Up for sale is truly the finest sounding and playing Requinto I have ever encountered, and I have owned dozens and played hundreds. This was built in 1991 by Edgar Vila at his shop in Naples, Florida. I do not know much about Vila, except that he started out building classical and requinto guitars, but now builds mostly steel-string and harp guitars. He is very highly regarded in his field.For a 26-year-old instrument that has seen a lot of playing, this thing is in remarkably good condition. I rate its condition as “Very Good +” to “Excellent”. There is a small spot of finish wear on the back of the neck, just behind the 1st fret, where the thumb rests in first position. There are also a number of rather typical fingernail dents in the top, behind the bridge. these comes from hitting the top with a fingernail, while changing strings. Many people out a small piece of clear stick-on pickguard material just behind the bridge to protect from this kind of thing. There are also spots of finish wear on the top where the fingers of the right hand were resting on the top, and a few little finish scratches from nails. Some of these have been repaired, some have not. There are also a couple of small finish scratches and dings on the back and sides. All are superficial in nature.As you can tell from the photos, this is not only a fantastic musical instrument, but it is also a true work of art. It is not fancy, but it is luscious, truly luscious.As with most fine classical guitars, the neck is made from Spanish Cedar. The fingerboard is African Ebony. The back and sides are Indian Rosewood. The Indian Rosewood is straight-grained and quarter-sawn. The top is Western Red Cedar, one of my all-time favorite top woods, due to its sweet and “punchy” response. The headstock has a two-layer top overlay of Maple and Indian Rosewood. This provides remarkable strength and resistance to breaking. The nut and saddle are bone.The finish is remarkably thin, which is part of what gives this instrument its complex sound. In my opinion, way too many archtop guitars are weighed down with thick, heavy finishes, which dampen the wood’s ability to resonate properly. When I got it, I had the following work performed:1.  New bone nut made and installed2. New compensated bone saddle made and installed6. Frets pulled, fingerboard leveled, and new tall frets put in7. Full fret leveling and crowning using Plek machine. Mind you, a Plek machine is only as good as the person operating it, and Mike Lull and his crew are the best.If you are not familiar with the Plek machine and what it does, click to go to their site.For more on Mike Lull, who does all my fret-work and setups, click .All these things made this guitar not only play much, much better, they also made it SOUND dramatically better, and it sounded darn good to begin with. It now plays like a dream with effortless low action and nice, tall frets. Still, you can play it rather hard without any buzzing at all. I think that many of what people refer to as “dead spots” on a neck are due to improperly-seated frets. Those issues, which plague so many guitars, are completely absent on this instrument.Overall length is 33 1/2”. The body is 13" at the lower bout, 8 7/8” at the waist, and 9 1/2” at the upper bout. It is 4 1/8” deep at the end block. The scale length is 21 1/2", neck width at the nut is a comfortable 2”. Action at the 12th fret is an easy 4/32" on the lowest string and 3/32” on the highest string. The neck is straight as can be with less than 1/64" relief. There are no high frets, buzzes, dips or twists. The instrument is in absolutely perfect playing condition.To hear a sound clip I recorded of this guitar, click . I used two microphones set about 18” apart, in front of the instrument. There are no effects. To get the best possible idea of the instrument’s sound and “presence”, I recommend listening with headphones or very good speakers. The recording was done at my desk, and does not do justice to the instrument, but it gives you an idea of the ballpark we are talking about.Another remarkable thing about this instrument is that it comes with a custom-made Calton flight case. I have never seen a Calton for a Requinto before. It looks like they took their standard classical sized case and, straight out of the mold, cut a few inches off the neck, and re-glassed it inside and out, then completed the interior. It fits like a glove, and protects is so well that I have happily checked it as luggage with no ill effects whatsoever. A standard Calton is around $1000, so I would guess that this case was a few hundred more.Because of the use of Indian Rosewood on this guitar, I can only ship it to a US address, no export. Sorry!The instrument comes with a 48-hour approval period. If, within the 48-hour period, you decide that the instrument is not for you, simply return it to me in the same condition as I sent it out, with full insurance, and I will refund your purchase price, minus shipping to you. Buyer pays return shipping.TERMS, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Buyer pays selling price plus shipping and insurance. I typically ship with USPS or FedEx, though other arrangements can be made at the buyer's request. No fee is charged for packing or handling. I will gladly ship anywhere in the world, but beware, international shipping charges can be steep, and the buyer is responsible for all duties, taxes, VAT, brokerage and storage fees on their end. Check my feedback. I'm 100% for real. Please contact me with any questions.