2020 Yulong Guo "Granada" SP/CSAR

A 2020 "Granada" classical guitar by Yulong Guo, with a spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides – No. 031 of the model that won him second prize in Granada in 2018.

Bold but Classy

Yulong developed the "Granada" for the 2nd Antonio Marín Montero competition in the summer of 2018, where it took second prize. 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. On this guitar the maple strip is flamed. The sound is velvety, smooth and balanced, with immediate response and a light feel.

Finish and Condition

Although never sold, the guitar was held back because of slight delamination of the finish on the back in a few spots (see the gallery). We planned for Yulong to fix it on a visit, but then Covid hit; years later we found it in our basement, and Yulong agreed to let us offer it as it is, since the issue is purely cosmetic. Structurally 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.