This guitar is one of the rarest in our guitar collection; only a few others are known to exist. José López Beltrán was born in the parish of San Sebastián, Almería, in 1846 and passed away sometime after 1909. He served as the assistant to Antonio de Torres (1817-1892). During the last few years of Torres' life, his health deteriorated significantly. His hands trembled so severely that he struggled to sign his name and required assistance with assembly work. While Juan Martinez Sirvent, a local priest, occasionally aided Torres, his needs surpassed what the priest could provide. Torres faced severe financial difficulties during this period and was deeply in debt when he passed away. Even selling all his properties couldn't fully settle his debts.

It appears that Torres took on José López Beltrán, a local carpenter, as his apprentice in exchange for assistance. The label inside this guitar reads "José López Beltrán/Único Discípulo/de/Don Antonio Torres/Teatro Apolo/Almería Anno 18[94]" (handwritten). Torres' name is inscribed on the harmonic crossbar under the bridge (you can compare it to Torres' black and white signature), suggesting that the top may have been left unfinished by Torres. Regardless of whether this was the case, the sound this guitar produces is undeniably Torres-esque.

Although constructed with Spanish cypress and fitted with pegs, its sound remains purely classical. It's evident from the top's condition that it has never been used as a flamenco guitar. THIS GUITAR IS NOW PART OF THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM IN PHOENIX, AZ