2021 Mijail Kharash CD/ZR

Completely hand-made in Granada, Spain by Mijail Kharash, this is a stunning instrument, using some of his more exotic materials - most notably the beautiful and dramatic ziricote for the back and sides (and head veneer) with contrasting dark "heartwood" grain patters with the lighter, more yellow-ish sapwood. The cedar top gives it a very warm, and lush sound, and yet it remains focused and clear at the same time. It is responsive with a nice, quick attack and has plenty of power and refinement of tone - a great choice for concert performance and recording alike. Set-up is superb and the attention to detail is impeccable. The detailing is beautiful with a second-epoch Torres "chain-link" motif in the inner and outer bands of the rosette that is matched in the top purfling but with inverse colorings. Instead of using paper, Mijail engraves his labels on wooden plaques with the iconic Alhambra featured in the artwork. An extremely well-priced instrument from one of Granada's up-and-coming, award-winning builders.