 Ladera Ranch resident Monica Esparza works on a guitar in her family's San Clemente warehouse. JEFFREY ANTENORE, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Ladera resident makes classical, flamenco guitars
Monica Esparza builds guitars by hand for players around the world.
LADERA RANCH - Monica Esparza says she works two full-time jobs, one as the manager of distribution and accounts for her family's drink distribution business and the other as a classical guitar maker.
Esparza's father Ruben, a former beverage and sales employee for Nestle in Mexico, went from mixing fruit drinks in the family garage 30 years ago to owning Aguas Frescas Festival – a national drink distribution business.
The company operates from a warehouse in San Clemente, where Esparza also makes time for her passion: building classical and flamenco guitars in the traditional style she perfected over three summers under a maestro in Spain.
Her workshop is conveniently located up a flight of stairs from the warehouse. There, Esparza stores woods from all parts of the world—from Brazil to Madagascar—which she cuts and molds to build a guitar from scratch. The space is equipped with power tools and plenty of storage for the wood, which needs to dry for years before it's ready to be used for a guitar.
"There's a whole science to getting to know just the woods themselves," said Esparza.
Esparza begins by attaching the top and the neck of the guitar in the traditional Spanish style. Then, she bends the wood that will become the sides of the guitar.
Esparza talks about wood as if each piece has an intended purpose; some are destined to become a guitar, others are relegated to firewood.
Once the wooden pieces of the guitar are cut, molded and glued together, the rough edges and glue spots have to be refined and cosmetically hidden, explains Esparza.
"If it's making certain sounds or tones that you don't want, you have to troubleshoot and find out why," said Esparza. "There are so many mechanics to watch out for," she adds.
Esparza completes the guitar by lacquering it with French polish—an organic shellac.
"Traditionally, old Spanish builders always French polish their instrument," said Esparza.
Esparza first became interested in guitar-building in the early '90s, as a student at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. She continued to cultivate her skill by studying under a maestro in Spain for the past three years.
"Every time I make another instrument, I'm learning more," said Esparza.
Guitar-making is her life.
"When you love what you do, it doesn't seem like a job."
Contact the writer: rkesarwani@ocregister.com 949-454-7347
