Classical Guitars - Kent Guitar Classics

Manuel Contreras Guitarreria - Calle Mayor 80, Madrid.

• Year:

  Believed to be 1980. Unsigned.

• Body:

  Spanish cypress - very good-looking timber; straight-grained and mostly quarter-sawn. Simple purflings an rosewood bindings. All lacquer-finished.

• Front:

  European spruce - a good top with much medullary ray in the centre area, attractive geometric rosette and rosewood bridge with bone-framed tie-block cap.

• Tuners:

  Traditional rosewood peg-head

• Scale:

  66.5 cm with 19 frets on an ebony fingerboard.

• Neck Width:

  52mm at the nut with 43.5 mm string spacing.

• Weight:

  1360 grams

• Condition:

  In very good, attractive cosmetic order; much of the guitar surfaces looking like new, no doubt protected by the lacquer finish.
  The front has two string dings below the bridge; one on the E; one on the B string. The are about five short crack lines in the top surface; one each with the two string dings an three up on the upper bout edge. As far as can be seen - and on close inspection inside, these appear to be in the lacquer finish only and not in or through the wood.

• Comments:

  The name Contreras needs no introduction of course thought his is a Contreras Guitarreria instrument i.e. made in the Contreras workshop; not by the hands of Manuel Contreras himself. Nevertheless it is a perfectly good, serviceable guitar with authentic flamenco character in both sound and lightweight feel. The action is suitably low at 3mm and 2.6mm for 6th & 1st strings and give the right amount of flamenco rattle; not too much. The sound is well-balanced with depth in bass and clear punch in the treble. If you are looking for a good Spanish-made flamenco on a budget, come on down.

  Manuel Contreras - Click here to find out more about this maker

• Price:
  Sold June 2013
• AVAILABILITY
  SOLD + 44 (0) 1732 453 523 Contact via Email

  Available from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. UK time.