Jose Lopez Bellido Classical guitar 1972 - Brazilian Rosewood

José López Bellido – 1972 Flamenco Guitar

Brazilian Rosewood | Granada School | Concert & Collector Grade

Presented here is a superlative 1972 flamenco guitar by José López Bellido, one of the most respected and influential master luthiers of the Granada school. Instruments from Bellido’s workshop are revered for their structural intelligence, tonal authority, and unmistakable Andalusian character, and are held in the highest regard by professional players and serious collectors worldwide.

Historical & Luthier Provenance

José López Bellido began his formal training in the early 1960s under Antonio Marín and his brother Manuel Bellido, with additional influence from Eduardo Ferrer. After completing his apprenticeship, he established his own workshop on the historic Cuesta de Gomérez in Granada, a location synonymous with elite Spanish guitar making. His guitars have been performed on the world’s most important stages by leading flamenco and classical artists.

This 1971 instrument comes from a highly desirable and mature period of Bellido’s output, when his guitars achieved a rare synthesis of explosive flamenco power and refined tonal sophistication.

Technical Specifications

Builder: José López Bellido

• Year: 1972
• Origin: Granada, Spain
• Type: Traditional Flamenco Guitar
• Top: Cedar, highly responsive and acoustically mature
• Back & Sides: Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)
• Scale Length: 660 mm
• Nut Width: 52 mm
• Construction: Traditional Spanish heel
• Bracing: Granada-style fan bracing, optimized for projection and immediacy
• Finish: Thin traditional lacquer, acoustically transparent
• Brazilian Rosewood Significance
• The use of Brazilian Rosewood is of exceptional importance. This species is now strictly protected and no longer legally available for new instrument construction, making guitars built with it increasingly rare and historically significant. Brazilian Rosewood contributes to extraordinary depth, sustain, and harmonic complexity, and is a defining feature of the world’s most coveted Spanish guitars.

Tonal Architecture & Performance Characteristics

This guitar possesses an explosive, authoritative voice with remarkable dynamic range and clarity. The basses are deep, fast, and powerful; the midrange is open and vocal; and the trebles are focused, singing, and exceptionally clear. Despite its power, the instrument maintains excellent overtone control, preserving articulation even under aggressive flamenco technique.

Key tonal characteristics include:

A very strong and immediate fundamental

• Exceptional projection with no compression
• Controlled harmonic content, enhancing clarity and definition
• A natural, woody timbre enriched by the complexity of Brazilian Rosewood
• Having personally played and evaluated classical and flamenco guitars in the $50,000 range, I can state with complete confidence that many of those instruments do not equal the tonal impact, balance, or expressive capability of this guitar. Its responsiveness is extraordinary, translating the most subtle right-hand variations into vivid musical expression. In the hands of the player, it feels alive, reactive, and deeply communicative.
• From the lowest registers to the highest positions, the sound remains coherent, powerful, and emotionally compelling. The overall voice is refined yet visceral—a rare combination of raw flamenco energy and aristocratic tonal elegance.
  
• Condition, Rarity & Investment Value
• The guitar is in collector-grade condition, structurally excellent and carefully preserved. Examples from this period by José López Bellido—especially those constructed with Brazilian Rosewood—are exceedingly scarce and continue to appreciate as availability diminishes.
  
  At its current offering, this instrument represents an exceptional acquisition opportunity, whether for:

Professional concert use

• A cornerstone piece in a serious collection
• Long-term investment in historically important Spanish guitars

This is a rare chance to acquire a world-class, concert-ready Bellido that stands comfortably alongside—and in many cases above—guitars valued many multiples higher.