Hear this Double top Concert guitar

Pure poetry is what comes from the heart of this amazingly beautiful Brazilian rosewood Double top. The phrasing comes natural and each voice takes its place in the intricate workings of Torroba's Elegia. An echoing second voice that reminds the listener of the main melody... it creates an amazing stereophony. The second and third string seem to have a life of their own as the sixth string sends deep, powerful basses throughout the work. It is a real pleasure to have such a responsive instrument in a player's hands.
I used a highly figured set of Minas Gerais (Brazil) rosewood. The wood seems to be alive such is the power of its figure. I used a second Brazilian rosewood top to achieve the double top and mounted a gorgeous set of Lattice braced Italian Alpine Spruce to allow this babe to shine in all registers and with all kinds of repertoire. The bindings and detailing are made with African Padauk, and the beauty that this wood adds to the construction is hard to be put to words. Fast, smooth 640mm radiused action to make the left hand moves swift and easy. All in all this is a Jewel guitar worthy of the highest grades. 

The double top, was developed and introduced by  Master Luthier Manuel Contreras the II at the end of the 70s and reached its peak in the 80s. The word "Tapa" in Spanish translates to top in English but it refers to the back of the instrument. Therefore, Contreras doble tapa is actually a "Double back".

640mm or 650 mm?

The lattice is a concept based on the A frame of grand pianos. The back and sides are kept rigid by means of a sturdy A shaped frame and the top is thinned as much as possible to allow the top to vibrate generously. Lattice delivers a lot of volume a tremendous clarity.

Italian Alpine Spruce is the highest growing tree on the planet. It grows at or above 1,800 meters where the oxygen is rarefied. This makes the grain much tighter resulting in a strong reverberating tone wood. This is the species Stradivarius used for his legendary violins.

Radiused or flat fingerboard?
The radiused fingerboard has been around the acoustic and the electric guitar since day one. The same is true for most instruments of the Stringed family of instruments (violas, violins cellos, bass). Radiusing (image above) makes barre and left hand stopping A LOT easier. The only drawback is that you will NEVER want to play a  flat fingerboard after that. If you are having your custom guitar built, I am all pro radiusing the fingerboard.  The standard fingerboard is flat.
 

640mm radiused action

Preparing the Double top

Alpine spruce

Lattice braced top

Hear this AFRICAN BLACKWOOD Concert guitar

The construction of an African Blackwood Double top is always an amazing challenge. I know from the start that several tools will become useless after working this amazingly hard African wood and other tools will have to be sharpened several times during the 30 days that it takes to build a masterpiece of this caliber. Every effort is worth all its weight in gold because the resulting guitar is ALWAYS a memorable work of art. The deep sounding voice of the African Blackwood coupled with the marvelous tone of the centenary Redwood creates a magic aura around the instrument that translates in the most amazing voice a player can imagine. Redwoods have been around since the times of the dinosaurs. They are among the oldest species still alive and are the tallest living creatures on Earth. Some trees in Southern California have been around since the days Jesus walked amongst us... The player cannot ignore these facts and whenever he embraces the guitar he is made into a better player. Yes, the instrument and the performer work as one and one enhances the other's potential. I used every artistic means to elevate this beauty to its highest possible status using exotic woods for the marquetry, Tahiti mother of pearl for the detailing on the bridge, tie, rosette and headstock. Listen how powerful the bass is while the first string carries the great melody beautifully, offering subtle yet precious vibratos. The mid ranges are full of harmonics and overtones. The sustain created by the Brazilian rosewood double top is fantastic and the clarity of the lattice contrasts beautiful with the deep sounds generated by both the African Blackwood and the Sinker redwood. She's tremendously easy to play and the best concert cutaway  you will ever find.

The double top, was developed and introduced by  Master Luthier Manuel Contreras the II at the end of the 70s and reached its peak in the 80s. The word "Tapa" in Spanish translates to top in English but it refers to the back of the instrument. Therefore, Contreras doble tapa is actually a "Double back".

640mm or 650 mm?

The lattice is a concept based on the A frame of grand pianos. The back and sides are kept rigid by means of a sturdy A shaped frame and the top is thinned as much as possible to allow the top to vibrate generously. Lattice delivers a lot of volume a tremendous clarity.

Sinker logs, are pulled from the bottom of lakes and rivers. Sometimes, scuba divers are needed to achieve the extraction.  Most of these logs are hundreds of years old (In one of the pictures above, you can see that the tree was cut with an hatchet). Due to a series of factors (The logs were too big and heavy to be pulled out of the rivers or the logs were caught by currents and were sucked to the bottom)  these logs were trapped by the muddy buttons of these water beds and this created like a time capsule where the wood was preserved in fantastic humidity conditions that made the wood season in a slow natural way during many centuries. Some of the logs are selected for musical instruments construction. The sound that these woods produce is unique and the grain has a beautiful coloration that changes according to the type of mud present in the water bed.

Radiused or flat fingerboard?
The radiused fingerboard has been around the acoustic and the electric guitar since day one. The same is true for most instruments of the Stringed family of instruments (violas, violins cellos, bass). Radiusing (image above) makes barre and left hand stopping A LOT easier. The only drawback is that you will NEVER want to play a  flat fingerboard after that. If you are having your custom guitar built, I am all pro radiusing the fingerboard.  The standard fingerboard is flat.
 

Preparing the Double top

Mother of pearl Masterpiece

Lattice braced top

270 + years aged Sinker logs

Hear this Double top Concert guitar

Deep and intense basses with crystal clear trebles. Amazing sustain and the most subtle vibrato are my most heartfelt words to describe this wonderful Concert cutaway. Naturally the video will say a lot more because hearing an instrument usually beats the use of the most sophisticated language but still, I believe that words are as sharp as a sword. The music becomes poetry on this beauty and I am stunned at the ease of play and the amazingly fast response of the guitar to the subtlest moves of the right and left hand. I feel he body of the guitar as it sends vibrations to my chest and I become totally compenetrated in the playing.
An aged set of Minas gerais Rosewood was used to make her body and I coupled it with a beautiful Italian Alpine spruce from Val D'Aosta. The marvelous birds eye Maple bindings, rosette and innumerable detailing take her to the highest pinnacle of luthery artistry. I completed her with 2 soundports in the lower bout, an adjustable truss rod, strap holders and position markers to make her versatile in every musical style and to be used standing up or sitting comfortable. A true masterpiece of contemporary Luthery.

640mm or 650 mm?

The double top VARIATION 1, was developed and introduced by  Master Luthier Manuel Contreras the II at the end of the 70s and reached its peak in the 80s. In this Variation of the Double top, a second top (Cedar, Image below) is located halfway between the main top and the back. This top vibrates a fraction of a second after the first one creating an immense sustain and punch.

Italian Alpine Spruce is the highest growing tree on the planet. It grows at or above 1,800 meters where the oxygen is rarefied. This makes the grain much tighter resulting in a strong reverberating tone wood. This is the species Stradivarius used for his legendary violins.

Radiused or flat fingerboard?
The radiused fingerboard has been around the acoustic and the electric guitar since day one. The same is true for most instruments of the Stringed family of instruments (violas, violins cellos, bass). Radiusing (image above) makes barre and left hand stopping A LOT easier. The only drawback is that you will NEVER want to play a  flat fingerboard after that. If you are having your custom guitar built, I am all pro radiusing the fingerboard.  The standard fingerboard is flat.
 

640mm radiused action

Alpine spruce

View of the second top

Hear this " ZORRO"  Concert guitar

I have been a true Zorro fan since I was a young child watching Guy Williams on the memorable TV series. This is the guitar my childhood hero would have custom ordered. A pitch black Gabon ebony back and sides set and a tremendous sinker redwood for the top... the rustic touches would be mine to choose and I think I have done a terrific job at conveying the spirit of the timeless hero. The beauty that emanates from this queen is unmatched and the sound speaks of a master sound machine. Deep guttural basses, a superb separation of voices, clear trebles ... The Bach prelude is enhanced by this Gabon beauty. Listen how deep and human the basses sound and what a punch she offers during the performance of Romance. When I hit the high E on the 12th fret, she shivers majestically and a powerful yet subtle vibrato completes the main note. Beautiful !  The Russian rosette, and perfectly chosen marquetry melt the parts together beautifully. I used Gabon Ebony for the violin tie, the armrest and bridge and African Walnut for the bindings. Purfle is all spruce and ebony. Aged process precision tuners.   The mother of pearl The 640mm scale makes playing so much easier and this is your chance to own a unique masterpiece ! The Zorro insignia is printed on the limited edition label. 

The double top, was developed and introduced by  Master Luthier Manuel Contreras the II at the end of the 70s and reached its peak in the 80s. The word "Tapa" in Spanish translates to top in English but it refers to the back of the instrument. Therefore, Contreras doble tapa is actually a "Double back".

640mm or 650 mm?

The lattice is a concept based on the A frame of grand pianos. The back and sides are kept rigid by means of a sturdy A shaped frame and the top is thinned as much as possible to allow the top to vibrate generously. Lattice delivers a lot of volume a tremendous clarity.

Sinker logs, are pulled from the bottom of lakes and rivers. Sometimes, scuba divers are needed to achieve the extraction.  Most of these logs are hundreds of years old (In one of the pictures above, you can see that the tree was cut with an hatchet). Due to a series of factors (The logs were too big and heavy to be pulled out of the rivers or the logs were caught by currents and were sucked to the bottom)  these logs were trapped by the muddy buttons of these water beds and this created like a time capsule where the wood was preserved in fantastic humidity conditions that made the wood season in a slow natural way during many centuries. Some of the logs are selected for musical instruments construction. The sound that these woods produce is unique and the grain has a beautiful coloration that changes according to the type of mud present in the water bed.

Radiused or flat fingerboard?
The radiused fingerboard has been around the acoustic and the electric guitar since day one. The same is true for most instruments of the Stringed family of instruments (violas, violins cellos, bass). Radiusing (image above) makes barre and left hand stopping A LOT easier. The only drawback is that you will NEVER want to play a  flat fingerboard after that. If you are having your custom guitar built, I am all pro radiusing the fingerboard.  The standard fingerboard is flat.
 

Gabon Ebony "Zorro Guitar"

Gabon Ebony: Rare

Mother of pearl Masterpiece

Lattice

Sinker logs