2017 Mario Aracama SP/CSAR

This 2017 Mario Aracama classical guitar, with a Swiss alpine spruce top and 60-year-old CSA rosewood back and sides, was our very first guitar from Mario – built in Granada, Spain.

Our First Mario Aracama Guitar

This is our first instrument by this talented maker. For this special guitar, Mario chose an amazing set of dark and stunning CSA rosewood, perfectly quartersawn, cut about 60 years ago and acquired from an old Madrid-based guitarrero friend. The spruce used for the soundboard comes from the Swiss Alps, is also perfectly quartersawn with plenty of silk, and was selected by Mario over 10 years before, so it is well aged.

Construction

The top has five fan struts with a bar underneath the bridge saddle. Ebony fingerboard, cedar neck, and tuning machines by Gotoh (luxury model with Avalon gears). The rosette and purflings are designed to complement the timbers.

Sound

A pleasure to play, with a friendly responsiveness – an immediate but not harsh attack, and a velvety, full quality of sound with a lovely palette of colors. Very comfortable for both hands. Overall a great guitar for the player seeking a charming, traditional instrument full of Spanish character.

Mario Aracama: From London to Granada

Mario Aracama became captivated with the guitar at an early age and, while living in England, decided to become a luthier, attending Guildhall University in London. There he graduated in Musical Instrument Technology, specializing in traditional classical and flamenco guitars under the tutelage of David Whiteman. In 2003 he relocated to Granada, Spain, where he learned further from Antonio Marín Montero.

The Granada School and the Torres Tradition

In the following years Mario enjoyed a fruitful exchange of ideas with his friends Michael Ritchie and Jose Vigil, which has also influenced his style. True to the Granada aesthetic, Mario builds a light and vibrant instrument with lightly braced tops, based in the great Spanish tradition in the line of Torres. Every guitar built by Mario features a different, original – but very traditional and tasteful – design.

A Workshop in the Alpujarra Mountains

Today Mario lives and builds in the beautiful Alpujarra mountains near Granada. GSI is proud to be Mario's exclusive dealer in the USA.