Third-generation luthier Tomas Delgado handcrafts every instrument at Candelas Guitars in East Los Angeles, following traditions learned from his grandfather. He's built guitars for Jose Feliciano, Raul Pacheco of Ozomatli and Gaby Moreno, among others. The store, which offers repairs, custom work and guitar lessons, has been open for more than 75 years.
According to Delgado, a luthier is a maker of stringed instruments.
"So, it could be a violin, in my case, guitars, classical, flamenco, used to make a lot of mariachi instruments like vihuelas guitarrones. We're creating something from scratch and not buying parts anywhere, and I'm making every part of the instrument here, so it's a lot of fun," Delgado said.
His great uncle and grandfather started Candelas Guitars in Mexico in 1928.
"They moved to Ciudad Juarez, from Juarez to Tijuana, and from Tijuana here on this block in 1947. I came into the business in 1990, and I never left. I've been here for 32 years now. I watched my grandfather use tools to shape the necks, the heel on the guitar. And I feel like I'm with him because they get to work with the tools that he designed and made all the years that he was building guitars," Delgado said.
One customer said he appreciates how Delgado runs his business and often visits the shop to play guitar.
"Fortunately, the skill that his grandfather had that his father had carried over to him, and he builds amazing instruments, and this is a place where we can come, and the guitar geeks can kind of sit around and appreciate things. I've been lucky enough to see guitars go from just being planks of wood into being an amazing musical instrument. And that's one of the things that's kind of magical about hanging out at Candelas Guitars," said Dan Castruita, a Candelas Guitars customer.
Delgado said once he can identify what kind of sounds customers want, it gives him an idea of what type of material they will use to build the instrument.
"I get to watch them play, and I get to see how tall they are or whatever their stature is or the size of their hands. It runs like a mathematical formula in my head of what I call character attention, how high they should be, the action, how low, how wide the neck should be. So, it takes all those little details to make it the number one instrument for them."
Candelas Guitars has surpassed many challenges since it opened 92 years ago. Still, Delgado said he is grateful that he has been able to run the business in a way that honors his family's legacy.
"For me to be able to run a business like this and maintain the way we've been doing it for 92 years. That's unique because anybody will try to open up a store or maintain a store like this; they are dependent on walk-in business and selling products that they don't make they're purchasing from somebody else. Well, those products are all online now; you don't need to go to a shop. So what a blessing to be able to continue to operate the way I have been. It was tough when I had to close at the beginning of COVID, but we're getting through it. For right now, every job that I take in, no matter what instrument it is, will be a commissioned instrument. I don't have the ability right now to fill my shop up with guitars. I've had a couple of people working with me for years, but right now, the past almost two years, and I've been working completely by myself. I have a year and a half to two-year waiting list on my custom guitars, and I had like a three or four-year waiting list on my restoration work. Each instrument is a challenge every single time, and it's fun. It pushes me; I absolutely love this," Delgado said.
Watch "LA Times Today" at 7 and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News app.