2024 Gao Yi SP/CSAR

This 2024 Gao Yi is a pre-owned classical guitar with a Fiemme Valley spruce top and CSA rosewood back and sides, built in China in the Granada tradition – it is the ACTUAL classical guitar Gao presented at the VII Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada in 2024, where it was a finalist.

Gao Yi’s 112th Guitar

Gao has been building for many years and is a seasoned and well-trained luthier building largely in the Granada style, having studied there with two of the city’s top names, Antonio Marín and René Baarslag (and, years before, with Granada luthier Juan Labella in Beijing). This is his 112th guitar, and we are extremely thrilled to have it here.

Fiemme Valley Spruce and CSA Rosewood

The soundboard of this guitar is made of high-quality spruce from the Fiemme Valley at an altitude of 1500 meters in the northern Alps, the same location that sourced the woods for Stradivari’s violins. The back and sides are made of beautiful quartersawn CSA rosewood, which Gao chose for its excellent sound reflection, which he believes produces a more “pure” quality of tone.

Granada-Style Bracing

Structurally, the guitar follows methods and techniques learned primarily from René Baarslag and follows the “Granada style” of using a modified Bouchet-inspired 5-fan system with under-bridge brace. This famously results in a lightweight and ultra-responsive soundboard that produces a fast, snappy attack and a wide variety of tonal colors. His plantilla is his own – he seeks to produce a curvature that follows the waistline of the human body, both for the gentle aesthetic and for improved ergonomics when playing the guitar.

Chinese and Japanese Design Details

For the headstock shape, Gao takes inspiration from Antonio Marín and Antonio de Torres to create his own, tasteful design. The striking rosette borrows from traditional geometric decorative patterns of Chinese window grilles and also integrates Japanese Hakone Yosegi Zaiku (marquetry wood mosaics) to create a distinctive, elegant and very unique look. Gao uses a new mid-line inlaying technique for the back center strip, decorating it with unique textures and lines of stabilized wood, resulting in a unique visual appearance. The inspiration for this design comes from “lucky plaques” used by worshippers in Chinese temples to pray for good luck. The overall appearance of this guitar combines the charm of his local Chinese influences, a dab of Japanese design and of course the modified but very traditional Spanish influences that make this a unique but very traditional Spanish guitar.

Condition

Although used, this guitar is in excellent condition with only some minor wear in the finish. All in, this is an exceptional instrument by any standard.

Gao Yi: From Concert Guitarist to Guitar Maker

Gao Yi’s background with the classical guitar goes back many years, when his interest as a player earned him music degrees from both Jining University and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He also earned top prizes in several competitions, including first prize in the 2000 Chinese Guitar Competition, and as a player he has taught out of his own studio in Shanghai. His interest in guitar making was sparked in 2002 while working for Yamaha in the marketing division.

Trained in the Granada School

His experience playing the guitars of Antonio Marín Montero led him to embrace the Granada style. Indeed, he traveled several times to Granada to receive advice and support from Antonio Marín himself, and to study with René Baarslag in his workshop just outside Granada. Years before, he had also studied in Beijing with Juan Labella, another Granada luthier.

First Prize in Granada

After several years of working at his craft, Gao Yi was awarded first prize for his flamenco guitar at the prestigious VII Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition, held in Granada, Spain, in July/August 2024. His classical guitar also made it as a finalist. We are very pleased to have met this very fine maker, and look forward to seeing many more of his guitars in the future.