1888 Torres SE122 copy (New guitars Part I)

Last week was a busy one, as I was eager to get back in the workshop after the Christmas and New Year break. It was a week for final polishing and stringing up of guitars, the first one being this Torres replica guitar in spruce and rosewood and Cuban mahogany. Last year I measured and drew Antonio Torres SE122; a wonderful guitar that was auctioned at Bromptons (London) in October. This is the first copy I have made of the guitar, and also one of the most faithful replicas I have made of any guitar. The top is an exact copy, even down to the startling grain orientation (the grain lines run 3 degrees off the centre line) and the mixture of rosewood for the back centre strip and sides, with mahogany for the main part of the back.

The original sounded lovely, with a soft, full sound and it responded effortlessly under the fingers. I certainly didn't set out to replicate the sound of an 130 year-old guitar; I wanted to get an idea of what this guitar was like when it was first new; the sounds that Torres first heard when he strung SE122 up in his workshop. The new guitar is crisper, more incisive and more even across the range, but with the same rich depth in the bass and a purity in the treble. I will be fascinated to see this guitar again when it has been played for a few years.

One of the great pleasures in building this guitar was using Cuban mahogany. All the Cuban I have is salvaged from 19th century furniture and it really is fantastic timber with the most glorious rich colour when polished. There is a good supply of old furniture that can be converted into guitars and I enjoy putting it to good use. Sometimes you have to work with nail holes or cuts that were in the original piece, but Torres did the same; there are examples of his guitars that were made from salvaged material with plugged screw holes.

The rosette is an accurate copy of the original, but is fresher in colour. Again, I wanted to make it as it would have looked when new, with bright and vibrant colours. The design is so typical of Torres inlay work and is a strong, sophisticated yet simple statement. The bridge is a little longer than I would use on my own guitars, and longer than on many Torres guitars that I have seen. What caused Torres to do this is unclear, but it seems he did most thing carefully and and deliberately so it is unlikely that it was an accident. Perhaps Torres want to add cross grain stiffness to that particular soundboard (it did seem quite stiff) or perhaps he just liked the look of the longer bridge. The 2 mother of pearl roundels on the wings of the bridge very often look out of place on a more modern guitar but I think, in this case, fit perfectly into Torres's aesthetic.

The tuners I used on this guitar are Rubners with plain brass plates and small round buttons and although different from the originals,I think they suit the guitar well. I currently putting together another copy of this guitar and I am keen to make a comparison.
 I have  had a number of enquiries about the drawing I made of this guitar, and when I get the time I will be making all the information I have available. If you are interested in purchasing a copy please let me know and I will update you when it is published

Torres SE122 update

Congratulations to all at Bromptons Auctioneers on their highly successful sale on Monday. The guitar by Antonio Torres, SE 122, sold for the hammer price of £85,000. Had I had the money, I would have paid a good deal more for this fabulous guitar. The guitar is special to me in that it is such original condition; and is the closest therefore that many of us will get to Torres himself. Most Torres guitars I have seen have been altered or restored; some significantly. This one is virtually untouched. The new owner I am sure will value and respect this instrument. My hope is that little will be done to change it; in fact I would like to see it remain unrestored.

I was lucky enough to have this guitar to examine in considerable detail earlier this summer and I am in the process of preparing a drawing and detailed description of this guitar for other makers and interested parties to download. I will post details and prices on this blog. I have other drawings of interesting and rare guitars which I will also be making available.

Other guitars that sold on Monday were an interesting Garcia made in 1906, a fairly early guitar by Robert Bouchet, and a nice Lacote 'Legnani' model.

 I am also just finishing my first copy of SE 122 ,(pictured below) and I'm very exited about the prospect of stringing it for the first time. It goes without saying that I will keep you all informed...

Antonio Torres 1888 SE122

Every so often a guitar turns up in the workshop that you can't get out of your head. This guitar by Antonio Torres is one of those guitars.

Until recently, this guitar was simply not known about and lay in storage in the house of its owner. It is a large bodied, seven fan strut guitar, with the back made of rosewood and mahogany, and it carries many of the most iconic features of this great maker's work, such as the 3-lobed headstock and the herringbone inlay in the rosette. Although it has playing wear and humidity cracks, it is in virtually untouched condition which is truly remarkable. So many Torres guitars have inevitably been altered or restored, but with this guitar you see the work of Torres; the doming on the front, the exquisite shaping of the head and even the polish - all original and as Torres left it.

One extraordinary feature of this guitar is the grain orientation on the front as it is 3 degrees off centre. This is startling and almost unnerving at first glance. It is, however, almost symbolic of this makers approach to his craft and illustrates his insistence on using the timber available to him in the best possible way.
Startling and unnerving maybe but not unique in Torres work; a Torres guitar owned by Tarrega, SE114 (also from 1888)  exhibits skewed grain, as does SE99.

This guitar is due to be auctioned at Bromptons in London on October 27th, along with other fine guitars. I will write about this instrument in much more detail in a future post.