“From it’s emergence in the 19th century the Torres has been considered to be an iconic and universal instrument.”

—Kenny Hill 

 We spoke to Kenny and asked him to share his thoughts regarding the inspiration, construction techniques and sound of his Torres model.

The Kenny Hill Torres-Curly Maple 640 was inspired by an original Torres guitar from 1856 that Kenny owns. The guitar was in his shop for a few years. The beauty of the guitar and Kenny’s love for the instrument influenced him on an emotional level to create his own Torres model.

“I had an original Torres from 1856 and it was in my shop for a couple of years… I had done extensive repairs on it… It was such a beautiful guitar that it broke my heart…”

—Kenny Hill, reflecting on the inspiration behind his Torres-Curly Maple 640

The objective was to “capture the spirit” of the 1856 model using a solid top with fan bracing, adding slightly different decorations while utilizing construction techniques that are also a little bit different. “Mixing menus” as Kenny likes to call it.

His Torres model is a little bit different than the original as Kenny’s intention was never to make a complete replica but rather “create a tribute” to the original 1856 Torres.

The body of the guitar itself is smaller than the modern classical guitar and maple has a reputation of being, as Kenny describes, “a quieter wood [maybe]… or sleeker, for sure… And, this guitar has a full concert voice which is something that has always amazed me about the design of the Torres. That, despite what seems like a fairly lucent presentation, it has a full voice and a really good output…”

To learn more about The Kenny Hill Torres-Curly Maple 640