Mexico
Mexican

Woods, metal
Early 21st century
Length: 43.5 in; Width: 18.75 in; Depth: 12 in
Chordophone – Lute – Plucked

The Mexican guitarrón (‘large Mexican guitar’) is a very large, deep-bodied six-string acoustic bass played traditionally in Mariachi groups and other Mexican ensembles.   Although similar to the guitar, it is not a derivative of that instrument, but was independently developed from the sixteenth-century Spanish bajo de uña (“fingernail[-plucked] bass”). Because its great size gives it volume, it does not require electric amplification for performances in small venues. The guitarrón is usually played by doubling notes at the octave, a practice facilitated by the standard guitarrón tuning A d g c’ e’ a.

This Luis Sevillano guitarrón has a dark V-arched cedar back, deep sides, a fretless fretboard, a tacote (Gyrocarpus jatrophifolius) top, with decorative mother of pearl (nacar) and rosewood inlay in starburst patterns around the sound hole.  There is wood marquetry of intricate limoncello wood inlay on the edges and around the sound hole.  There are six mechanical tuning pegs of silver metal, and the strings consist of the lowest three strings of metal wound over metal and the higher three strings of nylon wound over metal.    The headstock has the Luis Sevillano logo and inside is the label with date, number and signature.