2026 Mario Grimaldi "1920 Santos" SP/AR

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 his "Friederich ex Presti" model we've previously 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. Of note: this guitar was displayed at the 2026 Rome Guitar Expo.

Born in Filippa di Mesoraca (Crotone), Italy in 1957, Mario Grimaldi first entered the world of classical guitar as a player in his teens, eventually apprenticing with luthier Carlo Raspagni who gave him the bug to become a professional builder. Since 1989 when he opened his own independent shop, Mario has dedicated himself to classical guitar making. His original guitars were based largely on the work of Robert Bouchet, however when Alirio Diaz commissioned a guitar from Mario in the mid-1990s, he allowed Mario to study his 1951 Hauser I which greatly affected Mario's developing style. Years later he would befriend Carlo Gallinotti, the son (and only assistant) of his father, Pietro Gallinotti who is inconic in Italian guitar making history and likely the original inventor of the cedar top! Mario became fascinated with this maker's legacy and style, and even inherited many of the tools and materials from the Gallinotti workshop which he has studied and written about extensively. Of course he credits Gallinotti also as an influence in his eclectic style. In addition to building guitars, Mario does restoration work on vintage and historical guitars, and has held conferences in various Italian conservatories on historical Italian violin making of the 20th century. He has also published the books “Pietro Gallinotti luthier of Solero” written with Mario Dell'Ara, and “Il Legno Che Sing” written with Angelo Gilardino.