Calle de la Cerragaría
Gutiérrez & Torres
Of significant historical interest is the association between Gutiérrez and the young Antonio de Torres, who some consider to be the father of the modern classical guitar and the greatest guitar luthier of all time. Both Gutiérrez and Torres worked on Calle de la Cerragería (Gutiérrez at Cerragería 36, and Torres just a few doors down at 32). There is speculation that they were good friends and that the elder luthier may have influenced the work of the younger prodigy. Their similar building styles from this period support this conclusion.
A Torres guitar from 1857 in the Yale Collection, for example, shares much in common with Gutiérrez guitars. Both makers use a three-piece back, five radial struts, and a similar bull’s horn headstock.