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.