Fabulous Guitar maker

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Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

Fabulous Guitar maker

I am attaching this link because I want to broadcast Stephen Hill to you.
He made a negra for me in 2001 and it's grown into a fantastic, powerful growling flamenco machine gun.
This is recorded straight into the camcorder with no tampering. Bags of energy, bright, crisp, earthy and powerful.
I have a few top guitars and I pulled this one out recently after a few months in her case. I changed the strings and Pow!

(You might have to cut and paste)

Stephens web sit is www.spanishguitars.co.uk
Steve now lives and makes guitars in Spain.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 19:48:27

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Sounds great! Will I sound as good as you if I get one of them that Hills? Great playing, Jim!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 20:31:36

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Hi Jim,
Loved the clip!
I liked most when it broke into Tangos!
Very nice playing!
It sounds a great and powerful guitar, and what I noticed most was how it responded to different techniques.Gentle, Rippling, Aggressive etc..
So at the end of the day, all a great Luthier can provide is an instrument which has a large pallette of tone colours.
So the overall sound still is in the hands of the player if you see what I mean.
A cheap guitar is useless and will make you lose interest in what you are trying to achieve IMO.
Very good guitars are not that expensive, considering the price of many other things going in folk's lives.
In fact, very reasonable indeed.
It's just folk's priorities really...

cheers

Ron

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But it takes a woman to break your heart

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 20:32:43

koella

Posts: 2194
Joined: Sep. 10 2005
From: holland

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

The guitar sounds great Jim ! And nice playing !

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 20:39:34

Escribano

Posts: 6417
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Coincidentally, I just spent the day filming Stephen today on the coast. A warm 75 degress and the chicas were out, so life is sweet.

I'll post the short video when I have edited it later this week.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 20:41:14

itoprover

Posts: 346
Joined: Jan. 3 2006

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Very nice, this guitar sounds wonderful and you play very clean! BTW, which camcoder do you use?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 20:44:41

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Escribano)

quote:

Coincidentally, I just spent the day filming Stephen today on the coast. A warm 75 degress and the chicas were out, so life is sweet.

Send Steve my regards.

Looking forward to seeing the film.

Jim.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 21:34:21

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to itoprover)

quote:

which camcoder do you use?

Sony Handycam DCR-HC18E PAL
If that makes sense? Standard Sony ECM-MS907mic.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 21:38:28

itoprover

Posts: 346
Joined: Jan. 3 2006

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jim Opfer
Sony Handycam DCR-HC18E PAL
If that makes sense? Standard Sony ECM-MS907mic.

Thanks Jim,
Makes sense for me because I am looking for a camcoder with decent video/audio quality.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 22 2006 23:46:58

Escribano

Posts: 6417
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to itoprover)

quote:

I am looking for a camcorder with decent video/audio quality.

Then 3 CCDs and an external mic. input - a Rode VideoMic (condensor with its own power) has a very good rep. for the price.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 23 2006 0:25:38

Posts: 524
Joined: Jun. 15 2006

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Excellent Jim,

I think the guitar sounds very good and you play very clean. excellent!

I felt like the action of the strings was very low. What is the action at 12th fret and the bridge? Have you measured? Just curious.

While you're at it, I would love to hear your 87 Reyes' sound

Thanks,

TK

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 23 2006 16:59:10

Doitsujin

Posts: 5078
Joined: Apr. 10 2005

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

quote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-2ss4q0ca4
(You might have to cut and paste)

I love it! Very nice played! Woow!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 23 2006 17:54:35

Guest

[Deleted] (in reply to Jim Opfer)

[Deleted by Admins]

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 23 2006 18:21:36

bernd

Posts: 680
Joined: Feb. 15 2004

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Jim, great job :-)

I miss some guitar pictures on his website

Saludos
Bernd

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 23 2006 19:57:14

Ricardo

Posts: 14881
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Very nice playing and the guitar sounds great. I think when I first got into flamenco, a friend of the family was a classical guitarist and brought over his authentic flamenco guitar. That was the first REAL flamenco guitar I ever played on. I spent a few hours with it. It was a Stephen Hill negra not unlike yours, though I am sure it was probably lower end model. Since I had no experience at the time, all I can say for sure was that it was really responding to rasgueados and thumb work unlike the classical guitar I had been learning on. He was willing to sell but at the time I was still saving money.

Thanks for the vid!

Ricardo

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 24 2006 5:32:33

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Great piece Jim and what a bright resonating negra. Very nice.

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www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 24 2006 13:43:09

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

Tom,
that picture is CLASSIC!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 24 2006 16:10:24

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Guest)

quote:

and yeah lets hear that Reyes

I'm away this weekend but I'll try to post something up soon.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 25 2006 18:33:55

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

I think when I first got into flamenco

Ricardo, the way you play

that must have been some time ago.
Stephen Hill has really only been making for about 10 years or so here in the UK and recently in Spain having moved there last year.
Could it have been another maker?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 25 2006 18:38:22

Jim Opfer

Posts: 1876
Joined: Jul. 19 2003
From: Glasgow, Scotland.

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Guest)

quote:

Is this a tabbed piece or from a CD

Sorry! no tab, I find it really hard to get things from paper, I've got to work hard at it and it doesn't go in for some reason

I heard something similar years ago played by Philip John Lee, the 'Indian bit', and it stuck. I used an improvised version on that video to open Tangos.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 25 2006 18:44:41

Ricardo

Posts: 14881
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

quote:

Ricardo, the way you play that must have been some time ago.
Stephen Hill has really only been making for about 10 years or so here in the UK and recently in Spain having moved there last year.
Could it have been another maker?

It was about 10 years ago.
OH shoots, maybe it was Kenny Hill????? Man the memory is going already.

Maybe he should change his name to stephen hill CONTRERAS, or stephen hill RODRIGUEZ to avoid confusion.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 25 2006 19:48:57

sonikete

Posts: 735
Joined: Jan. 9 2004
From: Sweden

RE: Fabulous Guitar maker (in reply to Jim Opfer)

The guitar sounds really great, but it doesnt play itself, it needs someone to squeeze it out of it too, and you do that beautifully.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 25 2006 20:02:25

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