Abel García López is one of Mexico’s most respected contemporary guitarreros (classical guitar makers), based in Paracho, a town internationally renowned for fine lutherie. He comes from a long family tradition of guitar making and began building instruments as a child; by the age of nine, he had already completed his first guitar. Over decades of work, García has earned a strong international reputation for handcrafted concert and classical guitars prized by professional musicians.

In the early 1990s, he trained in Córdoba under the renowned Spanish luthier José Romanillos, later assisting him in several workshops and deepening his mastery of traditional Spanish construction methods. Alongside his own work as a builder, García has long been committed to teaching, offering courses to train new guitar makers since the early 1990s.

Long before I knew who Abel García was, I encountered this guitar in a local music store. I was immediately taken by the character of its tone and the quality of its sound. To make sure I wouldn’t sell it, I gave it to my wife. That was twenty-seven years ago. She took lessons for a time, but as she no longer plays, she has decided to part with it.

García’s guitars are known for their rich, balanced tone and superb craftsmanship. His instruments have been owned and praised by world-class artists, including Pepe Romero, and he frequently maintains a multi-year waiting list for new commissions.

He has also received formal recognition in Mexico for his artisanal excellence, including the Premio Eréndira for traditional arts in 2016, and remains a central figure in sustaining and elevating the guitar-making tradition of Paracho.