Paul Aguilera

Luthier and Musician

I have been involved with the Spanish guitar in some way or other for 45 years. For the last 30 I have been making Classical and Flamenco guitars, firstly in the UK after spending 2 years in the workshop of Master Luthier Stephen Hill, and now in the Sierras de Cordoba in central Argentina.

 

In between I completed my BSc Musical Instrument Tecnology studying with world reknowned guitar maker David Whiteman at London University and then studied at SOAS University of London completing a masters in Ethnomusicology in 2000. 

I have been making and repairing guitars and other plucked stringed instruments professionally since 2001.   

 

My guitar making skills have been honed over many years and I have  gained a reputation for constructing high quality guitars which are sought after for their sound and workmanship.

 

In September 2019 I won 1st Prize in Tucumán, Argentina in the Triennial Makers Competition celebrating 75 years since the founding of the Tucumán School of Lutherie by Alfredo del Lungo, the oldest of its kind in Latin America.

 

In 2022 I reached the final of the Antonio Marin Montero Guitarreros Competition in Granada, Spain one of the most prestigious guitar making competitions in the world. I hope to be competing again in this years 2024 edition.

 

I was invited on to the jury of the Sep 2022 Triennial in Tucumán to choose the winning maker and give a series of lectures on the Spanish Guitar.

I have been teaching guitar making for almost 15 years now, having taught people from all over the world to make a range of plucked stringed instruments aswell as teach other aspects of making. I have a wide range of experience in different techniques from hand tools to jig making and power tools and machinery and I bring that knowledge to my courses.

My teaching is structured but there is always lots of space to allow creativity to flourish.