Manuel Bellido

Manuel Bellido was born in Granada in 1939, in the Realejo neighborhood. He began working in a carpentry workshop at the age of twelve, and shortly after, he combined his work as a cabinetmaker with making castanets for the renowned master Eduardo Ferrer. At eighteen, he started his training as a guitar maker in Ferrer’s workshop, until he was called to serve in the military.

After his return, he founded his first workshop alongside Antonio Marín. After several relocations, in 1968 they settled in the permanent workshop on Paseo de las Palmas in Granada. This space became a true school of lutherie, where not only his sons Jesús, Miguel Ángel, and Mauricio trained, but also other prominent luthiers such as his brother José López Bellido, Rafael Moreno, Juan Miguel Carmona, and many others.

Throughout his career, his guitars have carried different labels, reflecting his various stages and collaborations. In the beginning, his instruments were labeled “Vellido”; during his partnership with Antonio Marín, they appeared as “Montero-Bellido”; and from then on, under his full name or abbreviated: “Manuel López Bellido,” “Manuel L. Bellido,” or, currently, simply “Manuel Bellido.”

From a technical standpoint, Manuel is a versatile and creative luthier. He masters all construction methods and often combines them freely, which has led him to introduce improvements and tools that are now common in workshops, such as the sandpaper calibrator or the external mold. Among his contributions is the use of double backs, tops, and even sides, seeking new tonal nuances through the combination of different woods.

Throughout his career, he has built a wide variety of instruments: six, seven, and ten-string guitars, lutes, charangos, tiples, requintos, bandurrias, basses, reproductions of antique guitars, and more. He has also carried out numerous restorations.

Manuel Bellido’s guitars are known for their simple aesthetics, powerful sound, balance, richness of tonal nuances, and ease of playability. Renowned classical and flamenco guitarists have passed through his workshop and played his instruments.

Today, Manuel Bellido is considered by many as one of the foremost names in Spanish guitar making.