Flamenco
Flamenco
Pre-owned
FINE INSTRUMENTS
3RD GENERATION MASTER LUTHIER
Tomás
Delgado
THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND CANDELAS GUITARS
C arrying forward nearly a century of family tradition, Tomás Delgado's journey is one of devotion, humility, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. His story weaves together family heritage, mentorship from world-renowned artists, and a commitment to keeping Candelas a community-based shop - just as it has been since 1928.
01 Roots in the Workshop
Tomás Delgado was born April 15, 1969. He is the eldest son of Candelario Delgado (1944–1996) and grandson of Porfirio Delgado (1910–2000). Tomás learned by example, spending his childhood by the side of his father and grandfather. He witnessed firsthand the daily commitment it took to create guitars and run the business.
Spending that much time at the shop had its perks. Through his upbringing, Tomás was able to meet many of his musical heroes. Artists feel at home when they come to the shop. This was no accident - the shop was designed to be a place for everyone to escape. For Tomás, it was home.
"All I want to do is play the guitar."
— Tomás Delgado
02 The Turning Point
A t the age of 18, Tomás decided to leave that home to explore where his experience would take him. Success came for Tomás outside of the shop. It led to more experience in business, management, and sales. However, he quickly realized it lacked the luster and beauty of his upbringing. In 1990 at the age of 21, Tomás began his search again — but first, his father needed a long-overdue vacation.
Fate would have it that his father Candelario planned a trip to Arizona and entrusted the shop to Tomás. With his dad away and his grandfather building in the workshop, Tomás began to inject his management style into Candelas. He loved managing the business. When it came to guitars themselves, his view was clear: "all I want to do is play the guitar."
That would change when his father's weeklong trip became a month-long absence. Tomás decided to use that extra time to build a vihuela. When Candelario returned from his trip, he discovered two things: the business had done very well and a new vihuela was hanging up to dry. His father was pleased and Tomás began to see a path forward.
However, Tomás was not fully bought in. It was his grandfather Porfirio who put things in perspective for him. Porfirio told Tomás, "there are many guitar players, but not many builders." He had a rare opportunity to make Candelas his own and so he did. Tomás committed himself to the shop and was the only person to fully apprentice building guitars with Candelario and Porfirio starting in 1990.
"There are many guitar players, but not many builders"
— Porfirio Delgado
03 Becoming the Successor
By 1993 he took over the shop when his father became ill. The subsequent years were spent refining his craft alongside his grandfather in order to fully become his father's successor. When his father passed in 1996, Tomás was ready. Shortly after in 2000, Porfirio passed as well. He was now the lone successor to nearly a century of work. As the years continued on, Tomás would learn that his grandfather and father never really left his side.
04 The Mentorship of Pepe Romero
The vision for Tomás moving forward was to grow the business, further his skill set, and keep the shop community-based. If you want to improve, you need feedback. If you really want to improve, you search for it. Thus, Tomás reached out to guitar virtuoso and family friend Pepe Romero.
When the Romero family left Spain and came to Los Angeles, they found Candelas and became instant family members. Celedonio's relationship with Candelario was so close that he asked him to be Pepe's godfather. Tomás went to Pepe's house in San Diego where he went through many guitars Tomás built. Most importantly, he spent time going over what Pepe valued as a player and what his guitars were lacking.
Pepe asked Tomás what he was looking for, to which he replied "give it to me straight, the good and the bad." Pepe obliged. With this input, his new guitars began attracting players who noticed qualities they were not finding in other guitars: durability, playability, and soul.
"Despacito porque llevamos prisa. — Slowly, because we are in a hurry."
— Porfirio Delgado, to his grandson
05 The Adam Del Monte Collaboration
One of these new guitarists was Adam Del Monte. He enjoyed what Tomás was producing but felt the guitars lacked a certain tension in the strings. Adam felt that there needed to be a marriage between guitar and player — both had to pull their weight. Here once again Tomás was given the good, the bad, and what the player valued.
Tomás dove into his work with a sense of urgency but was not sure how to reach Adam's desired results. In contemplation, he remembered one of his grandfather's favorite expressions: "despacito porque llevamos prisa." So Tomás slowed it down, embraced the process, and explored a few ideas.
Tomás created a guitar Adam was so proud of that he played it at Walt Disney Hall performing Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. The same guitar went on the road with Adam to Russia, Venezuela, and numerous other countries. Eventually, Adam ordered two more guitars he would continue to tour with. Tomás was able to successfully build the precise sound and feeling a player expected out of their instrument.
06 Learning from the Master Restorer
The feedback from players helped tremendously. Measuring where you stand among other builders is different. For that you need feedback from someone who not only builds, but also restores the greatest guitars of past and present. Yuris Zelton is sought by elite guitarists and collectors for his work with restorations and French polishing. If you have a Torres, Fleta, or Hauser valued at nearly $100,000, no one was better than Yuris.
After hearing about Yuris and his reputation, Tomas scheduled a visit. Yuris was transparent with Tomas and said he was spot on with his construction but his French polishing needed improvement. Little did Tomas know that Yuris has made a similar visit to his grandfather and great uncle at Candelas in the late 1950s!
Yuris repaid the visit to Candelas, spending the day with Tomas trading stories and helping him with his French polish. Yurish later left San Diego and moved to Spain. One day Tomas got a call from a client of Yuris who said: "I have known Yuris for 30 years and he has never recommended anyone." With this gesture, Tomas felt confident he was standing on solid foundation.
07 A Scientific Approach
There was one more area Tomás felt he could benefit from and it required a scientific approach. Builders were taking university courses where frequency and mode was being discussed in relation to building. A special benefit of the class is that you were asked to bring your materials to test their responsiveness
The frequency classes added more depth to what Tomás already understood. When it came to testing materials, there was an enormous difference. The woods that Tomás brought were testing much higher compared to that of other builders. Part of being a great builder is experience, learning from others, and your mistakes. Much like a chef, it also means having the best materials at your disposal. Tomás inherited from his father and grandfather stockpiles of exotic and rare tone woods aged as much as 35+ years and completely acclimated.
08 All Roads Lead Home
After the passing of his father and grandfather, Tomás looked outward for growth just as he did when he was 18 years old. Fortunately at every step of the way, Candelario and Porfirio posthumously left a trail of relationships and lessons he would continue to grow from.
Whether it was the relationship with Pepe Romero, his grandfather's musings, the visit from Yuris, or his building materials, all roads lead back to his roots. This is why Tomás continues the tradition of having Candelas be a community-based shop focused on its clients since 1928. The formula for success has been simple: treat your customers right, do things well, and remember where you come from.
09 The Estrella Line & Today
Presently, Tomás embarked on providing greater accessibility to clients by providing much more affordable instruments. The Estrella line of guitars is designed by Tomás and is built by his team. By doing so, Tomás can pass on the savings to his customers. This allows him to focus exclusively on custom orders, restorations, or his high-end classical and flamenco guitars.