Every great Classical guitar has a story. Here we have an instrument modelled after a 1976 Miguel Rodriguez, Jr. Classical by Texas’ own Tom Blackshear, with a set of Brazilian Rosewood which was handpicked by Todd Taggart in 1997 (former president of Luthiers Mercantile International, or LMI) for his own use. Cherished and played for the past 19 years, this Blackshear Classical represents its Rodriguez heritage with a comprehensive and complex voice, and a silk-smooth setup. Taggart had an impressive eye: the Brazilian is chocolate-dark and gives the voice its complex and cavernous low-end, and the Spruce is perfectly opened up for rich, vigorous projection.

This is the sort of guitar which practically plays itself: the sustain feels endless, with haunting rich overtones in the upper register, thanks to Taggart’s Brazilian Rosewood and Blackshear’s flawless craftsmanship. Recognized as one of the contemporary masters of the Rodriguez school of Classical building, Blackshear went to great lengths to make this guitar worthy of the name.