Vicente Arias 1901

Vicente Arias 1901 - rare guitar from one of the greatest luthiers of all time 

Vicente Arias (1833-1914), together with Antonio de Torres, is one of the pioneers of Spanish guitar making. His work is undeniably of central importance for the development of the guitar in the 19th and 20th centuries. The sophistication of the inlay work on his guitars, the variety and modernity of their construction and their incredible sound quality make this luthier indisputably one of the most important in the history of Spanish guitars in the 19th century.

Vicente Arias was born in Ciudad Real, in the south of Madrid. Like Antonio de Torres, he started out as a cabinetmaker and was self-taught in guitar making. He probably started making guitars around 1860 and won many prestigious prizes all over the world, e.g. in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Brussels and Barcelona. Famous guitarists such as Francisco Tárrega and several of his students played his guitars.

This is an outstanding and extremely beautiful sounding guitar by Vicente Arias. Although the plantillas and bracing systems (and degree of ornamentation) Arias experimented with varied considerably from guitar to guitar, his reputation for producing a consistently beautiful sound quality is probably the reason for his enduring legacy. This guitar is a great example of that quality - it is simply exquisite in its sound quality. While each note is rich in overtones, it maintains an almost unbelievable level of separation and clarity between each note. Due to its ultra-lightweight construction, the tone production is extremely spontaneous, with a huge amount of tonal modulation and dynamics. This guitar also has tremendous power, which immediately dispels the rumor that old guitars don't have much sound!

The guitar has been restored and the shellac has been refreshed. You has a spruce top and rosewood back and sides. The scale length is 650 mm and the nut width is 50 mm.

All in all, this is an expressive and impressive instrument from one of the most dazzling luthiers in the canon of great historical luthiers of the last 150 years.

The guitar comes with an old case (not original) and a certificate of authenticity (please click on the link below).

CERTIFICADO DE AUTENTICIDAD DE UNA GUITARRA DE VICENTE ARIAS CASTELLANOS firmada

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