Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican acoustic guitar duo, Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero, known for fast flamenco-influenced playing in which Quintero uses the guitar body as a percussion instrument. Yamaha began working with them in the summer of 2007 at concerts in Europe and the United States and has produced prototypes for the duo since, with custom guitars first used on stage in Osaka and Tokyo in November 2008.

Sánchez's main guitars are custom Yamahas based on the NX series, now in their sixth and seventh versions. They have nato back and sides, spruce tops and rosewood fingerboards, with D'Addario EJ45 strings, and he replaced the undersaddle pickup with an L.R. Baggs Element Active system. The guitars run in stereo, with an undersaddle pickup on one channel and piezo pickups in the body for his percussion, and when not fingerpicking he uses Dunlop 47R3S nylon jazz picks.

Yamaha's artist page says the duo's playing, with intricate melodies, light rhythm cutting and percussion, is why the guitars needed special development. Details of Quintero's own setup are less documented. Guitar Radar follows the duo's Yamaha instruments and tours.