John Ray　[ジョン・レイ] model Torres No.152T

Product Description

Neck:Cedro
Fingerboard:Ebony
Finish(Top):Shellac
Finish(Back & Sides):Shellac
Tuning Machines:SLOANE
String Height(1st):2.8mm
String Height(6th):3.7mm

Maker

John Ray was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and is now based in Granada, Spain, where he has established himself as one of the city's most respected contemporary guitar makers. His work is characterized by a sincere commitment to traditional Spanish construction methods and a deep respect for the great masters of the past. At the same time, Ray is known for his scholarly curiosity and constant pursuit of historical accuracy, qualities that have earned him an important place among today's Granada luthiers.

After arriving in Spain in 1989, Ray supported himself as an English teacher while visiting Granada's guitar makers one by one in search of an apprenticeship. Although he was unable to secure one—he notes that Granada has long maintained an unwritten tradition of training mainly family members—he received valuable encouragement and advice from respected makers including Jonathan Hinves, German Perez Barranco, Rafael Moreno, and Antonio Marin Montero.

In 1990 he attended a workshop led by Jose Angel Chacon in Malaga and continued studying in Chacon's workshop for the following two years. Returning to Granada, he settled there permanently after his marriage in 1996 and devoted himself to guitar making. A turning point came in 1999, when he developed a close relationship with the German luthier Rolf Eichinger (1944–2009), whose workshop stood next to his own. Under Eichinger's guidance, Ray refined every aspect of his craft, from construction techniques to tonewood selection, laying the foundation for his mature career.

Ray's guitars draw inspiration from legendary Spanish makers such as Antonio de Torres, Santos Hernandez, and Marcelo Barbero, while incorporating the distinctive tonal character of the Granada school. His exceptional eye for selecting tonewoods, combined with faithful craftsmanship and understated elegance, has made his instruments highly regarded by players and collectors alike.

In 2006 he published the photographic book El Arte de la Guitarra, documenting his building process. The following year, at the Antonio de Torres exhibition in Cordoba, he presented a meticulous replica of the 1892 Antonio de Torres SE153, owned by guitarist Carles Trepat. That model remains one of his signature instruments today.

Instrument

This is a 2012 John Ray Torres Model 152T in used condition. It is an outstanding example of Ray's honest and historically informed approach to guitar making, faithfully recreating the celebrated Antonio de Torres SE153 (1892) owned by Spanish guitarist Carles Trepat.

The guitar features beautifully flamed maple back and sides, an elaborate mother-of-pearl rosette incorporating checkerboard, herringbone, and concentric-circle motifs, the distinctive Torres-style bridge decoration, original body outline, authentic fan bracing, and a traditional French polish finish. Every effort has been made to reproduce the original instrument as faithfully as possible.

Beyond its visual authenticity, Ray placed particular emphasis on recreating the tonal character of the original. The guitar produces an immediate, crisp attack with a dry, woody voice that vividly recalls the sound of a late nineteenth-century Spanish guitar. Rather than emphasizing deep bass, the tonal balance allows the trebles to project clearly and naturally, another hallmark of historic Torres instruments. The flamed maple body further contributes a refined, lightly textured tonal quality with excellent clarity and focus, enhancing the instrument's elegant, old-world character.

The internal construction closely follows the original SE153. The soundboard features one harmonic bar above the soundhole, an additional parallel brace, one lower harmonic bar, reinforcing patches on both sides of the soundhole, seven symmetrical fan braces, and two V-shaped closing bars. The main body resonance is tuned slightly above G#. The guitar weighs 1.26 kg; according to John Ray, the original SE153 weighs approximately 1.225 kg.

The instrument has been well played and shows honest signs of use throughout. The soundboard displays playing wear, particularly around the fingerboard extension and soundhole. The maple back and sides exhibit light scratches and rubbing from normal performance use, though these remain relatively unobtrusive due to the light-colored wood. Minor fingernail marks are also present on the back of the neck but do not affect playability.

There are no cracks, structural repairs, or modifications, and the guitar retains its original French polish finish with no refinishing. The neck has a slight forward relief, while the action remains comfortably set at 2.8 mm (1st string) and 3.7 mm (6th string) at the 12th fret, with approximately 0.5–1.5 mm of saddle remaining, providing excellent playability.