2025 Yulong Guo "Torres SE 124" SP/MP

A 2025 "Torres SE 124" classical guitar by Yulong Guo, with a spruce top and maple back and sides – his model after the 1888 Antonio de Torres numbered SE 124, in the original's own woods.

In the videos above, Chuyuan Huang plays Villa-Lobos's Étude No. 7 on this guitar, and we present all three "Torres SE 124" guitars side by side.

After the 1888 Torres SE 124

Every luthier we know who falls under the spell of Torres ends up applying Torres ideas to their own work, almost always to thrilling results. Yulong based this model closely on SE 124, built in the second epoch, and offers it with maple back and sides like the original, as well as cypress and Indian rosewood. Having reviewed all three "flavors" side by side, we can happily report that he has channeled the feel and even the sound of Torres: lightly built, rich and old-world, with what aficionados call "pulsation" – extra vibration at the core of every note that travels through the whole body to the player.

Like an 1867 Torres

The maple version reminds us of an original 1867 Torres we recently had in our shop: even without a tornavoz it has an uncanny resemblance to that aged sound, with a very low body resonance around E/Eb. The neck is extremely comfortable, the finish is subtly tinted to suit the woods, and at a very modest price it opens the vintage world to many players. A classy instrument in every regard.

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.