2016 Manuel Contreras "10th Anniversary Premium Series" CD/CSAR

This 2016 Manuel Contreras “10º Aniversario Serie Premium” (10th Anniversary Premium Series) is a pre-owned classical guitar with a cedar top and CSA rosewood back and sides, made in the Contreras workshop on Calle Segovia in Madrid, Spain – No. 16 of the Premium Series.

The Contreras “10th Anniversary” Model

The certificate awarded to Manuel Contreras II in Aranjuez, November 17, 2000

This model was constructed in 2016 as the “premium” version of the “top” model from the Contreras shop – in other words, the absolute maximum that Contreras had to offer at this time. On November 17, 2000, this model (the “10th Anniversary”) won first prize at the Convocatoria Internacional de Guitarras Joaquín Rodrigo in Aranjuez, organized for the composer’s centenary. And as mentioned, this particular version of this model is the “Premium Series”, which indicates top selection of materials and workmanship.

Premium Materials and Workmanship

The materials used are exquisite, featuring Contreras’ best well-aged rosewood and elegant cedar for the soundboard. Tuning machines are custom by Alessi and feature the Contreras head shape at the extremities. Workmanship is to the highest standards – this can be instantly detected even with a quick glance at the detailing, particularly in the purfling and rosette.

An Inner Back Support for a Freely Resonating Back

In the innovative Contreras spirit, this model is uniquely constructed with an inner-sounding back support (made of cedar), which allows the back to resonate freely – eliminating much of the normal dampening caused by contact with the player’s body.

Sound and Playability

The sound is penetrating and has exceptional sustain with a huge, piano-like density in every note. It has huge projection and can fill any sized concert hall. Playability is a breeze, with a comfortable neck and a 20th fret added for repertoire requiring a high C natural.

Condition

With the exception of a hairline crack in the top between the bridge and purfling (which does not go all the way through – it’s rather a “half-crack” and therefore not in need of any repair attention), it is in otherwise pristine condition.

We think of this model as the “Bösendorfer” of the guitar world – a true “concert grand” of an instrument.

Manuel Contreras I: From Cabinetmaker to Madrid Guitar Maker

Manuel Contreras Sr. (1928–1994), a native of Madrid, acquired excellent woodworking skills at a very young age, which led to a budding career as a furniture maker. His cabinetry skills gained the attention of José Ramírez III, who invited him to apprentice in his workshop in 1959, and within three years he had developed his craft sufficiently to set up as an independent guitar maker in Madrid, at number 80 Calle Mayor, in 1962. Almost from the beginning, Contreras gained the reputation for being one of the most creative and inventive luthiers in Spain. Perhaps his best-known creation is the “Double Top” model, presented in 1974, which uses soundboard material laminated to the interior of the back – a model embraced from the beginning by many top players, most notably all members of the Romero quartet. His most sensational design is arguably the “Carlevaro” model of 1983, built in collaboration with Uruguayan guitarist Abel Carlevaro, with no waist on the bass side and no soundhole in the soundboard.

Manuel Contreras II and the “10th Anniversary” Model

After Manuel Sr. passed away in 1994, his son Manuel Contreras II (1957–2011) – born Pablo Manuel Contreras and known to everyone as “Pablo” – who had learned the craft working alongside his father and became a professional guitar maker in 1986, carried on the family tradition with the same innovative spirit. Under his direction the workshop developed many of its most popular models, including the 10º Aniversario (“10th Anniversary”), which won the Convocatoria Internacional de Guitarras Joaquín Rodrigo in Aranjuez on November 17, 2000 and has since become popular with student guitarists and concert performers alike.

The Contreras Workshop Today

Manuel II passed away in January 2011, leaving behind a thriving shop. Sadly, the historic shop at Calle Mayor 80 then closed, and the workshop moved to Calle Segovia 57 in Madrid. There, Victoria Velasco – who joined the Contreras shop in 1989 while serving as professor of classical guitar at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid – directs the workshop with the same team of luthiers who worked under Pablo, continuing to build Contreras guitars.