Coming Soon: Francesco De Gregorio Builds His Torres Model

Italian luthier Francesco De Gregorio is currently building a new guitar for GSI—a bench copy of Antonio de Torres’ SE 111 from 1887. Francesco had the opportunity to examine the original instrument in 2019, thanks to his friendship with its current owner, guitarist Stefano Grondona. SE 111 is part of a remarkable group of Torres guitars that includes SE 113, SE 114 (ex Tárrega), and SE 116 “La Italica,” all completed in the following year, 1888. This group is also known for featuring the distinct “chainlink” motif in the rosette, with SE 111 uniquely showing two bands of chains.

Faithful to the original design, the new instrument features thin birdseye maple sides and a spruce top. Francesco chose torrefied spruce wood for its added strength and visual resemblance to aged spruce.

A few sneak peek photos from the workshop are included below. We look forward to sharing more as the guitar nears completion.