 De Lucía was influenced primarily by Niño Ricardo , a leading figure in the history of flamenco guitar , and Sabicas , regarded as one of the most influential musicians involved in the development and refinement of the flamenco guitar as a concert instrument at a time when the guitar was an instrument to accompany the singer . Sabicas was a mentor to Paco in developing his flamenco guitar technique , as well in honing Paco 's skills as a composer , characterized by melodic structure , rhythmic and harmonic , perfectly consistent from beginning to end , and non @-@ lyrical phrased guitar <unk> when the singer stops singing . Esteban de Sanlúcar and Mario Escudero were also major influences on him and sources of inspiration . According to biographer Pohren , de Lucía was " fascinated with jazz " and held a deep respect for high @-@ tech jazz musicians , regarding Di Meola , McLaughlin , Coryell and Corea as highly as musicians as he did his flamenco mentors . Despite these influences , according to the Jazz Times , " Most flamenco fans can trace the music 's history to either Before Paco or After Paco . " In 2004 interview with El País he said " I have always found that the more technique you have the easier it is to express yourself . If you lack technique you lose the freedom to create . " Like many other flamenco guitarists he often played a Hermanos Conde guitar and had his own signature model , but had a range of guitars in his collection . 
