Musicians Come From All Over the World to Buy These Handmade Guitars in San Bartolome, Ecuador
7 thoughts on “PHOTO: These Exquisite Guitars are Hand Made in San Bartolome, Ecuador”
Hey guys, I’m Ronny Minuche, Guitarist/Composer of the band “Lunarcode” from Los Angeles, CA.
I was born and raised in Ecuador, and heard much about Classical Guitars from San Bartolomeo. So back in 2014 I went back to Ecuador on a trip and decided to get a Classical Guitar from Cuenca.
Went to “Hortegs Guitars” and tried some of his handmade guitars, felt in love with one of them and purchased it.
I have professionally recorded, toured, performed and wrote so many songs on that guitar. It sounds amazing and the quality is unbelievable!
So happy I bought it. So many people ask me for it and even had offered to buy it from me. But I love that guitar too much.
I have a video or 2 on YouTube playing that guitar.
Hope this helps!
From the main bus station, you take the bus to Sigsig that also says “San Bartolomeo” on the sign. Many locals refer to San Bartolomeo as “San Bartolo.” In general, I was underwhelmed with the guitars I saw in San Bartolomeo, but some of the shops were closed. I did get a pretty nice charango. Back in Cuenca, I purchased a rather nice classical guitar for $300 from a luthier within walking distance from the bus station, Jesus Ortega. His shop is called “Hortegs.” You can easily find more information on the Hortegs shop (including a video about the place) on Google.
Hi Dean: Unfortunately, I was on a tour, so I can’t give you exact directions. However, we were in the area of Gualaceo and Chordeleg, which are both on Google Maps. I zoomed in and found an area called San Bartoloma, which is nearby, but appears to be in a very rural, undeveloped area. That matches what I remember. It was a tiny village – couldn’t have had more than 20 homes. Try going to this link on Google to see it: https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Bartoloma,+Ecuador/@-3.0099183,-78.8489759,14/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x91cd1d3002ea3ee5:0xdbfbc642d56ff4e3?hl=en. Otherwise, you could go to any of the three government approved travel tour companies in Cuenca and I’m sure they could help you.
Hi Stan: Sorry, but I’m not the maker. I’m just a writer who did an article on the handmade products available around Cuenca, Ecuador. I’m sure a Google search would turn up more information.
Hey guys, I’m Ronny Minuche, Guitarist/Composer of the band “Lunarcode” from Los Angeles, CA.
I was born and raised in Ecuador, and heard much about Classical Guitars from San Bartolomeo. So back in 2014 I went back to Ecuador on a trip and decided to get a Classical Guitar from Cuenca.
Went to “Hortegs Guitars” and tried some of his handmade guitars, felt in love with one of them and purchased it.
I have professionally recorded, toured, performed and wrote so many songs on that guitar. It sounds amazing and the quality is unbelievable!
So happy I bought it. So many people ask me for it and even had offered to buy it from me. But I love that guitar too much.
I have a video or 2 on YouTube playing that guitar.
Hope this helps!
Hi Ronny. Thanks so much for your comment. I’m glad to know that true musicians are as impressed with the Ecuadorian guitars as I was.
From the main bus station, you take the bus to Sigsig that also says “San Bartolomeo” on the sign. Many locals refer to San Bartolomeo as “San Bartolo.” In general, I was underwhelmed with the guitars I saw in San Bartolomeo, but some of the shops were closed. I did get a pretty nice charango. Back in Cuenca, I purchased a rather nice classical guitar for $300 from a luthier within walking distance from the bus station, Jesus Ortega. His shop is called “Hortegs.” You can easily find more information on the Hortegs shop (including a video about the place) on Google.
I can’t find San Bartolome on Google Maps? Were exactly is it and how do you get to it from Cuenca?
Hi Dean: Unfortunately, I was on a tour, so I can’t give you exact directions. However, we were in the area of Gualaceo and Chordeleg, which are both on Google Maps. I zoomed in and found an area called San Bartoloma, which is nearby, but appears to be in a very rural, undeveloped area. That matches what I remember. It was a tiny village – couldn’t have had more than 20 homes. Try going to this link on Google to see it: https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Bartoloma,+Ecuador/@-3.0099183,-78.8489759,14/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x91cd1d3002ea3ee5:0xdbfbc642d56ff4e3?hl=en. Otherwise, you could go to any of the three government approved travel tour companies in Cuenca and I’m sure they could help you.
I am very interested in purchasing a hand made guitar from San Bartolome. Can you provide pictures and information on your products?
Hi Stan: Sorry, but I’m not the maker. I’m just a writer who did an article on the handmade products available around Cuenca, Ecuador. I’m sure a Google search would turn up more information.