Gourlay Guitars

"La Principia". That is the name I gave to my replica. It translates in English as "The Beginning". While it appears that Torres may...

I knew I needed a special case for my Torres replica, one that not only fit, but was befitting of the instrument itself. Due to it's...

The scroll headstock. The moustache bridge. Those are the two elements that really grabbed my attention. Yes, the rosette was also...

Working strictly from photographs of the outside of the 1852 Torres, I had no idea as to what it looked like inside. In fact, I became...

The back of the 1852 Torres is comprised of five sections of Brazilian rosewood separated by 1.5mm wide strips of maple that are angled...

The rosette has a central motif of a Greek key with alternating bands of Brazilian rosewood and maple and the herringbone motif on either...

As a builder of classical guitars, I had most of the materials I would need for this project - Spanish cedar, Honduras mahogany, European...

The activities I describe in these posts took place between June and September of 2018. A follow-on project to build a custom wooden...

Alberto Martinez, in his wonderful online magazine Orfeo, which is devoted to the classical guitar, published an edition in the Spring of...