Flamenco Guitar Setup Featuring Luthier Stephen Hill with Kai Narezo

We hang out with luthier Stephen Hill as he tells us everything you’d want to know about setting up a flamenco guitar. In addition to the basics, like how high the action should be at the 12th fret (and how luthiers actually achieve this), Stephen covers things most of us didn’t know were also important - like how to check if frets are even, crowning frets, cleaning the frets and fretboard, adjusting the nut and lots more. He even shows us ho to properly apply a golpeador. It’s not all stuff we can do at home without some tools and experience, but it’s stuff that’s super useful to know when you’re trying to figure out what work your guitar may need. It’s also useful to know if you’re in the market for a guitar, as you’ll have a much better understanding of what’s fixable on a guitar with less-than-ideal action.
Stephen Hill made me my first handmade guitar in 1989, and currently builds and teaches guitar building in La Herradura, in the South of Spain. If you’re interested in learning to make a guitar, you should definitely check out his European Institute of Guitar Making eigm.eu which holds month-long courses a couple of times a year. Tara just finished her guitar in September of 2021 and had a blast making her first guitar!
0:00 Intro
1:00 Flamenco VS Classical Setup
1:57 Fret Dress and Polish
3:38 Don’t Try This At Home
4:44 Crowning The Frets
5:57 Post Fretwork
7:14 Lemon Oil
8:32 Humidity Tips
9:18 Adding the Golpeador
13:00 Nut and Saddle
13:58 Never Glue The Bones In
14:50 12th Fret Height
16:42 Flamenco VS Classical Action
18:20 How The Guitar Feels
18:56 Stringing Up 12-Hole System
22:40 Setup
27:20 The Guitar Talks To Stephen
28:36 Check The Setup On ANY New Guitar
29:32 Buying A New Guitar - What to Look Out For Tips
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[@peterjames2580]

Wow, great show! One off the best setup shows I've ever!!!!!

[@guitarsender]

Exactly what I need right now

[@secondvisions9759]

You popped up in my feed and I must admit that I wasn't expecting to learn so much this morning Thanks so much

[@robertclark6992]

Essential knowledge for all guitarists. Awesome and many thanks!

[@jessetryon5108]

Excellent vid. I love this kind of stuff! Thanks...

[@WalkaboutBridge]

Wow!! I’m so impressed with this incredibly technical but brilliantly artful process. This was so much fun to watch 😻 Gracias!!

[@thansantikunnukan1927]

Thank you for guitar tips.

[@guitarkoo]

wow, this is very beautiful Flmenco guitar. I can see that he made it with so much efforts on and it is very valuable things to do.

[@qhodave]

Amazing. That's very interesting, thank you for sharing.

[@guidodezwaan]

Awesome video, great explanation on why some guitars still feel like the tension is harder while using the same strings.

[@scottyhughes9179]

a fabulous, informative, video, thank you!!

[@KAMFlamenco]

Excellent video! Looking forward for more contents on this channel 👍

[@tocaordavid]

Great stuff!

[@ashrefmatoussi8936]

Thank you for doing this! It's a great help

[@morcovo]

Wonderful video. Thank you so much!

[@LucianoGhosn]

Very interesting video and wonderfully shot and edited, thanks for sharing! If this luthier was close to where I live I would be visiting a little TOO often.

[@steverlfs]

Fascinating.

[@tuyentuenguyen9909]

Very interesting. I love the sound of the flamenco guitar :))

[@RonH_music]

Very informative video! thank you!

[@smurgy99]

What a great video. Really interesting. And it looked such a beautiful guitar...

[@brookeaday9423]

awesome! great info!!!!

[@commodoreredrum7882]

Very informative. Great video! Thanks!

[@piedpeter1]

Awesome, Thanks!

[@joshduenyas7161]

Superb explanation! Thank you for showing. I always had questions and problems with setting the strings height for comfortable play. Classical guitar.

[@fusion-music]

Stephen is a fine builder & instructor. Would have been lovely to see Tara play it, no matter how she plays. But it was good seeing you play a piece with Stephen. Beautiful instrument.

[@XDRIVER_10k]

Very useful informations thank you so much for the video ❤

[@grimm2626]

Thanks for this video. I’m not a Flamenco guitarist, but these videos make me want to try it out! Learned so much about guitar set up. Stephen brings a lot of experience to the discussion and his passion for it is undeniable.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

You could take a Classical Guitar & restring it w/ Flamenco Strings.

[@DonSoledadGroup]

great stuff Kai and Stephen! thanks for doing this. I've done all of this myself with a lot of learning from mistakes. Especially the golpeador installation

[@FlamencoExplained]

Hey Don! I’m too scared to do the golpeador myself. Also lucky to have friends who can!

[@araghazarossian289]

Hi guys it’s nice to see you that’s a wonderful guitar bravo Tara, I hope One day she bins for me best regards to you guys

[@devanshsoni8622]

Amazing

[@twoowls5570]

What a great posting, very informative and enjoyable! Regards. Jimp. Kentucky USA

[@simont6439]

Just did my first bone nut and saddle on a classical that I got without any. Ali-express: 5€ for a string action gauge, 4€ for pre-shaped bovine nut and saddle. Need to file off a few mm with a 120-240 grit sand paper. Now perfect at 6th 4.0mm, 1st 3.0mm at 12th fret. I measured up with only 1st and 6th string on. Went down to 6th 3.75mm, which did buzz (!), but when adding all strings, it raised to 4.0mm and no buzz. Be sure to buy bovine bone, as buffalo is softer.

[@EliominDZ]

que guitarra mas increíble, Maestro de Maestros

[@patrickdunavan9113]

Very informative and helpful video. I was about to start experimenting and "tweeking" my guitar myself for some buzz it recently has taken on. But obviously, a really good set-up can be a lot more complicated than I thought. I've had my classical guitar about 5 years and never had it professionally set up. Based on this video...I think it would be wise if I leave that job to a professional. Thank you for this video!

[@roybrewer7865]

love it

[@SkaMar]

It was great.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

I tie Guitar string beads onto the ends of the strings so that I can convert any Tie End Classical/Flamenco String set into a Ball end version.

[@niklashedstrom762]

This is how it’s done!

[@willy1986tralara]

Por fin extranjeros que saben lo que hacen! Jejej Es broma, realmente hace ya años que hay mucho experto en toque y en construcción de guitarras fuera de España, y es un placer ver que este arte tiene la aceptación y el nivel que se merece

[@robertvanvessem214]

Hello Old Friends! Very very nice to see the two of you together again in this video I just found. And for sure a very nice and clear demonstration by Top Luthier Stephen of course. Maybe one thing to mention.. I presume it's because of such little work to be done on this Guitar, or it is left out by the cutting of the Video (?), but I think it would be good to mention to brush away any of the dust after filing the Frets (or using Steel Wool, because it looses particles), or covering the Fretboard with Tape, to prevent any dust to dig into the Pores.. Love to meet you Guys in Andalucia again someday. Best Wishes and stay Good!

[@FlamencoExplained]

Robert! So good to hear from you! Yes, let's meet in Granada soon!

[@robertvanvessem214]

@@FlamencoExplained Hola Kai! That would be really Nice :-) I will try to contact you within a week or so.

[@conceptofdreadnought]

This is, unsurprisingly, a fantastic video. And Tara's guitar! Now Stephen, if you want to do a classical setup video (nudge, nudge)...

[@guitarista666]

I thought Tara's guitar sounded very good, and from what I could tell looked very nice. It's amazing what a beginner can do under the direction of a highly skilled builder.

[@StephenFaulk]

Nice guitar

[@ropehitch]

This is such a cool video. Fascinating. I can't believe I bought a guitar without knowing any of this! Next time I will be a bit more informed.

[@FlamencoExplained]

A good setup can help you a lot even after you've bought a guitar. You'd be amazed at the difference a proper setup makes to just about any guitar.

[@ropehitch]

@@FlamencoExplained Thanks! I changed the strings and it made a world of difference. Lubricated tuning pegs and put a bit of pencil lead under the strings. Tuning (specifically turning the lower pegs) is so much easier now. I'm going to take it to a luthier and have them look at it to see if there is anything that could be improved. It is an inexpensive, 30-year old factory (I think) classical guitar but it sounds beautiful. I figure I might as well have it fixed up a bit, if possible. Great video, it inspired me to improve my guitar!

[@FlamencoExplained]

@@ropehitch That's great! You can really get so much more out of any guitar with a proper setup.

[@oinkooink]

What did he have on the headstock end of that long wooden jig?? A little divot that slots over the first fret?

[@eugenechigna2790]

@flamenco explained in your experience, can you turn a classical into a flamenco guitar with a setup (I.e., lower the action and add a golpeador)? Also, does a cedar top vs a spruce top make a flamenco guitar, or would people scoff at the idea of playing flamenco on a classical guitar? Thank you!

[@dcweber1]

Stephen or Kai can you recommend a Luthier near Orlando Florida to do initial set up a Cordoba C12

[@vancekoenig5503]

I am thrilled to find this excellent channel! I'm wondering if Stephen is open for customers in particular to set up flamenco guitars for customers? I have an early featherweight spruce top flamenco by Lestor Devoe and it definitely needs fretwork amongst other things. If Steven is not accepting customers for such instruments would you have a high recommendation for someone else? thank you!

[@FlamencoExplained]

Hey - Stephen is sometimes open to repair work, so I'd get in touch with him directly. But what part of the world are you in? We may know someone close.

[@zorromaricopa]

Tara and Kai, I am looking forward to building a guitar with Stephen soon. Dumb question, when measuring string height , precisely what distance is measured. Is it from the fretboard or the fret to the bottom of the string?

[@bootiehead]

Use a ruler marked with millimeters, measure from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string. It is easier to read if you place the ruler behind the string.

[@FlamencoExplained]

Hey Miguel - Do you have a date in mind yet??

[@phungmoe2302]

Don't take the cover off 1st until you have already killed into it then remove it. It gives you a longer life span of the guard!

[@Olegstuff21986]

Hello! Thanks for your demonstration. Regarding action, I have a pretty low action on my guitar but not a lot of (desired) buzz. Apparently, my guitar came with "high tension" strings - would a way to change this be simply getting lower tension strings?

[@FlamencoExplained]

Worth a try for sure. But it’s also about finding that balance between desired tension for each hand and the sound of the guitar. But it’s the lowest risk and cheapest thing to try, so go for it and let us know!

[@ismailanasiz9109]

Hi It is a great video big thanks to share.Do you mind to writing contant details of french polisher.Thank you very much

[@FlamencoExplained]

Antonio Ariza did the French polish. Cheers, Kai

[@Gichanasa]

Nice video. What is the name of the piece you are playing in the intro?

[@FlamencoExplained]

That's a Buleria - one of the many styles (we call them Palos) of flamenco.

[@DaltonPhantom]

Kai, I got a GK Studio negra last December and have had tremendous intonation problems. Sent it back and they factory compensated the nut and saddle on the G string, and I'm still not really happy with it. Would different strings make a difference? I'm almost at the point of wanting a whole different instrument.

[@brookeaday9423]

I have one and love it. i moved to hard tension though.

[@FlamencoExplained]

A luthier would know better than I, but if it's an intonation I don't know that different strings would help... Cheers, Kai

[@DaltonPhantom]

@@brookeaday9423 why do you like hard tension better?

[@brookeaday9423]

@@DaltonPhantom tighter feel and little more sound projection.

[@brookeaday9423]

@@FlamencoExplained no, it wouldn't. But there is a truss rod that can be adjusted with the Cordoba. Other than that they may be able to adjust the bridge to fix it.

[@fantasma0017able]

whats the cover in theiddle for??? just to keep clean?

[@FlamencoExplained]

That’s called a golpeador, and it’s for protecting the guitar from the golpes (percussive knocking on the guitar with the nails). It also protects from the thumbnail digging into the top by the low E string

[@caiolemes7224]

Your videos always help, i'm looking for a luthier to ajust my action, is too hight but i was afraid to give to anyone without knowing what a flamenco setup should be like

[@TI_Ted]

Suddenly realised I was holding my breath while the protection was applied. There should be a warning :) x

[@salammetal488]

Nise

[@corallaroc2946]

Hi, great video! I have a question. In this video here, the luthier (Marshall Brune) says that cutting away the edges of the top for the binding "takes away a lot of the resonance". Would it be advantageous for the sound of the guitar to go without the binding and therefore have more resonance? Sure, it wouldn't look as nice. Or is resonance unwanted? Thank you very much for clearing that up for me! EDIT: link here kzbin.info/www/bejne/p56ncnyieqyClbM

[@brianitzkin3351]

that resonance is brought back by installing the bindings. When you cut binding channels the guitar’s tap tone turns to a terrible thud (makes sense considering there’s now holes all along the edge) but once the bindings are glued it sounds better than before (I’m the guy in the beanie in the background of the video and know Stephen’s methods pretty well)

[@corallaroc2946]

@@brianitzkin3351 So ok, the binding actually has the function of "binding" the the sides to the top? And it sounds better with binding than before cutting the edges of the top away? Interesting. I am very grateful for you answer, cheers! :-)

[@brianitzkin3351]

@@corallaroc2946 the bindings function to protect the delicate end grain of the top and back which are prone to splitting when exposed to trauma (the thin veneer lines between the top/back and bindings known as purfling are simply decorative). The guitar is assembled and a channel is cut with either a router or scored with a tool known as a gramil with the waste removed with a chisel before the bindings are installed and glued to the lining which is installed internally for additional support on the delicate top/back joints. My theory of the soundbox becoming more responsive after the bindings have been installed is just a theory based on my experiences building guitars. Lots of inexpensive Martins and Gibson from the 20’s and 30’s (Martin’s 17 series come to mind) do not have binding as a cost saving measure and sound just fine regardless

[@corallaroc2946]

@@brianitzkin3351 I see! Thank you for going through the trouble of explaining all this, very much appreciated!

[@Pholiant]

To return back height of the upper bone, use super glue with soda, it will fill in the extra hole ))

[@Boog7625]

I am new to this. Does this mean you can change a classical guitar into a flamenco?

[@FlamencoExplained]

Kind of. Not everybody would agree with me, but the similarities between a classical and a flamenco are much greater than the differences, so very often the answer will be yes. And especially so with a not-so=expensive classical. Cheers, Kai

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It looks very much like a Classical Guitar cause both of them use Nylon strings, a Tie Block Bridge, & also a Wider Neck than a Steel string.

[@darkestfugue]

i am a rock guitarist that wants to learn flamenco, i went to my loal music shop and they have one flamenco guitar, its a prudencio saez g36, its quite loud and sounds good, i love the ebony board, it feels totally alien in my hands though as im not used to this type of guitar, and the action seems too high, if i bought it i think it would need a set up, arent flamenco guitars supposed to have a low action? this one doesnt

[@FlamencoExplained]

Yeah, it comes down to the preference of the player, but in general a flamenco will have a lower action than a classical.

[@diogomartinsmota5478]

most players don't know that they are not playing a low action guitar, they think their action is low because companies told the action is lower than classical and that is true but the magic number is 1,6 mm, everything above is not really low

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It's a Nylon string Guitar alright. They're great for beginners cause you don't have to push down as hard on the strings.

[@jeffreagan2001]

You did not discuss how to set up proper intonation of the guitar.

[@user-ub6tm1bt3z]

Tuning returned to Spain

[@counterflow5719]

I'd be wary about sealing that beautiful wood in shellac and suffocating the sound and vibration.

[@FlamencoExplained]

It's ok, really! All guitars have some sort of polish which actually serves to protect the wood. And I think most luthiers would agree that shellac really does allow the wood to "breathe" much more than the alternatives.

[@counterflow5719]

@Flamenco Explained has anyone done a double blind test on the sound production with and without a sealant? Just curious. They say the shellac used on Stradivarius was a crucial component.

[@FlamencoExplained]

@@counterflow5719 I've heard that about Stradivarius, but I don't know of any tests like this that have been done. Maybe we have to wait a couple hundred years to see!

[@counterflow5719]

@@FlamencoExplained if I had to guess, I'd say bare wood, while not as pretty, would ring out and vibrate and resonate better. It could be easily tested. I used to work in a vibration lab at Wyle laboratories. Put the test cases on a Shaker table, run a sinusoidal sweep and measure the response from the test pieces.

[@FlamencoExplained]

@@counterflow5719 Cool - sounds like interesting work you did! What sorts of things were you testing (if it's not classified? :) My question - and I'm not doubting you here so much as I actually have no idea - is whether the measurements would translate to a subjective improvement. Is more vibration in and of itself the goal, or is it more a specific type (or types) of vibration we're after? I'll ask my nerdier luthier friends to see what research exists.

[@maintenanceam1984]

Suggest you to take off the watch 😊

[@ivanguban7143]

Stephen does everything that I wouldn’t do to my guitar. I would use a cover for the fretboard in order to polish only the frets, not scratching the ebony fretboard. I would cover the sound hole, not to get any shaving particles into it. I apply fretboard oil on piece of cloth before I apply it, but not directly on the fretboard. Perhaps it’s a quick demonstration and not his daily routine.

[@brianitzkin3351]

we normally use a plastic guard to protect the top/cover the soundhole (I’m the guy wearing a beanie in the background and know Stephen’s methods pretty well) but don’t tape off the fretboard. If you’re careful with the files there’s no need to waste all that tape and using micromesh and 0000 steel wool on the frets and fretboard polishes both.

[@c4arschfisch51]

Why the cameraman doesent do a closeup when the guy does the string knots? ! Sucks

[@vincent1951fly]

+++++

[@DessieTots]

Poor camera angle on string looping on headstock and bridge. Can’t really see what is being done.

[@StephenFaulk]

How do you guys live in Spain and stay so slim? I’d be eating everything all day.

[@FlamencoExplained]

Well, there's no good Mexican food here, so that helps :)

[@StephenFaulk]

@@FlamencoExplained ah, I understand that ..

[@robertbdesmond]

You can’t adjust anything lower if the built in geometry isn’t correct. That’s the real story here.