Rafael Salazar y Grajales (1842-1882) was a contemporary of Antonio Torres during their time in Sevilla. Guitar making ran in his family, with his father, Diego Salazar y Soto (1807-after 1868), and his grandfather, Manuel Salazar, both being skilled luthiers. Rafael was born while the family resided at calle Carpenteria 47, where his father's workshop was located. Sometime before 1861, they relocated a few blocks away to Cuna 30, situated near Cerrageria, where Torres also had his shop. In 1865, trade guides listed Rafael and his father as guitar makers at Cuna 30. By that time, Rafael had married Maria de la Concepcion Mara Vides, and they had two children, Antonio and Josefa. Rafael continued working alongside Diego until his father's passing in 1868. Following this, Rafael established his own shop at Alcaiceria, 29, not far from his previous location, where he continued crafting guitars until his death in 1882, attributed to pulmonary tuberculosis.

While guitars crafted by contemporaries like Manuel de Soto y Solares (1839-1906) and Manuel Gutierrez (1773-1857) have been preserved, few instruments from other makers who worked alongside Torres in Sevilla have survived. Another Rafael Salazar y Grajales guitar is known to exist in the collection of Algun Morgan and Liam Romanillos.

The influence of Torres on Rafael is immediately apparent upon opening the case of this guitar. Externally, it bears resemblance to the simpler guitars Torres produced between 1864 and 1868 in terms of size, shape, and proportions. Although it features thin fan bracing similar to Torres' design, it lacks the kite with diagonal braces at the bottom. Instead of the 5 or 7 fan braces commonly seen in Fleta guitars, this one boasts 9 fan braces. This suggests that while Rafael was well-versed in Torres' work, he had his own ideas about bracing and was not strictly replicating Torres' designs.

This guitar possesses a distinctive tonality characterized by rich harmonic content. Trebles and basses exhibit excellent balance, and each note is strong and resonant, maintaining its power even in the highest register. The choice of wood provides insight into how Rafael achieved an affordable yet excellent-sounding guitar. The top boasts meticulously book-matched straight grain spruce (Picea abies) with narrower grain in the middle and wider grain towards the edges. In contrast, the back and sides are made from unmatched pieces of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), a commonly used wood in Spain for furniture, poles, and posts due to its rapid growth.

Originally fitted with tuning pegs, the guitar underwent a transformation in 1909. Julian Gomez Ramirez, a renowned luthier from Madrid who had established a workshop in Paris, equipped the instrument with tuning machines. He held this guitar in high regard, even placing his repair label inside. Subsequently, it appears to have remained in France, undergoing restoration by Francoise and Daniel Senier de Ridder, and was featured in their book "The Spanish Guitar 1750-1950" (2019: 112-113). It was later acquired by Marten Falk, a prominent guitarist in Sweden. After hearing his performances with the guitar on YouTube in 2017, I expressed my interest in acquiring it should he decide to sell. Thankfully, this opportunity materialized, and I now cherish this guitar dearly.