This guitar from Milestones of Music was designed by Wolfgang Jellinghaus who was born in 1951 in Dortmund, Germany. His father, Walter Jellinghaus, was a luthier who made guitars and zither -guitars, so when he began making guitars under his father's guidance.  In 1978, Wolfgang opened Musik Jellinghaus GmbH, that sold musical instruments, and sheet music. In 1983, he created Martinez Guitars, and designed their first line of guitars. Fast forward, in 2003, Wolfgang, partners with Kenny Hill, and Alex Wang and together they set up the Martinez guitar factory in China. In 2013, Wolfgang sold Musik Jellinghaus GmbH, and set up in China, Milestones of Music, a small boutique traditional workshop that specializes in making a high level line of custom guitars that captures the essence of maker's like Lacote, Torres, Hauser, Ramirez among others whose guitars set milestones in the history of the guitar, but also seeks to offer innovative designs meant to establish new milestones. The shop is set up very much like the José Ramirez shop was during the early 1960s. It employees nine people: five luthiers, one assistant doing rough work, and two French polishers, and an administrator. Wolfgang designs guitars, oversees production, buys and selects woods, and not least helps market them.

This guitar is his tribute to F.E. 17 by Antonio Torres (1817-1892), considered to be the father of the modern guitar. The original was made in 1864, and was the maker's personal instrument, until he was persuaded by Francisco Tarrega to sell it to him in 1869. Emilio Pujol considered it the best instrument he ever heard. This tribute instrument has an antiqued French polish finish to suggest the age of the original. I picked this guitar up at the NAMM show, and bought it instantly, impressed by how much of the Torres sound the maker has captured.