Short Scale
Top: Spruce/Fan braced
Back and Sides: Rosewood
Scale: 642mm
Origin: Spain
Price: $6500

Anybody who knows the most beloved builders in Granada is well aware of Manuel Bellido who along with Antonio Marin Montero is perhaps one of the most loved luthiers in the city.

This model he calls his ‘Aurea’ model. Manuel describes it thus: “The Áurea guitar is Manuel Bellido’s final work. This instrument comes from 1982, when Manuel saw a draw of the so-called golden number, and made a guitar based on it. The project ended in 2018, working with the Department of Mathematics of the University of Granada, that created a perfect calculation of every part of the guitar, based on the Phi number, and then built ny Manuel. Assembled in Ignacio Fleta style, its scale can be 650 mm, 644 mm or 640 mm. The woods are German spruce for the top, and Indian or Brazilian rosewood for the back and sides.The Áurea is an extremely comfortable guitar and at the same time has an extraordinary volume, balance and nuances. It has powerful bass and bright highs with an extra long sustain. An ideal instrument for concerts or for those aficionados who want to have a unique musical instrument.”

This guitar is in excellent condition and Manuel’s description of it is exactly what I find in this guitar, plus being a shorter scaled 644mm it is extremely easy to play. A highly desirable guitar especially for lovers, and there are many, of the Granada school of building. The photo is of Manuel holding this exact guitar in his Granada shop.