Classical Guitars: 1903 Jose Lopez Beltran

Jose Lopez Beltran - Assistant to Antonio de Torres 1887-1892

$120,000

612 mm Scale 49 mm Nut. Fine to medium to wide grain Pine Domed soundboard and Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, French polish. Rosewood Fretboard with 18 frets, refretted with nickel silver frets. 3 piece back. Multipiece sides = 7 pieces and front and back purfling. 5 finely sanded fan braces, the same shape and sanding quality of one of the Hermanos Moya guitars we have. This guitar weighs 1,054 grams = 36.742 ozs. = 2 lbs. 4 3/4 ozs. Completely Restored October 11, 2023.

Jose Lopez Beltran (1846-) worked with Antonio de Torres (1817-1892) from 1887-1892 (SE 103 - SE 155), when advanced age had gotten him to be in need of someone to help him with the assembly of the guitars. He was allowed to put: "the only disciple of Torres" on his labels (José López Beltrán / Unico Discipulo / de / Don Antonio Torres / Teatro Apolo / Almeria Año 1903.). These two families lived about 4.7 Km apart, if you look at the map below, just a 1 hour 10 minute walk, or less by Horse and Carriage. Jose lived with his wife, son and daughter at calle Apolo, 2, Almeria. Actually the Teatro Apolo is 44 Km from Torres' home.

Jose Lopez Beltran may have been a colleague and friend of the Moya Hermanos: Juan and Andres, as they lived 4 Km away from each other, an hour long walk.

Jose Lopez Beltran was selling his maestro's guitars by advertising in the Almeria newspaper "La Crónica Meridional" on Wednesday October, 2 1896. See the photo at the bottom of this listing. «Guitarras de Torres», [texto impreso, anuncio], La Crónica Meridional, Almería, 1896-10-02, año 37, n.o 11.014, 288 pág. 3.

Translation of the advertisement: "Guitars by Torres, two magnificent concert guitars are for sale, masterful works by the most notable maker that were left and constructed by the very hands of Antonio de Torres, whose deserved reputation is universally known. These can found at the Teatro de Apolo for purchase"

There is a photo of Almeria from 1908 at the end of the photos.

This guitar is now under restoration: When I felt the fan bracing inside the damaged 1903 José Lopez Beltran it had the same width and feeling as the Moya Hermanos braces, I have included a photo of the 1920 Moya Hermanos Cypress bracing to this page. My colleague, Richard Bruné says: "The fans were completely shaped and dimensioned before gluing them on the soundboard."