2022 Mario Aracama SP/AR

This is a beautiful instrument from Mario Aracama featuring lovely materials - an aged European spruce top, perfectly quatersawn with plenty of visible cross-grain silk. The back & sides are a dramatic set of African rosewood with beautiful, swirling grain patterns. It has 5 fan struts with a bar underneath the bridge saddle. Sides are lined internally with cypress, similar to the great Madrid-concert guitars first flagshipped by Jose Ramirez in the 1960s. This double-sided system helps focus the vibrating parts of the guitar mostly to the soundboard, producing improved volume and projection, as well as a warmer sound emanating from the box. As we've said many times, every Aracama guitar has a different and unique aesthetic - Mario enjoys designing rosettes and purfling to complement the visual qualities of the timbers selected for top, back and sides, so that the entire guitar has a unified wholeness unto itself. This guitar is a pleasure to play. It has a friendly responsiveness to it - an immediate but not harsh attack, and a velvety, full quality of sound. It has a lovely palette of timbral colors with the slightest changes in right hand position. Basses are deep, trebles are firm and clear. Playability is very comfortable for both hands. Overall a great guitar for the player seeking a charming, traditional instrument full of Spanish character.

Photos taken during construction.