Alonso C. Merino was probably a contempory of Antonio Torres in Sevilla, but little is known about him. Two other guitars of his are known, one in the collection of Felix Manzanero and the other in the collection of Lorenzo Sancho, both in Spain. According to Romanillos and Winspear (2002:248), he first appears in the Sevilla's trade guides in 1895 at calle O'Donnell, 17. This is about two blocks from the calle Cerrageria where Torres had had his shop earlier. In 1897, he had moved from O'Donnell 17 down the street to no. 13. Because a year later he moved to No 18 O'Donell where he was listed until 1903, we can effectively date this guitar to 1897, as its label gives his address as "O'Donell 13 y Trajano 16." The full label reads: [No 1079 handwritten] Fabrica de Guitarras, Bandurias y Laudes, Alonso C Merino, Cuerdas Romanas y de la Vda de Granada, O'Donnell 13 y Trajano 16, Sevilla. While this maker may have been a contemporary of Torres, the guitar is not fan braced, but has below the soundhole a horizona bar, beneath which is another bar that whose angle widens as it traverse from the basses to the trebles, beneath the bridge there is a "Bouchet" type horizonal brace, and about half way between that brace and the endblock another small horizonal brace. Above the sound hole, there is a standard horizonal brace supporting the fingerboard. The rest of the construction follows standard Spanish practice-- neck with internal foot etc. Despite these differences, this guitar has a very flamenco sound--firm basses, and an intense treble--and excellent mid-range.