The name of Antonio de Torres (1817-1892) has the same value for the guitar as the name of Antonio Stradivari for the violin.
His work had a great influence on the following luthiers and guitarists generations.
Francisco Tarrega and Miguel Llobet were among the first to grasp and use the potential of that instrument, especially Llobet had different guitars of Torres, among which the one of 1859 which was his favourite. Today the original instrument is guarded at the Music Museum in Barcelona.
I chose to build a replica of this extraordinary guitar, because I was fascinated by its history, sound and aesthetic. It is an exceptional instrument that moved me, because it can hypnotise with its voice.
If you listen to “Evocacions” of Stefano Grondona you will understand what I mean.
A replica will of course be never be the same as the original and I do not want to produce just a copy. I want to build a guitar that is stylistically situated in that period. A guitar that recalls the romantic music for which it was built, a guitar that recalls the music background in which it was born, a guitar with which you can go back in time.
My project is faithful to the original Torres of 1859, with the same dimensions, same characteristics, woods and same bracing for the soundboard.
Best quality spruce for the soundboard, sides and base made of maple and rosewood, the same woods that Torres used for this model.
A guitar that also suits to those who want an instrument which is smaller than the modern standard. The body shape is thinner and the scale length, reduced to 647 mm, makes the instrument easier to play. The perfect solution for those who have smaller hands or just does not want to tire the left hand muscles.
This is the classical guitar, an icon that reinforces the characteristics of the modern guitar, a guitar that stands out for its voice and not for its volume, a voice that sends you back in time. Finally music has also the task to recall a climate, an emotion, a memory and the past.