New blanca (#108) video and pictures

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Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

New blanca (#108) video and pictures

Hey all,

Just finished this peach of a blanca. The rosette is inspired by an old Santos design. The sound obviously has more opening up to do but it's doing all the right things already!

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 5 2019 21:15:28

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Just edited the post to get the video to embed (re: Tom Blackshear)

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 11:58:04

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Nice. 108 guitars is good going. You must be able to build quite quickly these days?

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 13:20:29

JasonM

Posts: 2052
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Olee Andy! Love the sound of that guitar. They are getting more and more refined I feel like. And very clean playing playing too. Is this one for sale or is it a commission? Please tell me it’s a commission so I dont have to think about buying it lol. I need a new guitar. Shoot..I meant to say new car!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 14:27:29

El Burdo

Posts: 632
Joined: Sep. 8 2011

[Deleted]

Post has been moved to the Recycle Bin at Dec. 22 2022 15:48:31

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 15:25:25

Echi

Posts: 1131
Joined: Jan. 11 2013

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Just wow.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 15:47:36

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Stephen Eden)

quote:

Nice. 108 guitars is good going. You must be able to build quite quickly these days?

Thanks, Stephen. I'm still trucking along at around 12 guitars a year, maybe even slowed down slightly as I've gotten a little more finicky about details.

quote:

Olee Andy! Love the sound of that guitar. They are getting more and more refined I feel like. And very clean playing playing too. Is this one for sale or is it a commission? Please tell me it’s a commission so I dont have to think about buying it lol. I need a new guitar. Shoot..I meant to say new car!

Gracias, Jason! Not to worry, this one was a commission. How's your building going?

quote:

Lovely sounding guitar and great playing Andy.

Also...I notice that you use the familiar A fingering.

I'm sure I have seen more than just Juan Martin play the A chord with a first finger barré on E and A with the second finger on the C# but I long ago decided to ignore him. Did you play the A chord in that special way only to give up on it? Does anyone do it I wonder? For me there are no advantages.

Anyway, lovely box, looks beautiful too.

Thanks! The A chord fingering is a bad habit that I still haven't gotten around to fully retraining. The flamenco A chord still feels a little awkward to me, but it does give more freedom for the p and a fingers to add embellishments.

quote:

Just wow.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 16:39:54

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Just edited the post to get the video to embed (re: Tom Blackshear)

[/quote]

Yes, I just heard it. Sounds good and I like the Santos style rosette a lot. Needless to say you are an established luthier of the highest order.

Congratulations on your latest build.

_____________________________

Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 6 2019 19:56:11

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

Yes, I just heard it. Sounds good and I like the Santos stye rosette a lot.

Thanks, Tom! Your latest one is sounding great, by the way.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 7 2019 1:39:34

jalalkun

Posts: 276
Joined: May 3 2017
From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

beautiful, andy !! what do you charge for shipping to germany

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My name is Jalal.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 8 2019 11:38:32

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to jalalkun)

quote:

beautiful, andy !! what do you charge for shipping to germany

Thanks, Jalal! I think it would be about $100 extra.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 8 2019 12:30:57

jalalkun

Posts: 276
Joined: May 3 2017
From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

That's great. the problem with buying overseas is the horrendous customs tax they take.

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My name is Jalal.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 8 2019 13:18:53

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to jalalkun)

quote:

That's great. the problem with buying overseas is the horrendous customs tax they take.

Yes, so I hear. If it helps put your mind at ease, this particular guitar is already spoken for

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 8 2019 16:41:21

jalalkun

Posts: 276
Joined: May 3 2017
From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

it kinda doesn't, because you could make another one right?

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My name is Jalal.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 9 2019 7:37:37

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to jalalkun)

quote:

t kinda doesn't, because you could make another one right?

This is true

Unfortunately, this guitar was damaged during shipping.

It's coming back to me for repairs. One crack in top, lower bout. Hopefully I can make it invisible.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 11 2019 0:32:28

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Well we seem to have lost posts here in the great server move of of 2019!

How did the repair go?

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 22 2019 9:09:53

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Stephen, it went really well I think. I followed your advice almost exactly except I first had to clamp the crack shut, as the two sides were uneven and it wasn't responding to finger pressure at all. There is a diagonal brace right under the crack, but somehow some kind of impact was enough to do it. The brace only came unglued for a few mm on one side of the crack, and I squeezed some hot hide glue in there when I put in the cleats.
I put the guitar under string tension to clamp the crack shut, then I was able to work in glue with the tape method you outlined. Cleated with hide glue (glad it was a Spruce top so I could do the light inside trick). Finish touch-up is drying now. Thanks again for the advice! I will post a picture when it's all said and done but it should be a basically invisible repair.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 23 2019 1:28:28

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Smashing. I look forward to seeing it.

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 24 2019 9:25:23

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I said I would post a picture but there's not really much to take a picture of... it is still faintly visible where the crack was, if held at the right angle, but it's been under string tension for a few days now and everything seems to be perfectly stable.

Here's the before:

And after:

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 2 2019 18:01:35

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Wow! Good job on that Andy!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 3 2019 1:50:57

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to RobF)

Thanks! Fingers crossed for the return trip...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 4 2019 0:49:14

Ferreirolan

Posts: 3
Joined: Mar. 17 2019

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

#108 made the second journey to Montana safely, so beautifully and expertly repaired that nobody would guess it had ever been injured, and it is an utterly fantastic blanca, finest I have ever played. Amazing work by Andy.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 7 2019 15:59:44

Stefan Leon Kelly

Posts: 32
Joined: Jun. 29 2016

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

That guitar sounds brilliant!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 11 2019 1:27:45

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks for the kind words, guys!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 12 2019 0:34:22

Steve.Toscano

Posts: 6
Joined: Sep. 13 2019

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Well done Andy - both on the guitar and the crack repair.
What's the finish? FP?

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Regards,
Steve

Toscano Guitars: Fine traditional style Flamenco and Classical guitars made in Sydney Australia.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 13 2019 7:15:21

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Steve.Toscano)

Thanks, Steve! It is FP.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 14 2019 1:14:41

Ferreirolan

Posts: 3
Joined: Mar. 17 2019

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

As the person who commissioned this blanca and being a lucky amateur to be able to own such a vibrant masterpiece, I note here that half a year later, the repair remains essentially invisible and is a non-issue. This is a remarkable guitar, by a maker who does extraordinary work. It gets better by the day, comes close to playing itself (the touch is really special), and the amount of bright flamenco sound it produces never stops surprising me. It is a joy to pick up, every time.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 8 2020 4:17:07

JasonM

Posts: 2052
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

able to work in glue with the tape method you outlined

I thought I remembered Stephen outlining his glue tape method in another thread but I can’t find it. Anyone know of it? Something about using super glue and tape…

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 1 2022 18:26:25

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

It was just regular water based glue like Titebond. You run a bead over the crack, then use 2 inch masking tape greater than the length and create a seal around and over the glue. Then you can massage the glue into the crack the seal helps push the glue down into the crack and not all over the sound board. Once you are happy that the glue is well worked in, take the tape off and clean up with a wet cloth. Wait for the glue to dry and then cleat.

I only use super glue on hair line cracks in rosewood. Where the only glue that can get in the crack is the super thin glue.

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2022 9:19:38

JasonM

Posts: 2052
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: New blanca (#108) video and pictures (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Hey Stephen! Thanks for sharing your info! Titebond makes much more sense, I like the idea. Fixing a the same crack on a friends guitar, except the crack has extended to the bridge on one end, binding on the other. I may try this, but add one cleat on the middle to make sure the 2 sides are level.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2022 15:58:31