2025 Mario Aracama CD/CO

This 2025 Mario Aracama classical guitar pairs a Western red cedar top with dramatically figured cocobolo back and sides, built in the Alpujarra mountains near Granada, Spain, with cypress-doubled sides for power and focus.

Cocobolo with Flashes of Sapwood

This is another beautiful instrument from Mario, featuring a Western red cedar top and back and sides of cocobolo with dramatic figuring in the grain and some subtle flashes of lighter-colored sapwood. The fingerboard is ebony and the neck is cedar. Most notable on this guitar is the asymmetrical spacing of the block patterns in the purflings around the top, rosette and tie-block – a sleek, elegant design, well executed with clean craftsmanship.

Cypress-Doubled Sides, Lightweight Feel

As he has done in the past, Mario has doubled the sides with cypress (1.2 mm for this guitar) on the interior for added rigidity, increasing the power and focus of every note. Despite the doubling, the guitar has an extremely lightweight feel, which improves responsiveness and ease of play, particularly for the right hand.

Sound of Southern Spain

As beautiful as it looks, this guitar is also a pleasure to play. Its attack is immediate yet never harsh, and the sound that follows is velvety and full, with a lovely palette of colors that change with the slightest move of the right hand. Basses are deep and dark, trebles thick and rich, with great clarity between all voices – and the volume is impressive, with plenty of sound to fill any size of hall. Very comfortable for both hands. A charming, traditional guitar full of southern Spanish character.

Photos taken just after final construction

Mario Aracama: From London to Granada

Mario Aracama became captivated with the guitar at an early age and, while living in England, decided to become a luthier, attending Guildhall University in London. There he graduated in Musical Instrument Technology, specializing in traditional classical and flamenco guitars under the tutelage of David Whiteman. In 2003 he relocated to Granada, Spain, where he learned further from Antonio Marín Montero.

The Granada School and the Torres Tradition

In the following years Mario enjoyed a fruitful exchange of ideas with his friends Michael Ritchie and Jose Vigil, which has also influenced his style. True to the Granada aesthetic, Mario builds a light and vibrant instrument with lightly braced tops, based in the great Spanish tradition in the line of Torres. Every guitar built by Mario features a different, original – but very traditional and tasteful – design.

A Workshop in the Alpujarra Mountains

Today Mario lives and builds in the beautiful Alpujarra mountains near Granada. GSI is proud to be Mario's exclusive dealer in the USA.