2025 Francisco Jiménez "Homenaje a Torres" SP/MP

This 2025 Francisco Jiménez "Homenaje a Torres" is a classical guitar with a spruce top and maple back and sides, built in Granada, Spain, as a tribute to Antonio de Torres and labeled "Segunda Época" after the master's second period.

Francisco Jiménez's Homage to Torres SE 111 (1887)

We met Spanish guitar builder Francisco Jiménez at the prestigious 6th International "Antonio Marín Montero" Guitar Building Competition in Granada, Spain in 2023. This is Francisco's newest guitar for GSI, and it is absolutely breathtaking.

Rather than being a strict copy, it is based on several Torres instruments, with the aesthetics (double-chain-link rosette, etc.) and woods (spruce/maple) of SE 111 from 1887. He treated the woods in a UV chamber for oxidation, then applied colored shellac to achieve a warm, vintage look.

Built Super-Light, the Torres Way

In the spirit of remaining as authentic as possible, he built the guitar super-light and with a low body resonance, which will be welcomed by all players who value the traditional sound of Torres guitars – especially those who like to play with gut or Nylgut strings (of course the guitar sounds phenomenal with regular nylon as well). Francisco also paid special attention to the shape of the neck, as well as the neck/head and neck/heel transitions, to achieve a comfortable and easy-to-play instrument.

Sound: Deep Basses and Lyrical Trebles

The guitar has a rich depth to the bottom-end and a warm, charming lyrical character to the trebles – again accomplishing very closely the style of sound of a great Torres. It is an extremely well-built instrument with a beautiful sound and look. We are very happy to be working with this fine maker, and this guitar is an absolute delight to play and listen to.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Francisco Jiménez: A Self-Taught Granada Guitar Maker

Francisco Jiménez was born in Granada, Spain in January 1997. From an early age he developed a great interest in music and crafts. At the age of 17, motivated by the desire to build a guitar for his older brother (who is a flamenco guitarist), he began his self-taught journey in guitar construction. At the same time, he began his musicology studies and graduated as a sound technician.

Influenced by Torres and the Madrid School

Throughout these years he had the opportunity to see and study some of the most important guitars of the Spanish school, which greatly influenced his style in the tradition of the great makers of the past. He cites as his biggest influences Antonio de Torres, Vicente Arias, Manuel Ramírez, Santos Hernández, Domingo Esteso, Marcelo Barbero and Francisco Simplicio.

First Prize in Granada

After several years of working at his craft, Francisco was awarded First Prize for his classical guitar (and Third Prize for his flamenco) at the prestigious sixth Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Making Competition, held in Granada, Spain in August 2023.