Zalapa in his  workshop preparing to attach the back to a Master Guitar

istory

The town of Paracho, State of Michoacan, has for centuries been the center of classical guitar-making in Mexico. Fructuoso Zalapa Luna inherited the tradition by being born into a family of guitar-makers. Zalapa began his career guitar-making career when he was 10 years old and has continued his art for over 30 years. During his apprenticeship Zalapa built over 400 guitars of different types. Since then he has completed over 600 fine concert classical guitars.

In Mexico the guitar is esteemed as a special medium for artistic expression both in sound and in esthetics. Because of the guitars importance to Mexico, annually the Mexican National Classical Guitar-Makers Competition is held in Paracho and is open to competitors from throughout Mexico. Of the times he has entered the competition since 1990, Zalapa has won First Prize four times, most recently in 2002. Also, in 1993 Zalapa was awarded first prize for his guitar-making by FONART, the Mexican national government Agency for the Development of Arts and Handcrafts. The FONART prize is the most prestigious award for handcrafts in Mexico.

Zalapa has won a number of other awards for his guitar-making and is recognized as one of the finest guitar-makers in Mexico and the Americas. He has developed a loyal following in the U.S.A.

Zalapa's skill and expertise has been supplemented by studies he undertook with some of the most expert Spanish, English and American guitar-makers in the world, including Jose Romanillos, Thomas Humphrey, Antonio Raya Pardo, Felix Manzanero and Manuel Caceres--studying with some of them more than once.

From 1985 to 1989 Zalapa studied guitar performance at the National Music Conservatory in Mexico City. His combination of talents and experience at guitar construction and performance give him uncommon insight into what a player wants and needs in a great concert guitar and how to achieve it.

All of Zalapa's guitars are made from beautiful, well-aged woods.  Zalapa uses simple hand tools almost exclusively in his guitar-making, recalling the traditional techniques of Antonio de Torres, the father of the modern classical guitar.