This model is an exact reproduction of the renowned Tárrega guitar (FE 17), originally built by Antonio de Torres in 1864. Among Torres’ many designs, the FE 17 stands out as one of his smaller and more refined models, considered in its time to be among his finest and most expensive instruments, featuring an integrated tornavoz.
For Dominik Wurth, this guitar holds special significance — not only for its timeless aesthetic and remarkable craftsmanship, but also for its profound historical connection between Francisco Tárrega and Antonio de Torres. Together, their collaboration and individual genius helped shape the foundation of the modern guitar as we know it today.
This faithful reproduction is designed for historically informed performances of Spanish-Romantic repertoire, offering an exceptional richness of tone with vibrant overtones and nuanced color variations.
The tornavoz lowers the body’s air resonance, revealing the characteristic charm of the early Spanish guitar sound — with warm, rounded basses and clear, singing trebles that bring the instrument’s expressive voice to life.
Description
Dominik Wurth (2024)
“Torres FE 17 Model”
640 mm scale with 52 mm nut width
German spruce top
European maple back & sides
Brazilian cedar neck
Ebony fingerboard
Hand made purflings & rosette
Hand coloured inlays
Ebony bridge & headstock veneer
Alessi tuning machines
Hand rubbed French polish finishing
Made to size hard shell case included
Guitar is 97 cm / 38.189 inches tall
Body length is 47 cm / 18.50 inches
Upper bout is 24.8 cm / 9.76 inches
Lower bout is 33.3 cm / 13.11 inches
width is 8.9 cm / 3.50 inches
Weight is 1.3kg / 2.8lbs
Torres FE17 Replica (First Epoch, 1864)
This guitar is a faithful replica of the Antonio de Torres FE17, built during his First Epoch (1864) and famously played by Francisco Tárrega. It was Tárrega’s first Torres guitar — though certainly not his last.
Among Torres’ many body shapes, the FE17 stands out as one of the smallest. Throughout his career, Torres experimented with a wide range of dimensions, and this compact design is among his most delicate. The instrument is crafted from spruce and flamed maple, and features a tornavoz, just like the original.
The tornavoz — a metal funnel fitted inside the soundhole — was used by Torres and other luthiers of his era in an effort to create a more powerful and projecting instrument. While it does enhance projection, its main acoustic effect is to lower the air resonance of the guitar significantly, typically to around D (70–75 Hz).
For this reason, we recommend tuning the instrument slightly lower, around A = 415–425 Hz. This allows the guitar’s bass response to “breathe” naturally, producing deep, resonant basses and singing trebles. Historically, this is also accurate — during Torres’ time, the modern tuning standard of 440 Hz did not yet exist, and pitch tended to vary below that frequency.
Every decorative element of this replica has been faithfully reproduced from the original, from the rosette to the purfling. The green and blue inlays have been hand-colored to match the original hues as closely as possible, since the exact pigments used in the 19th century are no longer available.
Additional information
| Weight | 12 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 112 × 51 × 21 cm |
