Santos Hernández is one of the most representative guitar makers in history, along with Antonio de Torres and Hermann Hauser.
Santos Hernández was born in Madrid in 1873. He started his career as a luthier working as a trainee of the luthier Valentín Viudes. Some time later, he left this workshop and moved to Granada in order to work in José Ortega´s workshop. Shortly after, he returned to Madrid to work for Saturnino Rojas in Francisco Gonzalez´s prestigious shop.
In 1893, Santos was recruited by the Army in an artillery unit for 5 years (military service), and he would be sent to Cuba so he could fight in the war between Spain and its colonies. After leaving the Army in 1898, he set his own workshop in Nicolás Salmerón Street.
In 1905 he was hired by Manuel Ramírez as a foreman to replace Enrique García, who had moved to Barcelona to set his own workshop. After Manuel Ramírez´s death in 1916, Santos continued working for his widow until 1920. In 1921, Santos Hernández started his own workshop in 27 Aduana St, Madrid. This workshop would be the meeting point of the very best classical and flamenco guitarists of that time, such as Miguel Llobet, Andrés Segovia, Daniel Fortea, Ramón Montoya, Sabicas or Luis Molina.
Santos Hernández´s prestige as a maker soared after it was known he was the maker of the guitar Manuel Ramírez 1912, which Maestro Andrés Segovia played for most of his career, and he was also the one who made Regino Sáez de la Maza´s guitar, with which this performer from Burgos played for the first time the Concierto de Aranjuez, by Joaquín Rodrigo, in Palau de la Música de Barcelona, on 9 November 1940.