The Viola Braguesa is one of several Portuguese regional guitars that have resisted change, keeping their original structure practically unaltered. It has 5 courses of double strings: the first 3 tuned in unison and the rest in octaves. The fingerboard is flat and flush with the top, which makes strumming (the “rasgado”) easier.
It is almost always present in folk ensembles in northern Portugal and, although mainly used for folk music, we have noticed growing interest in using it for classical music, with very interesting results.
The most common build configurations are:
| Top | Basswood, Spruce |
| Back and sides | Walnut, Rosewood |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fingerboard | Panga Panga, Rosewood, Ebony |
| Tuning mechanism | Wooden pegs, machine heads, Portuguese fan tuners |
Every instrument is set up in our workshop for its player. Get in touch or visit us at Rua de Santana, 37, Porto.