I have read the comment on a number of occasions that a certain guitar is "easy to play". What does that actually mean? Can a guitar be built to play more easily?
Of the two flamenco guitars that I have, one does seem to play a little bit easier than the other but I always put that off to different brands and tensions of strings. Lower tensions are easier on my left hand but they feel sloppy on the right and I feel less control. Both guitars respond differently to right hand pressure. One sounds best using a very light right hand touch, a heavier hand makes it sound dull, while the other sounds better pushing down firmly on the strings giving a full solid tone. Would that be considered easy or harder?

ecwriter,

The "feel" of the guitar is most certainly built-in during design, construction and set-up. The greatest difference to the comfort and ease of playing is affected by a good set-up (optimal saddle and nut height, as well as carefully dialed-in and polished frets). Certainly, the neck angle has to correct from the time the luthier assemble the instrument. You'd think that a good set-up is very common. I am finding that to be far from reality, even in relatively expensive instruments.

The set-up is not the whole story, however. The stiffness and distribution of bracing, soundboard thickness, as well as bridge design/mass, all affect the feel of the guitar. In general, stiffer guitars (my opinion is that too many contemporary flamenco guitars are significantly over-built) tend to be less sensitive to the player's input. Being less responsive, they "invite" the player to push the instrument harder. Forceful playing is certainly not a requirement for good musicianship. Lighter touch not only sounds good (and loud) on a properly optimized guitar, but it also saves the musician unnecessary strain and a plethora of potential muscle/tendon injuries. "Easier to play" is not just a psychological phenomena. I believe it is the guitar's actual physical qualities, allowing the musician to develop desirable sound with less force.

For what they are worth, these are my observations based on guitars I've built, set-up and repaired over the years.

Thanks for the comments Peter. They helped a lot, especially on what you describe as a stiffer guitar. I thought it was all in my head and the more comfortable one was just an emotional attachment to a very old friend. Unfortunately my "stiffer" guitar also has the best, purest sound.
Hopefully my next one will have both the feel and sound I'm looking for. Now that would be a great guitar. Judging by the comments on this forum, that pretty much describes your guitars.