Daniel Gil de Avalle y Montes. Daniel was born in 1961 in Jaen, and grew up in a large family of ten. The family moved to Granada when he was four. His older sister, soprano, and his borther-in-law, orchestra conductor, were a great influence on his taste for music. He started studying violin in the Conservatory of Granada, and then at the Conservatory of Madrid. He is a member of the Granada School of Guitar Makers that traces their lineage of masters back to the XIX century, not only by tradition but also by blood: the members of this school are his fathers, fathers-in-law, uncles, and brothers. In the 1980s he learned to build guitars with Manuel Lopez Bellido, then his father-in-law, and made his first guitar in the early 1990s. Daniel worked with Manuel for more than 15 years. Although his father-in-law was his primary teacher, he acknowledges that his work has been influenced by other Granada makers such as Rolf Exchanger.
At present, he has his own workshop, and has become international renowned as a guitar-maker. He is in constant cooperation with national and international projects on guitar making: tradition, research and evolution of guitar making. In addition to building guitars, Daniel who plays violin as well, also works on bowed string instruments.
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Prized and recognitions: Recognized by Andalusian Regional Goverment as a Master Artisan Guitar Maker; Runner up in a National Artisans Competition sponsored by the Government of Spain; Della Robbia Artisan Prize as a Guitar Maker (Sevilla, Spain); Guitar in the Permanent Exposition at the Museum of the Region of Andalucia (Granada, Spain); National Vocational Course Drafting Expert: "Maintenance and Repair of Stringed Instruments (Spanish Government).