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Built by Belgian luthier Colin van Aelbrouck, this guitar is made with European spruce for the soundboard, and a beautifully cut set of Indian rosewood for the back and sides. This is THE actual award-winning classical guitar that Colin showcased at the sixth Antonio Marin Montero Guitar Making Competition held in Granada, Spain in August, 2023 and we are extremely thrilled to have this guitar here. It was built based a 1915 Manuel Ramirez that his teacher, Karel Dedain was able to write up plans for after inspecting it in person. Following these specs from Karel's plans, Colin has built this guitar following Manuel Ramirez' traditional 7 fan-bracing system with 2 closing diagonal bars. The top and sides are very thin to allow ample vibration. The cedar used to make the neck is extra dense and stiff, allowing the neck to be slender yet stiff with minimal risk of bending, allowing for a very comfortable setup to maximize ease of play. The entire instrument is French polished and tuning machines are high-grade Barnett tuners.
Although structurally based on the 1915 Manuel Ramirez, the aesthetics are all Colin's. It has a bold look with thick ebony bindings flanked by broad-banded maple purflings on the sides, back and top. The rosette and tie-block inlays beautifully complement this with the use of maple purflings as well. The rosette is elegant yet understated and when viewed up close, quite busy with mosaics not just in the central band but also in four of the purfling layers. Subtle but beautiful! This very bold look is matched by the strong sound which is full, warm and evenly balanced. Colin was really able to capture the feel and sound of a loose, old Spanish guitar with a deep bottom-end and harmonically-rich trebles. This is a fantastic value for such a visually stunning and sonically beautiful instrument and would satisfy the recording or concertizing needs of any guitarist. Great instrument all around.
