2025 Ariel Ameijenda "70th Anniversary" AL/CSAR

Ariel has been deciding on how to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ameijenda guitars (his father started building guitars in 1954 - opening his own shop 3 years later, and Ariel has been building for 46 years), and he decided to pull out some of his choicest materials that he's been saving for this moment. This is our 3rd "70th Anniversary" from him and this time he's chosen to use some of his coveted Alerce for the top that he only very recently acquired. Although "new" to Ariel, the wood is actually quite old, it can be traced back to stock that came from the workshop of Juan Pablo Cristalino, a maker from Buenos Aires who built guitars in the 1930s. Ariel, and his father before him, consider Alerce an ideal wood for soundboards as it has very tight grains - in this particular top, Ariel has counted at least 4 years per millimeter, so it is ideal for use as a highly efficient vibrating top, also thanks to its old age. The sound is quite unique - it has its own character entirely - although it has some of the warmth and deeper resonance found in cedar, and the extreme clarity and balance found in spruce, it is unlike anything we've heard before - lush, rich with velvety overtones stacked beautifully behind the clear fundamental of every note. To complement this unique soundboard, Ariel selected a breathtaking set of CSA rosewood from his best stock, designed a gorgeous new rosette and trimmed it out with extremely tasteful purflings in the headstock and inner and outer rings of the rosette - making this an elegant and tasteful instrument in appearance. Fingerboard is a gorgeous piece of exotic ebony with some really stunning flourishes in the grain. Another fun detail - tuning machines are a custom set from VS Tuners in Brazil with Ariel's initials embossed in the buttons - very subtle but lovely detail. It also must be said that this instrument has considerable power and great projection, making it ideal for the concert stage, and the playability is very easy on both hands. Lastly, this is our first guitar from him to be built out of his new workshop out in the wilderness of Uruguay - click the link below for more information. Congratulations to Ariel on his 70th year (well, now 71st!) carrying on his family tradition, and for building such a fantastic guitar!

Photos of this guitar taken during construction from his new workshop in the remote “Las Campanas"