to try and find authentic examples.

Guitar has brought alot of pleasure into my life, and collecting the autographs of influential guitarists is my main concentration. While i do collect some mainstay guys like Jimmy Page, Richards, etc. I focus mainly on the most influential players of each genre, and many arent well known to the masses.

Classical and Flamenco guitar is one of the most beautiful forms of guitar playing in my opinion, and also one of the most difficult to master. This style of playing often involves playing with every finger of every hand, in very quick succession. To master the instrument takes a great deal of time and skill. And every new guitar style borrows from its predecessors. Classical and Flamenco guitar have helped to make rock music into what it is today, as has blues. They all build on one another, and there patriarchs are of great importance, and that is my primary reason for collecting there signatures. I will do my best to provide you with authentic examples and hopefully this can help with your collecting experience.

There will be many with far more in depth knowledge on these players than me, and who have many more examples. Hopefully those members will post some examples and help to make the study a valuable resource.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Ryan on February 5, 2014 at 2:26am

So i thought the first guitarist we could look at, could be Julian Bream. Bream is one of the greatest classical guitarists in modern history, and is still alive and kicking, at around 80 years of age. When you think about the major classical guitarists of the last century, several names come up, and Bream will always be one. But in addition to the guitar, Bream is also a master player of the Lute.

Bream primarily plays classical guitar pieces, but he does dabble into spanish themed pieces, that are packed with emotion. Bream also is famous for composing many guitar pieces based on the work of Bach. Bream also takes cues from much earlier styles of playing, from the likes of guitar icons such as Agustin Barrios Mangore. The man has won more awards than really can be counted, and is world renowned for his ability and technical skill. He really is a master guitarist, and anyone who collects classical music autographs, should include Bream.

Bream pieces really arent all that rare. He was a good signer when performing regularly, and there are quite a few items out there. They dont hit the market near as much as Segovia, but they are out there. If you search ebay daily, typically there are a half dozen or so a year that make it to auction. In my experience classical and flamenco guitarists dont have such a following when it comes to autographs like blues autographs do, so you can get some great deals. You should be able to find a signed program or cut for 40 dollars or under. An 8 by 10, in my opinion, probably around the 40 mark as well. And a signed LP from between 40 and 50. But of course, those are just my estimates.

Here are some pieces that i feel are authentic that you may want to use to compare with

This example comes from my collection and i feel it is a fairly typical example

Here is one from RR auction. I actually consigned these 3 (Carlos Montoya, Bream, and Sabicas), and owned them all at one point. I will cover the other 2 players shortly. I feel it is a fairly typical example as well

Here is another example from my collection. This one is a signed LP. It is large for a Bream signature, but i still feel it has authentic characteristics

Here is an example from ebay that i feel is authentic. It is also signed by John Williams, who i will cover later

Here is a signed photo from google. I feel its authentic and a very nice item

Bream has a very distinct J, and it often serves to help compare signatures. He really is an amazing artist, and has influenced countless musicians.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Ryan on February 5, 2014 at 2:42am

The next player i thought we could look at, is possibly the most well known name in flamenco guitar.....Sabicas. Not a whole lot is known about the early background of Sabicas, but what is known, is that he became possibly the greatest flamenco guitarist of all time. Sabicas passed away in 1990 i believe, living to be in his 80's. Sabicas has influenced pretty much every guitarist who has played or even dabbled in the style of flamenco. From Paco de Lucia, to Chet Atkins, they all cite Sabicas as a major influence.

Sabicas had many amazing abilities. One, was that he had perfect pitch, and a tremendous sense of time and rhythm. This allowed Sabicas to play perfectly with many dancers and performers. Sabicas, was also directly responsible with helping to spread the art of flamenco guitar outside of its native country. He helped spread the genre to the world, and he did it in a big way. All today's shredders could learn a thing or two from Sabicas. He was insanely fast and accurate, and he became well known for these abilities. It really is pretty amazing. All the guitar players out there will have an appreciation just how much skill it takes to alternate pick very quickly while being accurate and clean. Now imagine doing all that with every finger on your hand. It really is just mind boggling to an amateur player like myself.

When it comes to Sabicas autographs, they are very very rare. I was told that Sabicas was fairly illiterate, although i dont know if that is accurate. I have only seen a handful of examples, but from what i have seen, i dont think that statement is quite accurate. Sabicas actually had a fairly nice signature. I only have a few examples to share, but they are consistent. You will have to search consistently, and probably a fairly long time to find one. It took me years to finally come across one. But when i did, i lucked out. The seller was offering a collection from a flamenco collector. He had 3 programs signed by Sabicas. I bought 2, and sold one to RR auction. I kept the other, and another bidder won the other off ebay. Realistically a Sabicas piece could bring quite a bit depending on item. I paid 50 i believe for each program, although i think they were worth more than that. I would expect to pay at least that price for one, but if the seller knows what he actually has, you probably will have to pay closer to 100 for it, or possibly more.

Here are a few for you to compare with.

This is one that i currently own

Here is the 2nd i used to own that i consigned to RR auction

And here is the only other one i have. This comes from google, and is on a polaroid

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Permalink Reply by Carl Ryan on February 6, 2014 at 10:56pm

In the classical guitar world, there is perhaps no bigger name than Andres Segovia. The man was and still is a legend. He helped to redefine classical guitar, and is known as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, spanning all genres. Segovia is also known as the father of classical guitar. When you mention the name Segovia to any guitarist who has any amount of classical training, they instantly realize the weight to that name.

There honestly is too much to write about Segoiva. It would span pages, so i will keep it short and focus on the autographs. Segovia was a friendly character and signed freely, and lived to be in his 90s, passing away in the 80s. There are many many Segovia examples out there, and i would even go so far as to say common. That doesnt mean they arent valuable, b/c they are, but you wont have to much trouble finding an autographed item. Typically there are at least 3 up on ebay at any given time. Price ranges often vary. For a signed cut, i would expect to pay between 30 and 40 dollars. For a signed program, between 40 and 50, and for more desirable items like an LP or a nice picture, between 60 and 100. Although those are just my opinions. You may have to be patient to get them at the right price, but you eventually will. One problem that you will often find with Segovia, though, is that people who have his autograph, who dont deal in autographs, tend to think they have gold on there hands. They google Segovia and his great importance to music, and they think that they have a fortune on there hands. So dont be surprised to see some outrageous prices.

Throughout Segovia's career his signature style changed. I am really not that good with Segovia signatures b/c of this, and b/c of its simplicity. Early signatures are often condensed and it wasnt unusual for him to only spell a few letters of his last name. His later signatures, were more appealing in my eyes. They had his trademark A's, but Segovia began to spell his last name out fully, which was much more attractive. Segovia also liked to inscribe and he knew both English and Spanish, and you will find his handwriting in both. Segovia also liked to date pieces, which is nice, b/c you can trace the signature in question to a specific date and compare it with others from the time period. In Segovia's early condensed signatures, and when i am trying to work out the authenticity of a piece, i often look for inscriptions. Segovia formed certain letters very uniquely. One is his g's. This is one of several characteristics that remained constant thorughout his career. Consistent in both english and spanish.

Segovia had a very very unique signature, and its a must for any guitar fan, let alone a classical guitar fan. Everyone has been influenced by him. Elliot Fisk, one of his students, was influenced by him so much, that Fisk modeled his current autograph around Segovia's, lol. Now thats influence.

Here are some examples i believe are probably authentic. There are many to compare too on the net. So these are just a small sampling. You will see that his earlier signatures were much more condensed than his later in life signatures, at least most of the time. I am not the best on Segovia, so anyone who knows him well, is welcome to correct any example they think may be off.

Here is one from my collection.

Here is another i used to own but which i sold. I believe i consigned it to RR auction:

Here is another currently on ebay.

Here is another from google

And another from google

Another from google

Now here are some of the earlier signatures (Pre 1970s) that are more condensed, and less artistic. The signatures previous to this have been typical examples from the earl 70s until his death.

Here is one from google. Note how much more compact it is.

Another from google

Another from google. In this example you can start to see the progression from his earlier condensed signatures, to his more spelled out and artistic style.