2025 Yulong Guo "Torres SE 124" SP/CY

A 2025 "Torres SE 124" classical guitar by Yulong Guo, with a spruce top and cypress back and sides – one of three versions of his model after the 1888 Torres SE 124.

In the video above, we present all three "Torres SE 124" guitars, this one among them.

Channeling Torres

Yulong based this model closely on the second-epoch Antonio de Torres of 1888, numbered 124, whose original has a spruce top and maple back and sides. Side by side, all three versions capture the feel and sound of Torres – a light build and a rich, old-world voice with the "pulsation" players love, a vibration at the core of each note that runs through the whole body.

The Cypress Version

This cypress version has a very quick, springy attack and a lovely, velvety tone, with a very low body resonance around F. It transports the player back to the old world, and the neck shape makes it a breeze to play. A very modestly priced doorway to the magic of vintage guitars.

Yulong Guo: Classical Guitar Maker in Guangzhou

Yulong Guo has been building guitars since 1983 and works in Guangzhou, in China's Guangdong province. He made his name with high-quality double-top guitars – student models as well as concert models such as the "Chamber Concert" and "Philharmonic", based on the soundboard designs of Antonius Müller.

Back to Tradition: The "Granada" Model

At the 2018 Musikmesse in Frankfurt he was able to examine an authentic Antonio de Torres guitar, and after playing a guitar by his friend Gabriele Lodi he returned to traditional building. His new "Granada" model won second prize at the 2nd Antonio Marín Montero Guitar Building Competition in Granada, Spain, in 2018 (see the results), and in 2025 he followed it with a model after the 1888 Torres SE 124.