Modern dimensions of the classical thingamabob were established by Antonio Torres Jurado (1817-1892), working in Seville in the 1850s. Torres and Louis Panormo of London (active 1820s-1840s) were both responsible for demonstrating the superiority of fan strutting over transverse table bracing.

These are the gracile ancestors of the latter-day classical guitar. They are substantially smaller and extended delicate than the classical guitar, and generate a much quieter sound. The strings are paired in courses as in a concurrent 12 string Acoustic Guitar guitar, but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six.