2021 Mijail Kharash CD/ZR

A 2021 classical guitar by Mijail Kharash, with a cedar top and ziricote back and sides, handmade in Granada.

In the video above, Garrett Podgorski plays Tárrega's "Estudio Brillante" on this guitar.

Dramatic Ziricote

The ziricote of the back, sides and head veneer contrasts dark heartwood with lighter, yellowish sapwood. The rosette carries a second-epoch Torres chain-link motif, mirrored in inverse colors in the top purfling, and the label is an engraved wooden plaque of the Alhambra.

Warm yet Focused

The cedar top gives a very warm, lush sound that stays focused and clear, with a quick attack and plenty of power and refinement – an excellent choice for concert and recording alike.

Photos of this guitar taken during construction

Mijail Kharash: From Leningrad to Granada

Mijail Kharash was born in Leningrad in 1981 and began on the violin before falling in love with the classical guitar. After the collapse of the USSR his family moved to Israel, where he did military service and worked as a builder, cook, cabinetmaker and fisherman. In 2007 he came to Spain and learned from Carmelo González in Ronda; from 2009 he built guitars in Granada, living for six years in a cave facing the Sacromonte Abbey. He has since retired and still lives in Granada.

A Traditional Granada Maker

Advised by Félix Moya Ibarra, John Ray and Jose Vigil, he worked entirely in the traditional manner, with hand tools, rosettes of his own and French polish applied with a muñequilla, and engraved his labels on wooden plaques showing the Alhambra. In August 2019 he won second prize in the flamenco category of the 3rd Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Making Competition in Granada.