This is one of the portuguese regional guitars from central Portugal. Its body has a very pronounced form of 8.

In addition to the 5 double strings, common to almost all portuguese regional guitars, it still has two additional strings.

In the sixties’, at the 1st edition of the book “Portuguese Popular Musical Instruments,” the author, Ernesto Veiga de Oliveira, referred to this as “a very rare guitar in the process of total extinction”. Fortunately, the scenario has changed and, although it is not very common to find players, it is alive and it is exploited not only for folk music  but also for those looking for new sounds.

In its different configurations of construction, these are the most popular:

Top: Linden, Spruce

Sidesand back:  Walnut

Neck:  Mahogany

Fretboard: Wenge, Rosewood, Ebony