Paco Santiago Marin XXX Aniversario — 2004 Spruce / Brazilian Rosewood | Rodgers Tuners | Concert Classical Guitar 2004 - French Polish

Paco Santiago Marin XXX Aniversario — 2004

Spruce / Brazilian Rosewood | Rodgers Tuners | Concert Classical Guitar

History

I ordered this guitar directly from Paco Santiago Marin after spending time in Granada and hearing several of his instruments in person. At the time, I heard Eliot Fisk, Ricardo Gallén, and Marco Tamayo perform on his guitars, and I was immediately drawn to their combination of projection, color, and refinement.

I joined Paco’s waiting list, and, after roughly two years, he built and sent this guitar to me in 2004. This instrument is very similar to the ones used by Marco Tamayo (and what he used on his Giuliani Naxos recording) and Ricardo Gallén.

Qualities of This Guitar

Powerful, responsive, and beautifully balanced, this spruce concert guitar has the depth and complexity that years of playing bring. It has a wonderful blend of clarity, warmth, projection, sustain, and quick response—the kind of instrument that feels alive in your hands.

A few years ago, Eric Reid did significant setup work for me, including a refret, corrected intonation, and new saddles and a nut. The work made a substantial difference: the guitar is now effortless to play, speaks more cleanly across the register, and feels more refined overall. Since that work, I have grown even more fond of the instrument.

Cosmetically, the guitar is a well-played concert instrument rather than a museum piece. There is a superficial ding behind the first-string bridge area, light playing marks under the first string, even lighter marks above the sixth string, and some light scratches on the back of the headstock. These are cosmetic and consistent with a serious instrument that has been loved.

Overall, this is a fantastic concert guitar: it delivers powerful, colorful, balanced sound and is extremely playable after the recent professional setup work.

Details: 650mm scale, 52mm nut, 57.5mm string spacing at bridge, 42mm at nut.

Comes with a Hiscox case.

Shipping: $100 in the USA. I will pay the difference and insurance.

I included a video of me playing the guitar.