2019 Yulong Guo "Granada" SP/CSAR

A 2019 "Granada" classical guitar by Chinese luthier Yulong Guo, with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides – his traditional concert model.

A Prize-Winning Design

The "Granada" won Yulong second prize at the 2018 competition in Granada, Spain. The rosette has a Romanillos-inspired motif of black Moorish columns backed by abalone, the head veneer and binding are snakewood, and a strip of maple runs down the center of the back, tapering toward the heel between book-matched halves of CSA rosewood. It is a dramatic, strong look, and the sound matches it: velvety, smooth and balanced, with an immediate response, a light feel and a very comfortable neck.

Condition

The guitar is in like-new condition except for the finish on the back, sides and neck, which has delaminated in a few areas, leaving some whitish spots. These are aesthetic blemishes only, with no consequence for the structure; otherwise it is in perfect, concert-ready shape.

Yulong Guo: Classical Guitar Maker in Guangzhou

Yulong Guo has been building guitars since 1983 and works in Guangzhou, in China's Guangdong province. He made his name with high-quality double-top guitars – student models as well as concert models such as the "Chamber Concert" and "Philharmonic", based on the soundboard designs of Antonius Müller.

Back to Tradition: The "Granada" Model

At the 2018 Musikmesse in Frankfurt he was able to examine an authentic Antonio de Torres guitar, and after playing a guitar by his friend Gabriele Lodi he returned to traditional building. His new "Granada" model won second prize at the 2nd Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada, Spain, in 2018 (see the results), and in 2025 he followed it with a model after the 1888 Torres SE 124.