Category Archives: Photos of my guitars

Torres Comparison

Posted on by

I had some questions about the difference between two different Torres models which were available in my workshop for testing for a short time. After having three very good players put them through their paces here are the conclusions:

The SE70 is a bit easier to play and has a sparkle to it that the other one doesn’t have. It is really quite loud and you might even say explosive. At the same time you have to be careful how hard you push it. The basses are quite amazing and reminiscent of the original. This is the sort of guitar that you pick up and get excited about just because it is so very alive.

As for the SE153, the sound is slightly sweeter but also more controllable. The trebles have a fuller, thicker sound and it has more dynamics. According to one guitarist there is more sympathetic vibration from the guitar itself and from the strings. Sustain above the 12th fret seems to be better too. As a maker I like this one better because you can do more with it and I know from experience that it is not underbuilt.

The above is not surprising at all if you take into account the differences in construction between the two. The SE 70 is very lightly built, almost too much of a good thing. A thin top favours basses over trebles (usually) and is very good for volume. Two of the fan braces extend through openings under the lower transverse bar and possibly extend the vibrational area of the top. However, I strung it with D’addario J43 strings and that low tension makes a difference too. The saddle also might be a bit too low for its own good.  It is worth mentioning that this is the very first copy of the SE 70 that I have made. On the other hand I have been making the SE153 copies for 15 years and have managed to achieve something really special and sophisticated. As you can see from the picture the SE153 is maple and the SE70 is rosewood; there might be a slight influence there too.

Torres copy SE 153

Posted on by

IMG_1399IMG_1401IMG_1402IMG_1404

Reproductions, replicas and copies

Posted on by

Whatever you call the process, extracting the information from great guitars and taking advantage of that to build new ones is a very common practice.  Some try to get the same aesthetics, some are looking to capture that 100-year-old sound and still others are more interested in learning about the processes used by the historical makers.  Usually even those makers who are quick to state that they have developed their own models have studied the past masters or some particular guitar they have found to be excellent.  The guitar has evolved so much that to ignore what we have collectively learned is unwise to say the least.

In my own case, the first guitar I copied was Antonio de Lorca from Málaga.  The original was the earliest fan-braced instrument I had seen at the time and had a very high curve on the top.  The owner had some very interesting guitars but this is the one that I chose to study.  It captured my attention and the first copy I made proved interesting to some players.  I went on to make quite a few and still offer it.  In the meantime I was developing my own guitar and its sound using as a starting point the dimensions and bracing of a Hauser guitar.   This model has since undergone changes in dimensions, bracing, and aesthetics.

My first experience with a great-sounding Torres (not all of them are) got me excited and I wanted to try to get that sound.  Once again, total access to the instrument was very important to discovering all the details that made it great.  There must be a lot of guitarists who feel the way I do about that sound as this has become my most popular model.

A lot of factors have to come together for that kind of success and that just didn’t happen with the next guitar that came my way.  A 1900 Vicente Arias in perfect condition and very playable once again had me marvelling at the maker´s skill and good taste and making another copy.  A large number of makers have asked me for details about this guitar but in general guitarists are not attracted to VIcente Arias the way they are Antonio de Torres.

I have never asked myself, “Which guitar should I copy if I want a commercial success?” but rather I do a restoration or hear a guitar and fall in love with it.  Well the latest copy came out of an article I was asked to write about a guitar made by Santos Hernández. 2015-12-04 12.24.52 I started by writing the article (in which I include a complete drawing of the guitar) but once again due to the wonderful qualities of the guitar I was asked to make a replica.  I just finished it and will soon be sending it to the client.  2015-12-04 12.24.33

No videos or sound clips yet but I can tell you that this guitar breaks with what I usually do.  The top and back linings are solid and not much wider than the purfling and the top is quite thin.  In addition, the body is much deeper than my other guitars and all of this combines to create an instrument with a very low air resonance – below F.  I also found the rosette particularily well-designed and showed it at different stages of completion in an earlier post. 2015-12-04 12.24.24

Until now all of the historic guitars that I have studied give the impression of having been built face down and the back being the last element of the box to get glued on.  This one still has me stymied.  Very little in the way of indications of what the order of assembly was.  Richard Bruné states that Santos used three different methods, “peones” face down and glueing the back on last, linings top and back and the back on last but he also used linings with the back glued on first and the top last with some of his guitars. This is no surprise as he was also a violin-maker.  The typical clues (tool marks and glue drips) were mostly inconclusive.  I made this one face down but the next one might be different.