2016 Teodoro Pérez "50th Anniversary" No. 3 of 10 CD/CSAR

This 2016 Teodoro Pérez “50th Anniversary” No. 3 of 10 is a cedar and CSA rosewood concert classical guitar from Madrid, Spain – one of only ten guitars built to mark Teodoro’s fifty years as a guitar maker, 1966–2016.

A Limited Edition of Ten

For the anniversary Teodoro designed a model of its own, reworking the bracing, body depth, sound and appearance over several years, and built it with his most precious materials and his most intricate marquetry and inlay. Ben Pila plays a Pérez “50th Anniversary” in one of the videos above, and Patrick Schettler plays Schumann’s “Träumerei” on a 2016 Pérez.

The Label

The special label of the series – “Teodoro Pérez, Constructor de Guitarras, Desde 1966” – is dated 2016 and marked “Edición Limitada 3/10”.

In Teodoro Pérez's Words

“I have spent many long days behind a workbench, selecting materials, cutting, sanding, inhaling the aroma given off by different woods that will eventually become sides, necks, bridges and soundboards. These in turn will become more than just a silhouette - by gluing and assembling each indispensable piece, decorating it, refining its shape, and attending to the final luster of its appearance. The ultimate goal is for each of my instruments to reach the hands of players who will produce the sounds that represent so many pleasant moments that each guitar has already given to me. I do not come from a lineage of guitar makers. I was the first in my family to take up this artisan craft… Dedication, attention to detail, and precision are characteristics that must be embraced to be a guitar maker. I am also proud not to be the last guitar maker in my family, knowing that I leave a legacy through my children and my son-in-law. It is important for me to create a tradition that I hope will go on for many generations to come.

This year is a very special one for me and I wanted to build an instrument to commemorate a milestone – not a guitar that is "better" than any of the approximately 2,700 guitars that I have built in my professional career - but a model with a special character, something that will capture and represent my 50 years of experience. I’ve been working on this “50th Anniversary” model for a number of years now, playing with different designs both on the inside and out with adjustments to all the elements of a guitar including the bracing pattern, body depth, sonic qualities, appearance, etc. oftentimes rejecting ideas that initially emerged but developing others that had more promise. I enjoy investigating design changes and trying to achieve new sounds (which do not always come to fruition with all models) which for me is what makes this craft both challenging and rewarding.

I hope that there will be many musicians who will love the "50th Anniversary" model. My aim during all of these years has been to work on giving the guitars maximum quality in all respects. A guitar is a handcrafted object where all of the smallest details are cared for and I hope you will enjoy it.”

Trained in the José Ramírez III Workshop

Teodoro Pérez was born in 1952 in the province of Soria, Spain, but moved to Madrid while still very young. In 1966 he began his apprenticeship in the famed José Ramírez III workshop, where he built guitars, lutes, bandurrias and mandolins. During these years, he had the great honor to meet some of the great maestros of the twentieth century, including Andrés Segovia, Narciso Yepes and many others. In 1970, after passing the appropriate tests, and with the approval of José Ramírez, he qualified as First Official, and stamped the guitars he made with his initials GPM.

Tezanos-Pérez and a Family Workshop in Leganés, Madrid

In 1991, Teodoro teamed up with fellow Ramírez veteran Mariano Tezanos, and built guitars under the name "Tezanos-Pérez" until 2005. Today he builds with his family in their workshop at Calle del Perú 4 in Leganés, just south of Madrid: his son, Sergio Pérez, who has been assisting him in his work since 1998, his daughter, Beatriz, and his son-in-law, Marco Tejeda. Sergio and Marco also build guitars under their own names. GSI is proud to represent these guitars exclusively in the United States.

The Pérez Model Line

The workshop builds a complete range of models. The Estudio C-650 (from 2016), an entry-level concert guitar with its own numbering, and the Madrid (from 2012) are finished in lacquer. The Concierto is the first model finished entirely in French polish, with single sides; the Maestro sits in the middle of the line; and the Especial is the top model, with the finest materials and additional purfling and inlay – some Maestro and Especial guitars have double sides. The Antigua (from 2015) has a smaller Torres-type body, single sides and a 51 mm nut, and La Emperatriz is built after the 1884 Antonio de Torres "La Emperatriz", SE 72. For flamenco there are the Flamenco Blanca and Flamenco Negra, and the anniversary models – ten 50th Anniversary guitars in 2016 and, from 2020, the Especial Aniversario – celebrate Teodoro's half-century as a guitar maker.