Great sounding guitar, very light and resonant. Slim and comfortable neck. Manuel Contreras (I) was a revolutionary Spanish luthier (1928-1994) who started his Madrid workshop in 1962 after apprenticing with José Ramírez III, gaining fame for innovating beyond traditional Madrid school designs with his iconic "Double Top" (Doble Tapa) and "Sounding Back Support," enhancing volume and tonal response, innovations continued by his son, Manuel Contreras II (Pablo). His son, Manuel Contreras II took the baton from his father in 1994. Since then, aside from continuing the family traditions, the luthier has reinvented some models and created others, such as the 10th anniversary model, winner of the International Guitar Contest dedicated to the master Joaquín Rodrigo. Since 2011, the business has been run by María Contreras. Both the 1st and 2nd class guitars as well as the professional Flamenco ones are handmade using carefully selected materials. Already considered a brand, pieces by Manuel Contreras, senior and junior, have been and still are distributed all over the world, especially in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Japan and South Africa, and they have received several awards and accolades.