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Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
Andy Culpepper
I had a more in depth review that I've been writing but when I read it over, I realized it was just me rambling about how much I love my guitar. So instead, I'll "try" to write a short and to the point review.
First off, the concept:
Sound- I was looking for a new guitar with sweet, singing trebles that can also bite and basses that growled. I wanted something that was loud, percussive, and had great dynamic range
Playability- I needed something easier to play than my previous guitar. I wanted something stiffer for the right hand while remaining easy for the left hand.
Looks- I wanted something non-traditional and unique to me. I don't really care for traditions and had an open mind in terms of what woods to use. I also wanted Andy to get a chance to experiment and have fun. I just kind of trusted that he would know what to do.
The result:
Sound- I got exactly what I was looking for in terms of sound. And the more I play it, and the more I get used to, the sweeter it gets. Even tuning up sounds great and is such an enjoyable process. The first chord I play when I pull out the guitar inspires me for the rest of my practice session.
When I accompany dancers, I just love the way the guitar projects out and fills the room and surrounds me with the sound. The guitar can be very loud, but also sounds great when played quietly. It actually makes it easier to play. I don't ever feel like I have to "push" the guitar to get a good sound out of it.
Playability- The action is great. I think it's just your standard 3mm at the 12th fret but it feels very low. Before I got the guitar, I was looking for something that was more stiff, thinking it would be easier to play. I think I was looking in the wrong direction. What I got with this guitar is a sort of "springiness" in the right hand feel. The strings spring back to your fingers after you strike it. Its hard to describe but it feels great. The result is that the guitar feels FAST. I don't think I'm actually much faster than before I got this guitar but it FEELS that way. This paired with the sound and dynamic qualities of the guitar makes feel much more EFFORTLESS to play. I used high tension strings on my previous guitar to achieve this speedy feeling in the right hand. With Andy's guitar, I can use normal tension and get even more speed and "springiness." This is great not only for my right hand but its also nice for my left hand as vibratos are not as difficult with normal tension strings.
Looks- I decided to go with myrtle back and sides and spruce top. Andy did a red bloodwood lining, tie block design, tail stripe, and head stock detail to match the rosette. Andy went the extra mile and got me a spruce top that has some cool horizontal grain effect (I forget what its called. Something like medulla rays.) Not only is it unique but it's just absolutely awesome looking. I've never seen a guitar like it. And just by looks alone, I'm proud that this one is mine. It feels personal.
Working with Andy: Planning this guitar with Andy was really fun. He was fast to respond to emails, answered all my questions, was very enthusiastic, and was very open minded. When we were going through the process of picking out the woods, he sent pictures of a bunch of different sets with a little explanation of each type of wood. I came up with the idea to use bloodwood lining to match the rosette and he came up with the idea for the tie block detail and tailstripe. It was a great collaboration. He sent me pictures and updates along the way. I was very worried about the guitar being shipped. So worried that, at one point, I thought about actually driving to his shop in NY to pick it up. When he sent me the guitar, I was relieved to find that the guitar was packaged very well, and before I even opened up the case, I knew the guitar was going to be okay.
Overall: The guitar is really fun and inspiring to play. Once I pick it up, it's hard to put down. I've tried a few high end guitars and I have to say this one kills a lot of them. And there's just this feeling that comes with it, it's really hard to explain, but put simply, it just feels like me.
And I'm not the only person that noticed. Often, people in the audience, even people who don't have anything to do with music, ask me about the guitar complimenting its looks and sound. I've never had that before. Even dancers in class, who never noticed my guitar, are coming up to me to inspect the guitar.
The guitar is simply just amazing. I'm really, really happy I got a guitar from Andy.
I know I left something out, I can go on and on....
I've been meaning to record something but this would mean I would have to get my gear bags from the car, unpack it, and set it up. Any spare time I have, I just try to play the guitar (which is also why I haven't been able to keep up with the foro as much as I'd like to.) But for sure, something will come.
I just want to make sure my playing and the recording does justice for the guitar.
I understand perfectly about the feel of the strings you describe. On my Tsiorba they are down around 2 mm and still feel this way with medium tension and super easy to manipulate. I can play things almost impossible on other fine flamenco guitars. I think the Myrtlewood is what gives that sweetness of the trebles, yet a great bass with a growl. My hat is off to Andy for using this fine Northwest tonewood for flamenco.
I think the Myrtlewood is what gives that sweetness of the trebles, yet a great bass with a growl. My hat is off to Andy for using this fine Northwest tonewood for flamenco.
It was an experiment that worked very well I think. I'm glad I went with the myrtle.
quote:
I take it you won't be in a rush to drill holes in this one
No holes needed in this one! Actually, if I play hard enough, I can drown out the dancer's footwork. With the greater dynamics, it's easier to communicate with dancers as well. and inspire them if needed.
I'll do one recording but with two mics at the same time, a crappy one and a better one. Hopefully this will give a good idea of how the guitar sounds. It'll be hard to capture it's true sound but at least it will give a good idea.
Thanks so much for that Antonio, I'm very glad to have made you a good guitar
quote:
Some of Andy's earlier recordings were EQ'd (at least to my ear) and while I've liked what I heard from him that had a negative knock-on effect of me not trusting his recordings after that.
I've never been anything but honest about whether I added reverb, EQ or anything to my recordings. Whatever it is is a result of the recording setup, guitar, or my playing. Also I don't record in acoustically live/reverberant rooms as you can tell Anders does. I wish I had access to rooms with nice sound but I don't. One of my older videos on YT does indeed have a touch reverb added, none have EQ. Sometimes I just upload stuff that's not meant to represent my guitars 100% accurately, but I should remember to label my videos on YT that have anything done to the sound. In any case all you have to do is ask.
I'll do one recording but with two mics at the same time, a crappy one and a better one. Hopefully this will give a good idea of how the guitar sounds. It'll be hard to capture it's true sound but at least it will give a good idea.
I am looking forward to the recording.
I have liked Andy's guitars from the start, looks like the finish is first class and the sound very flamenco. I want to buy a Peg Blanca in the near future and he is on top of my list.
Although I don't own (yet) one of Andy's guitars, one of my students has one. I played it about two weeks ago and it was really difficult to put down. After about two hours, he had to practically rip it out of my hands. I was doing some accompaniment with dancers and it was so easy to play and the sound was so penetrating that it made me sound better than I really am. My current blanca is very flamenco-sounding, but pales in comparison to this guitar. I agree totally with your review. I would not hestitate to recommend his guitars to anyone. Dennis
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