Written by José Manuel Fernández Cobo, Madrid, Spain Published in deFlamenco (April 2006) [translated from Spanish] Rarely do we find surprise, admiration, and beauty in so direct and unquestionable a form in what is otherwise a simple and common musical instrument: the guitar.  But, if to this clearly evident aesthetic beauty we added: a luthier, who specializes only in the construction of flamenco guitars, the evocation already is enormous; and further, if it is said that the hands and the passion of this luthier come from Canada, the astonishment is undeniable. Here is a brief history of this guitar maker and his unique instruments. Daniel Turner was a university music student in the early 1970’s. His studies at the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory of Music were focused primarily on the creation of a modern repertoire for the classical guitar.  It was during this period that he discovered Flamenco music and its influence on him was irrepressible.  In 1973 he decided to travel to Spain for the first time to learn more about the music and culture of Flamenco. For almost 2 years he lived and studied in the Balearic Islands and in the Andalusian cities of Granada, Almeria, and Malaga.  Although his primary goal was to learn to play the Flamenco guitar, he found himself almost immediately fascinated by the work of local luthiers and the intricacies of their instruments.  At the time he could not imagine that years later he would, himself, be a luthier and an internationally respected "Constructor de Guitarras Flamencas". First of all we are speaking here of fine Flamenco guitars; that is: guitars designed exclusively for use in creating Flamenco music and of the highest quality in regards to sound, design, and materials.  Daniel Turner describes his unique instruments as "exotic flamenco guitars", but in summary they are first and foremost "works of art". In regards to construction techniques, although the luthier has studied and investigated, in depth, the construction methodologies and design elements used by great Spanish guitar makers like Ramirez, Hernandez, Bernabé, Contreras, Romanillos and Reyes, he has developed his own designs, methods, tools, and construction techniques by combining those of the "masters" with his knowledge of structural engineering, computer modeling, and visual design. As far as materials are concerned, the types of wood used by this luthier evoke exotic images of distant lands: ebony from Macassar, blackwood from Malaysia, koa from Hawaii, cocobolo from Mexico, rosewood from Brazil, Thailand, and Madagascar, ziricoté from Belize, myrtlewood from Oregon, and cypress from Monterrey.  His soundboards can be created from any one of 8 different types of wood including European, bear-clawed Sitka, Engelmann, Adirondack, and Carpathian spruce, Western red cedar, Port Orford cedar, and redwood. At the present time there are six standard models: El Ébano (with an unusually strong acoustic projection - ideal for live performance), El Cacao (with a seductive rosewood-based sound that is well-suited for studio work), El Oro (with a dynamic acoustic profile that lies between a traditional "blanca" and a modern "negra"), El Rosado (a consummate "blanca" made exclusively of "new world" woods), El Blanco (a traditional instrument in both sound and appearance) and El Verde (a "blanca", of unique appearance, crafted from dark chocolate cedar and green-tinted Oregon myrtlewood). In spite of what might be assumed, the prices of these handcrafted guitars are not unreasonable: currently between US$4,900 and US$7,300. An extensive variety of "master-grade" woods serves as a base for the custom-selection of individual components, which is the primary reason for the variation in price.  There is a special version of the El Ébano model, for example, that is offered with back and sides constructed completely from the visually striking and very rare "snakewood" (madera de serpiente).  It takes almost three years to prepare and construct because of the nature of the wood, making this particular guitar the most expensive instrument currently offered. These are guitars of spectacular beauty and incredible sound, and each new instrument can be customized to the aesthetic taste, hand size, and playing style of the guitarist.  Their undeniable allure is clearly evident in the impressive gallery of photographs and a multimedia presentation (narrated in Spanish) on the luthier’s "state-of-the-art" Web site at :