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RE: Castillo Blanca
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a_arnold
Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006
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 RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to daffey)
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quote:
Hey A_Arnold,
just checking to see how your guitars are coming along. I LOVE my blanca
Sorry, Daffey -- I just received my new negra. It is awesome. Can't stop playing it, so I have been out of touch. The figure in the palo escrito is extremely cool.
By the way, for those who have been following the thread on "silk" in guitar tops, I've checked all the Castillo guitars in the Tallahassee area (there are 4) and all have silk. Which means all are top-quality quartersawn spruce. He doesn't use anything but the best materials.
For those who are interested in the new bracing pattern, it started with guitar #248. I asked Salvador directly. It must be a subtle difference, bcz I can't see the dif with a mirror. Of the 4 castillos in the area, 2 are old and 2 are new bracing, and I can't see the difference, but I'm not a luthier so I don't know what subtleties to look for.
But his guitars are awesome. I had my blanca with the old bracing (Mex. cypres and spruce/pegs) side by side with a Conde medialuna, and the Castillo blew it away. No comparison. The owner of the Conde tried to convince himself that there was something special about Condes, and only he could hear it, but I could see when he played the Castillo that he was shocked at how much better it sounded. The Conde sounded flat and dead by comparison. As if it had old strings, but it didn't. Plus it was harder to play.
It was really heartbreaking to see the expression on his face when he realized he had paid 5 times the money for a label. Maybe he got one of those Chinese ones that one of the Conde family started having made. But it was several years old, supposedly before the Chinese started making them.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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Date May 23 2010 14:41:11
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a_arnold
Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006
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RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to Alonte)
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quote:
Hows the blanca with Mex Cypress? I havent played one with Mex cypress, but all the ones with Med Cypress that I have tried are great.
If you want a blanca-to-blanca comparison I can only compare my Castillo Mex. cypress (old bracing pattern, well-played in, pegs #187) with a Castillo Spanish cypress that a friend just bought (new bracing, not yet played in, machines #280), so it's not a fair comparison, but I still like my old Castillo blanca best -- of ALL my guitars -- and I have some good ones. I like it best of all guitars I've ever played, in fact. And I used to work in the musical instrument restoration lab at the Smithsonian, so I got to try quite a few.
I know, I know. Mexican cypress! Who would have thought. I bought it as a banger and it turned out to be my best guitar.
I believe Castillo charges about $1700 for the Mex Cypress and $2200 for the Spanish Cypress. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I overpaid for some of my other guitars.
It would only really be fair to compare the 2 blancas after the new one is played in. Right now I prefer the Mex. cypress. I can say that the Mex cypress guitar is lighter weight than the Spanish Cypress blanca -- that may make it more responsive. Both have silk (and so the top is good quality quartersawn spruce in both cases). The Spanish Cypress blanca might have steel reinforcement in the neck -- I asked for graphite, and my friend didn't specify. I believe #187 was the first time Castillo used graphite, but I know he still often uses steel unless asked to do otherwise. So that may make the Spanish cypress blanca heavier. The machines might contribute weight too. I also asked for cedar instead of mahogany neck for lightness. And the Spanish cypress itself may be a denser wood than the Mexican cypress.
Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Mexican cypress guitar again, knowing what I know now. But my friend's new Castillo blanca is a very nice guitar and I can hear it improving as the weeks pass. It may well surpass my blanca. Too soon to tell.
_____________________________
"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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Date May 23 2010 19:20:15
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a_arnold
Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006
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RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to M.S.A.)
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quote:
do you think it may be, that castillo guitars - blancas - sound tinny or metalic only when new, before they open up ....
my Navarro blanca estudio when I bought her sounded a bit different although I didn't dislike her anyway, but still, guitar was not sounding that way she sounds now.
Castillo ships with d'Addario EJ45c strings -- they have that composite G string that sounds so metallic, and yes, they can sound a bit tinny, even with with lower tension strings, until they open up. Mine had occasional days -- humidity changes, maybe -- when it sounded tinny. That went away after a month or 2. I now can use Savarez red card (high tension) bass and LaBella golden trebles, which are polished medium tension, and give a very lyrical sound when needed. Not at all tinny. Sabicas used that combination frequently.
I have tried Navarro estudio and concert models and was very disappointed with both. He is reputed to be one of the better makers.
It will probably be a while before the better Paracho makers become recognized for the world-class makers they are. Paracho still suffers from a long-standing reputation for making only student-grade guitars, and Spain will continue to claim prime status even while many luthiers outsource their labels to China (and Paracho). At some point, guitar buyers will begin to realize that they have overlooked some great Paracho luthiers, and prices will climb. I feel lucky to have found Castillo now when I can afford him.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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Date May 23 2010 19:42:57
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a_arnold
Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006
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RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to Alonte)
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quote:
Wow! Okay Mexican Cypress is a good option then. But did you say 1700 for a blanca? I spoke to Salvador and he quoted me waaaay more than 1700 for a MX blanca! Im hurting right now bec it might take a year for me to get to commision a guitar and who knows how much it will be.
You can write to him and order directly. That $1700 was the last quote I got from him for Mex cypress, but it is several months old. I paid $1200 in late 2006, so prices are going up. A year before that they were $800. The palo escrito negra w/ euro spruce is now $2000, and Spanish Cypress is $2200. By "now", I mean a month ago. He is changing prices to meet demand, which is going up rapidly. He makes them all himself so production is limited to about 3 a month. On the plus side, Salvador Castillo is a very honorable man to deal with, and is at the stage where he is building his reputation, so he doesn't send out anything that isn't his best. That is the perfect time to buy from a good luthier.
He doesn't speak english. I use an online translator and keep it simple.
Shipping and case is included in the price. I've bought 3 and have never had a problem. He takes 40 days to make them and they arrive within a week after that by DHL.
A little advice when buying by mail, untried, from ANY luthier you don't know: it is possible that some shops (especially large ones where sales and production are separated) might be tempted to send you a guitar that has been kicking around their sales room, perhaps tried and rejected by other buyers. To be certain you get a guitar that is made for you, you might order something specific and a little unusual so it has to be made for you. Specific things or a combination of things like a cedar neck, graphite reinforcement, pegs, maybe a specific string length. Or ask to select a rosette, etc. I once had a friend ask a luthier to put a signature inside on the wood -- not the label, that said "Made especially for . . . " etc.
I would never suggest that ANY luthier (on the foro or off it) would dump rejects on mail-order clients, but (especially if they have a separate sales staff), you might feel better about your guitar if you are confident it was made for you.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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Date May 24 2010 11:12:45
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a_arnold
Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006
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RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to M.S.A.)
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quote:
I've read really interesting remarks about 'plastic' sounding condes for horrible prices. that's deception, as someone paying those "heavy thousands" surely deserves highest quality, does he not?
Sadly, it seems to be inevitable that all the great family legacies will eventually be inherited by a descendant who decides to capitalize on the reputation and go for the quick buck rather than honor the family tradition of fine craftsmanship. It happened to Ramirez. It is happening to Conde. They are selling the label rather than the guitar, and people are buying.
Do those buyers "deserve" the highest quality if they trust the label more than their own ears?
True, deception is wrong, and very disappointing. But it shouldn't be surprising.
Common sense says: find a good, dedicated luthier who is building a lot of guitars, trying to build his reputation, trying to make a name for himself -- then listen to his guitars. Find someone who is on the way up, not someone whose father or uncle made it to the top. Doing that takes judgment. Anyone can read a label.
I'm guessing that if the guy is on his way up in the (very competitive) luthiery business, he is probably already making world class guitars and hasn't been discovered yet.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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Date May 24 2010 17:44:43
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buleria74
Posts: 135
Joined: Jan. 23 2010
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RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to a_arnold)
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quote:
Sadly, it seems to be inevitable that all the great family legacies will eventually be inherited by a descendant who decides to capitalize on the reputation and go for the quick buck rather than honor the family tradition of fine craftsmanship. It happened to Ramirez. It is happening to Conde. They are selling the label rather than the guitar, and people are buying.
Do those buyers "deserve" the highest quality if they trust the label more than their own ears?
True, deception is wrong, and very disappointing. But it shouldn't be surprising.
Common sense says: find a good, dedicated luthier who is building a lot of guitars, trying to build his reputation, trying to make a name for himself -- then listen to his guitars. Find someone who is on the way up, not someone whose father or uncle made it to the top. Doing that takes judgment. Anyone can read a label.
I'm guessing that if the guy is on his way up in the (very competitive) luthiery business, he is probably already making world class guitars and hasn't been discovered yet.
fully agree, and what a shame, what they did of Ramirez and now Conde.  .
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Flamenco no tiene mas que un escuela, transmitir o no transmitir !
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Date May 24 2010 19:25:32
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a_arnold
Posts: 558
Joined: Jul. 30 2006
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RE: Castillo Blanca (in reply to HemeolaMan)
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quote:
I have 270 something and it was made in october 2007 it does not have the new bracing pattern
So, did you specifically ask for the old bracing pattern?
I have looked, and I honestly can't tell the difference in the old/new bracing. I KNOW I have one of each -- I bought #187 before he started the new system, and I asked him specifically which guitar was the first with the new system (#248) and then ordered a negra, asking specifically for the new bracing (got #317) so I KNOW I have one of each, and the only difference I can see is that the new negra has a 1 cm wider lower bout.
I asked Salvador what the difference was, and I didn't get a clear answer -- I don't know if it was the language barrier or if he feels like it is a trade secret. Or if maybe he feels the answer would be too technical for me to appreciate. The new negra DOES have more projection, though. I don't really hear the difference while playing, but from the audience perspective, it is definitely louder. Not a huge difference, but noticeable. Maybe 10 or 15%. That's a subjective judgment without actually measuring decibels.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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Date Jun. 9 2010 6:13:44
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