Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic

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gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic

My second German Vazquez Rubio blanca is blessed with a heavenly sound gliding over the intoxicatingly wonderful scent of cypress, a display of consummate craftsmanship by a great luthier. However, disappointment lurked contemptuously, spiting such beauty with the most venomous relation between strings and fingerboard. Regrettably, my faithful repairman had passed away and after a few futile attempts by another luthier to adjust the instrument to my liking, I had decided to forfeit hope.

Then, reading an exchange between lutheirs on this forum, I realized that Estebanana –Stephen Faulk- is also in San Francisco. Propelled by an earnest instinct, I asked Tom Nunez to remove the guitar from his site and allow me another chance. My first meeting with Stephen turned into a festive foroflamenco reunion, as Jason McGuire honored me with his visit, as well.

Today, I received the GVR form Stephen. A miracle. Or the rare product of a bright intellect, curious and investigative, combined with diligently expert hands performing surgically precise adjustments. Stephen –who plays flamenco quite well- observed my playing and interrogated me at length regarding my expectations and discontent.

I had simply asked the most complex task…. to match the comfort of my Conde. Yet Stephen stunned my prayers and delivered impeccably. I played and thanked Stephen incessantly. My fingers too now “glide” as does the sound of my blanca, relentlessly un-fatigued by the equilibrium of measures and tensions which suddenly balanced. Stephen lowered the bridge, not just the saddle, and flattened the latter across, while gaining room to lower the strings at the nut, as well… and somewhere did something of magic nature.

Thank you Stephen Faulk, fantastic work beyond hope.

Now if I could only find an accountant who could work my return the way Stephen did my guitar….

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 24 2010 19:42:02

JasonMcGuire

Posts: 1141
Joined: Apr. 10 2007

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

Glad it worked out for you GJ. Stephen also has an art exhibit running at the moment over here in the east bay..... he's a true Renaissance man. Aside from building, restoring and repairing he plays well too.

_____________________________

http://www.Flamenco-Lessons.com/
http://www.CaminosFlamencos.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/Bikhiyal
http://flamenco-lessons.blogspot.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 24 2010 22:14:49

estebanana

Posts: 9372
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

Oh Gj tell them how I water boarded you to get you to tell me how you wanted the action set up.....:)

Thank you very much for your praise of my work. You're very kind, and it warms my heart to be treated like an artist. You sir are a gentleman.

_____________________________

https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 24 2010 22:30:46

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to estebanana)

quote:

Estebanana wote: Oh Gj tell them how I water boarded you to get you to tell me how you wanted the action set up.....:)

…still yawning !!

You do not understand, Stephen, I ended up taking the day off and playing this guitar the whole day long. I just could not put it down and my fingers would not get tired of testing everything I could play on this new, or resuscitated, guitar. I cannot believe you managed to adjust it exactly as I needed it, really.

Now and inevitably, I am wondering why I do not have one of your guitars… and we may need to remedy that when you return to SF.

quote:

Jason McGuire wrote: Glad it worked out for you GJ. Stephen also has an art exhibit running at the moment over here in the east bay..... he's a true Renaissance man. Aside from building, restoring and repairing he plays well too.

Thank you Jason. I agree, Stephen plays really well and knows how to husband the resources of each instrument when playing them, which suggests quite a sensitive and trained ear. I think he's learned a trick or two from you -and thank you for that, as we need luthiers with such profound understanding of this seemingly simple wooden box with strings running across it.

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 25 2010 18:58:52

Güiro

Posts: 158
Joined: Aug. 22 2008
From: Colorado

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

GJ

Glad to hear you finally got it set up the way you like!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2010 22:21:12

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to Güiro)

quote:

GJ

Glad to hear you finally got it set up the way you like!

Thank you, Guiro; if you wrote this you must appreciate the struggle for the comfortable set-up.

I envy Jason's ability to "tame" any guitar, any time, under any circumstances.

Conversely, the slightest resistance from the fretboard (particularly after my hand surgery last summer) cripples me physically and psychologically. Stephen Faulk really performed a little miracle when I had already given up. Now, galvanized as I am, I will be posting videos very soon….

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 4:58:37

Gummy

Posts: 495
Joined: Nov. 27 2005
From: North Carolina, USA

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

quote:

I will be posting videos very soon….

That's going to be great, I'd love it if more people posted more often. Think about all the recent uploads... The helpful tutorial uploads like Todd and JG recently did, the beginner challenge uploads and casual uploads like the Cante without guitar thread. This place is the best.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 5:17:57

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to Gummy)

quote:

That's going to be great, I'd love it if more people posted more often. Think about all the recent uploads... The helpful tutorial uploads like Todd and JG recently did, the beginner challenge uploads and casual uploads like the Cante without guitar thread. This place is the best.

My videos will serve you well if you need a fresh spin on Country music.... but you are already pretty good at it, cowboy

I need to phrase a satisfactory "disclaimer" to introduce my music on youtube in order to avaid the otherwise inevitable shame of a blacklisting on Fakemenco.com.

Most of what I refer to as my “flamenco serenades” do not follow any palo. While I will be justly criticized for using the sexy term in vain, my music does neither employ rumba nor any other audience-pleasing device. Spanish guitar really is classical guitar, and I would irritate a larger and rather conservative constituency. Hence the dilemma…. Flamenco or not Flamenco!!

May be “Spanish Country Music”?

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 6:03:45

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

just completely deactivate the "comment function" and the "rating function"

and choose this title : "oldschool flamenco puro, hahaha".

everyone will flip out and go wild, but no one can't do anything

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 6:19:33

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to Arash)

quote:

just completely deactivate the "comment function" and the "rating function"

and choose this title : "oldschool flamenco puro, hahaha".

everyone will flip out and go wild, but no one can't do anything

ha ha ha

Flamenco police will be banging on my door at the crack of dawn and escort me out and back to Mexico

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 6:44:56

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

quote:

I need to phrase a satisfactory "disclaimer" to introduce my music on youtube in order to avoid the otherwise inevitable shame of a blacklisting on Fakemenco.com.

I was given to understand that the only necessary prophylactic against such a baleful eventuality is the mere prefacing of each post with the protective phrase
"In my opinion..."

_____________________________

Me da igual. La música es música.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 9:08:17

JasonMcGuire

Posts: 1141
Joined: Apr. 10 2007

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

You have immunity from the Fakemenco™ list since your truckload of nickels was delivered this morning.

_____________________________

http://www.Flamenco-Lessons.com/
http://www.CaminosFlamencos.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/Bikhiyal
http://flamenco-lessons.blogspot.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 9:12:11

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to JasonMcGuire)

Those weren't nickels...

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_____________________________

Me da igual. La música es música.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 7 2010 10:10:45

el carbonero

Posts: 295
Joined: Jun. 23 2007

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

nice money ,where did you find this ?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 28 2014 10:33:16

Joan Maher

Posts: 213
Joined: Dec. 3 2013

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

Do you have any before and after pictures?

_____________________________

Gracias!

Joan Josep Maher

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2014 8:44:12

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to Joan Maher)

quote:

Do you have any before and after pictures?

_____________________________

Gracias!

No, I don't Joan, I am not keen on documenting projects.

Since posting on this thread, however, I have had any repair and adjustment performed by Peter Tsiorba [also a member here], a luthier in Portland, Oregon. A real gentleman, profoundly knowledgeable of flamenco guitars, whose skills are inversely proportional to his humble demeanor.

He has worked both on my Conde and my Vazquez Rubio, and brought them to the level of playability I incline, without compromising -as these operations may sometimes do- the lovely tone of these instruments.

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2014 14:53:12

estebanana

Posts: 9372
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

I remember working on these guitars and the hand issues Giacomo had at the time. Really he overstated my involvement in the OP from 2010. I appreciate the boost he gave my career by mentioning me on the foro.

Most of all I simply let down the saddle and nut a bit on the Rubio- as I recall I declined to work on the Conde' as I never really could see any problem I could have an effect on. The rule in repair as in medicine is: First do no harm. I've never been the repair guy that tried to up sell work that is elective.

I do remember the fun afternoons Giacomo and I had at his place. He treated me to wines and conversation in this study when I dropped off the guitars and other repair work he found for me. I usually don't pick up and deliver instruments I repair, but in his case I did make the drive several times to do so. Giacomo compensated me generously for my time.

After 2010 I took a break from repair work and did not resume until late 2012 when I was inundated with work. I had my own reasons for not wanting to do repair work and told several clients including Giacomo I was not going to do repair work any longer. After that I decided to leave the country and, put it this way, I'm not flying back and forth from Japan to CA to pickup repair work. It's a shame, could use the extra income now.

_____________________________

https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 29 2014 21:40:26

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

Marketing, Stephen.

You need to mingle with musicians over there.
- After having repaired your back first in attentive accordance to the exercises I gave you, naturally.

As unrelated as it can be to an actual state of a product, marketing is essential nonetheless.
And in view of the Japanese faible for anything western, I think to predict how things could be going if the whisper was to be going round about that American Luthier in village X.
I bet there would be little more easy in marketing terms than organising you a waiting list for at least 2 years of customers.

What about that girl, can´t she push some first connex?
What about some flyers in music stores of near by larger cities?

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2014 10:59:19

rojarosguitar

Posts: 243
Joined: Dec. 8 2010

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to Ruphus)

Always great to hear about a luthier making a player happy and it is a auspicious connection between people when that happens. Celebrate!

_____________________________

Music is a big continent with different lascapes and corners. Some of them I do visit frequently, some from time to time and some I know from hearsay only ...

A good musical instrument is one that inspires one to express as free as possible

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2014 12:15:54

el carbonero

Posts: 295
Joined: Jun. 23 2007

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

The most intersting thing this thread is the medieval coins

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2014 12:34:52

estebanana

Posts: 9372
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to Ruphus)

quote:

Marketing, Stephen.

You need to mingle with musicians over there.
- After having repaired your back first in attentive accordance to the exercises I gave you, naturally.

As unrelated as it can be to an actual state of a product, marketing is essential nonetheless.
And in view of the Japanese faible for anything western, I think to predict how things could be going if the whisper was to be going round about that American Luthier in village X.
I bet there would be little more easy in marketing terms than organising you a waiting list for at least 2 years of customers.

What about that girl, can´t she push some first connex?
What about some flyers in music stores of near by larger cities?

Ruphus

I hear you Ruphus,
One thing I'm not keen on doing is exploiting myself as a Westerner....really odd choice of words as I live farther West now that I ever have. You have to go west to get east. Ha ha.

There's even a word for white guys who do commercial work in Japan that take advantage of being "western" the word is 'Japandering'.

All in good time, we'll see how it unfolds. One thing that I'll do in the next few months is get a guitar in the Spanish guitar shop in Osaka, and then I'll go to Tokyo a get as drunk as a dead fish with some guys who are flamencos there.

I'll tell you what, nobody should worry about me cutting in on their guitar making marketing action or be jealous of what I'm doing. If a person wanted to make flamenco guitars for a living what I did moving to Japan was the stupidest, most backward, indirect, retarded thing a guy could to to promote himself and progress in this business. See Ruphus , I'm not very smart. Alert, yes, smart no.

_____________________________

https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2014 12:58:52

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Stephen Faulk’s (Estebanana) magic (in reply to gj Michelob)

Me too, quite that way.
Doing excpetional with leaving chances and opportunities unused. >sigh<

Guess your plans of depositing one example in a specialized store, as well as meeting up with flamencos to be a really good idea. ( Provided a drunken fish won´t lose face, naturally. Some mentalities like for instance the Greek appreciate fish´consumption, while in the same time have little tolerance for groggy booz mates. I strongly suppose Japanese to be of thelike custom as well.)
But I guess you be managing that with experience anyway.

Only if the appointments were to yield too little in term of biz would I again suggest "Japandering".
Maybe funny such advice coming from me who used to diss many opportunities for the sake of over the top correctness and ol´fashioned ways of integrity.
However, what the heck.

What´s Spitzweg´s poor poet really good for? And when the people and market ask for your national condition as a symbol of quality like in Japan, why not give them as required.

As long as there be no misuse through say selling lemmons for hefty pricing, but instead passionate product ...
Just my 2cents.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 30 2014 18:17:52