The Shape Of Things

IN THE EARLY 2000s, ON an evening stroll in Cordoba, Spain, I walked past the small shop of my friend Manuel Reyes, who builds flamenco guitars.

- Teye

The light was still on, and Manuel was testing the sound of some different tops he had glued together. I suggested it must be difficult to source great-quality wood, and he suddenly stopped working.

“Everybody always says, ‘Ah, the wood, the wood,’” he declared with passion. “But, let me tell you, if you give me some decent-quality wood—nothing special—I can still make you a great guitar from it. It is much less the wood, than what you do with it.”