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Cutaway blanca
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Ruphus
Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010
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 RE: Cutaway blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
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Thank you for the link, Andy, and sorry for delay; I hadn´t noticed the new post at first.
Even though the recording being better, I still preferred the sound of the guitar in the "Uma Vals e Dois Amores" take.
Which is not to say that the one in the GSI clip was sounding lesser than great to me.
Seeing that yours was recorded under somewhat similar GSI conditions it made me curious to compare the track of yours with some classicals recording of contemporary makers there, which had impressed me before.
Namely from Fritz Ober, Tobias Berg, Sebastian Stenzel, Pepe Romero and of a Gentleman whose name escaped on me. So, I checked out whether it might have been John Ray.
Berg and Stenzel, so I thought, to be not most suitable comparison as I remembered theirs as of the very pristine / bell-like Hauserish builds. But checked the examples anyway, for matter of pure sonics.
(Need to say however, that the clips of their guitars that I found today seemed not of same clarity that I think to have heard before on GSI. -Then again, who knows, you know how peevish the hearing can be.)
Anyway, to be honest: I expected yours in A/B to be howsoever slightly lagging behind instruments of these guys. At least in terms of presence, if that makes any sense. You know, like when you switch from an appealing track to another to then find that the second was even more refined sounding.
But surprise, surprise, amigo. You seem absolutely on to something, as I have become even more convinced of from today.
The Berg and Stenzel in comparison, to my taste were too much cleared off from partials, which to my ears translates like a bit sterile or lack of personality.
The Romero was more defined on the low E string than yours, but unexpectedly not surpassing in terms of lushness.
The John Ray could possibly have lurked me away live, as it features a nice crispness (which I am a sucker for) while not lagging behind with depth.
The only example that I preferred over yours, even though it being a bit less romantical, however huge in personality, dynamics and voicing was the Fritz Ober. But that is an incredible animal in all regards.
I should had also checked out a Matthias Dammann (if they have it on the list), but it was getting a bit time consuming then.
Who knows how things would had appeared with the guitars in hands. For, I noticed that some were stringed with too low tension, which may feature dynamics but gives away on attack and crispness. Or whatever; all I know is that such slacking stuff is not my personal thing altogether, not even on classicals.
Further, some takes appeared as if too close miked (like the Ray), which makes things larger than life and gives less of holistic idea of the instrument.
The fact that yours appears more than competitive to such builds, which besides cost several times as much, is really something.
I expect you to be one of the young up and coming top contemporaries. 'Still coming' in respect of PR / name recognition, I mean, not in terms of skills; though you can only be getting better still I suppose.
I am very impressed once more and take my hat off, muchacho. Bravo! :O)
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 19 2018 11:07:28
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ArrizzaMusic_11763
Posts: 13
Joined: Feb. 23 2024
From: Medford, NY
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RE: Cutaway blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
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Hey Andy! I just found this on here lol....just signed on to the foro 
Thanks for posting my beauty..."la greca". I've had this beautiful guitar for close to 6 years now, and it truly has surpassed my highest expectations. From the superb construction to the aesthetics and sound it produces, it is my dream guitar!
Andy and I worked on this project for several months up to a year before. I had always wanted a custom-built flamenco guitar ever since I fell in love with a Pedro Maldonado guitar I saw back in 2004. I knew I could never afford something like that at that price range. When I discovered Andy in 2017, through a mutual friend of mine, I was impressed by his #01 blanca. I was so happy that it was within my budget so I pulled the trigger and ordered my first guitar. Andy and I picked out the woods, I meticulously went over the design ideas I had. I wanted to have the guitar kind of like a hybrid between his #01 and my Cordoba GK Pro...at once "muy flamenco" and punchy with plenty of responsiveness. I also wanted it to reflect my proud Spanish-Sicilian-Greek Mediterranean heritage, hence the famous Greek "meandros" design for the rosette. He also made the Gerundino-style headstock as I had always loved that design. Lastly, I wanted the cutaway style to be very similar to my GK Pro which was a challenge for Andy, as most cutaways simply go to the 12th fret and kind of "juts out". With mine, I wanted it to start at the 13th-14th fret and have a more contoured heel cap, which to me is much more effective and elegant. Andy blew me away when I saw the finished results, he nailed it!!
I was so impressed by his work and attention to detail. I was very emotional and incredibly pleased. This was my first custom-built flamenco blanca. For years, I had wanted one. My first guitar was a cheap Montana classical I had beaten up...i had played it hard, and never thiught i would be able to afford one like this, up until this moment.
From my heart to yours Andy, thank you!
"Un capolavoro...grazzi assai pi lu travagghju toi maistruzzu!! - ευχαριστώ πολύ για αυτή την καταπληκτική εργασια!" - don't worry, I didn't say anything bad, lol
_____________________________
Arrizza - Latin/New Age/World music
www.arrizzamusic.com
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Feb. 23 2024 11:09:49
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