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I'm finally going to try a Torres copy - I should probably say Torres inspired since I'm not going to go for a replica. I think I have all the plans that are out there, though I could be wrong, plus the book "A Collection of Fine Spanish Guitars" and the book "La Chitarra Di Liuteria" and of course the Torres biography by Jose Romanillos all provide a wealth of detail regarding the construction of Torres guitars. There are many Torres copies out there, but still how does one pick? FE 17, SE 109, SE 117? There are numerous youtubes with people playing Torres instruments and Torres copies. Any advice or shared experience would be greatly appreciated.

I make these with Jeffery Elliot's drawing of SE 114 as a starting point. Since I don't have to sell for a living I like to put a cutaway in making the upper frets easier to reach.

It doesn't look much like a Torres I know! However the lower bout is very close in dimensions to the SE114 and the bracing is very close.

I have made 3 of them and each got better as I was willing to thin the braces down. They really are small - 2.5 m as I recall. So don't be afraid to follow the drawing. There is no sign of significant warping after a year or two.

Good Luck Dave

Sorry about the poor photo of the top.

Robert,
Welcome. You have a good stash of info to start with. Aside from some Hausers, there is arguably more information about the Torres SE114 than other guitars, which is part of why I decided on SE114. Also, if you can find a copy, American Lutherie has an article by Jeff Elliott on his majaor restoration of that guitar.

For my first classical, the Elliott plan for the SE114 was recommended by people who knew more than me. It was a success, such that on first showing it around locally, in a few days two college teachers wanted their own. My first few were as close to the plan as I could make them, especially the way the top thickness was graduated. I'm glad to have picked SE114, since it's easily recognisable, versatile, and favored for traditional Spanish pieces (my favorites), something like how Oms are recognised and versatile on the steel string side. They are selling well.

If you're interested, I documented some of my SE114 builds on my web site for my customers. Good luck, and have fun!

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I have wood for a classical with mahogany b&S. I wondered if he made any of mahogany. I found a Very Fancy one!
https://www.flamenco-guitar.net/museum/ ... -guitar-1/

That would be a bit of a challenge. More bling than I expected.

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Why be normal?

Mahogany is unusual for a classical guitar but I have a Contreras mahogany guitar that sounds great. I'd use mahogany except it would be harder to sell.

Sounds to me like you got a lot of information to complete one. I have all those books myself.

That one is not an authentic Torres. The same guitar was later attributed to the Barcelona makers and sold by GSI.

But Torres did make some mahogany guitars.

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Instagram: @jfrenchluthier