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For this guitar, Italian luthier Mario Grimaldi based the build on a 1920 Santos Hernandez from the collection of one of his close friends. He was able to evaluate and measure every aspect of the original and has been very familiar with it for years. Unlike the last "Friederich ex Presti" guitar we had from him, this one is pretty much a pure bench copy, as Mario tells us he replicated the body design, the soundboard bracing system, the headstock design, and the rosette design, so this all sounds quite thorough! Materials are aged and well selected, including a soundboard of German spruce, the body is a set of dark, very homogenous African rosewood, and the neck is Spanish cedar. The varnish is shellac, all applied by hand using the French polish method. The tuners were custom made by Alessi in the style of the machines on the 1920 Santos. So overall a very accurate replica in every way - including most importantly - sound. The Santos sound is a fan favorite amongst most anyone who has ever played an authentic Santos and Mario's guitar does a fantastic job of capturing the essentials - a mysterious "dark" depth that is heard and felt behind the brighter and crisper attack, a blend of sound that has a unique character unto itself. The responsiveness is quick and snappy, almost like a flamenco, this being due in large part to the lighter build and lightweight materials selected. And although a brand-new guitar it is out-of-the-box incredibly loose, broken-in, resonant and sounds like an old-world Spanish guitar. This is quite remarkable as most "replicas" we see capture the look but not the sound of the originals being copied. But this guitar already feels and sounds like a guitar that has been played for decades. Overall a very impressive guitar from this fascinating builder with such a varied and interesting background with experience and knowledge gained over many decades of dedicated work and research. Although a second-hand guitar, this instrument is in pristine condition with virtually no signs of prior use.
Photos of this guitar taken during construction
