"> Jose A.  Perez-Menchaca Biography

 

 

Jose A. Perez Menchaca™

"Luthier"
 

"Lutherie": the art of construction and restoration of all kind

of fretted and non-fretted wooden musical instruments.
 

"I am for the most part occupied restoring bowed instruments and manufacturing new concert guitars ."
v Jose A. Perez Menchaca™. Buenos Aires (Argentina), May-25-1951. Luthier. menchaca His approach to his career begun at early age observing his uncle "Luthier" Jose Yacopi construct all kind of stringed instruments. Later on continues his apprenticeship with his father "Maestro Luthier" Agustin Perez Menchaca™ (May 19, 1923 Santander - Spain - ; November 5, 1989 Florida -US-) which together with his brother in law and partner Jose Yacopi (1960-1974) establishes the guitar factory that still produces guitars in Argentina under  Yacopi's management. At age 14 a concert guitar made by Jose A. Perez Menchaca™ competes in the "Bienal Latinoamericana de Luteria" sponsored by the Lucchelli-Bonadeo Institute. Developing his unique stile of instruments construction techniques inherited from his uncle Jose Yacopi plus own new acoustic research and development, a year later; Maestro Jose A. Perez Menchaca™  begins to construct classical concert, studio, acoustic guitars, requintos and other type of strings instruments for "Casa RICORDI AMERICANA" from year 1966 until 1976.

 

v After a prolonged  participation during 1977-1983  restoring antiquities  by an invitation  from Dr.  Ricardo Alegria, through  campaign hosted by the Puerto Rico Institute of Culture; Luthier  Jose A. Perez Menchaca™  was requested by the "Festival Casals" to perform the restoration of Master Pablo Casals' "Vuillame" cello guarded in the Pablo Casals Museum .San Juan, Puerto Rico).
v Devoting perhaps 40% of his time to work on bowed instruments, with the rest of his energy allotted to plucked instruments, like mandolins, requintos, classical and acoustic guitars, jazz etc.
v " All my work is done entirely by hand including the finish which is only done in French Polish style, I work exclusively by engagement. Only a limited edition of new instruments are handcrafted at the  time, the exigencies of my craftsmanship requires it. If you have any instrument-related inquiry by all means, please get in touch."
v " The very first instruments I ever made were concert guitars .  Since then, I have worked on thousands of instruments, from the magnificent to the bizarre. My real specialty is bringing out the potential in instruments and make them excel."
v " I have widely fashioned on every imaginable kind of instruments: classical concert and flamenco guitars, requintos, charangos, lutes,  mandolins, violins, cellos, acoustics, archtops, flattops, Selmers, baroque guitars, and  vihuelas." 

" Over the last 35 years I have combined meticulous proficiency in some remarkable instruments, for example: 

 The complete lute/mandolin family in its various and splendid cultural manifestations, from the Andes to Mt. Fuji, including Brazilian mandolins, bandurrías, citterns, lauds, and octave mandolins. The Greek bouzouki family (the real bouzoukis!) and its cousin the mandolin, New World instruments, the Mexican guitarrón, Peruvian charangos and Puerto Rican cuatros, Cuban tres and all the other members of the Latin family of string instruments including its numerous guitar variants like the bajo sexto, laud, bandurria, jarána, cavaquinho, ukulele, all the Portuguese violas and guitarras, tamburas, balalaikas, laoutos, cobzas, European lutes and ouds."