It is said that tango is the most passionate and authentic of art forms. Malena is the name of a famous tango song, a famous tango performer, and now a very non-famous tango guitar. This one has a surprisingly deep and sonorous voice, with just enough of a cutting edge.

Malena utilizes an engelmann spruce top from the same flitch as the clients' other Sankey guitar, and a body of figured european maple with the lustre and chatoyance of ruffled silk. A traditional indian rosewood fretboard, bridge and bindings frame the contours. The spanish-cedar neck is light and stable for balance, and fitted with a dual-action truss rod to dial in the desired amount of neck relief. Finally, tuning is accomplished by fine, lightweight, Swiss Schertler tuners.

For a first time building a nylon-strung guitar, I knew that to capture that authentic and passionate sound I would have to build in the traditional spanish manner. From carving the solera to the french polish finish, the process is deceptively simple and economical of effort. I truly feel that this manner of building is as beautiful to this craftsman's aesthetic as the end result is to the musicians'.