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Posts: 667
Joined: Aug. 20 2008
From: DFW Area, Texas
Guitarreros remember the first one y...
Remember the first one, how does it compare to your latest one. Did you start building because of the passion or was your intention to do it as a business?
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
I still play it just about every day... I wanted to make a guitar for a long time, and then I got lucky by meeting a guitar maker in my town who was willing to teach. (he came to me for Flamenco lessons) I will never make another guitar like that one even though I like it a lot. The top is too thick in the middle, however I also set the string height at the bridge too high so it resulted in a guitar with a lot of power and a percussive sound.
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
My father has my first one. I play it every time I visit him. Its a very nice guitar. A Palo escrito hybrid based on Julian Breams Romanillos with a light bridge and a flamenco neck angle and setup. I´ll post a video of it one day... (But its 3000km away)
Posts: 302
Joined: May 27 2005
From: Zürich, Switzerland
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
Hi RTC
I remember well the first guitar i made in 2003. The guitar wasn't a masterpiece but well playable and the tone was not bad. Meanwhile i've built seven guitars and the latest one is a beauty and it sounds really nice. Sometimes i think i can't go on building, because it takes too much time to complete one (approx 1 year for each) but then i have to start a new one regardless. It's really adictive even if in my case it isn't paying back in money. It's just for myself. It's just someting different to play your own guitars.
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
My first one has Maple backs and sides with a spruce top. I gave to the husband of one of my old art school professors. It's in Florida now.
I built it by working on a part and then going over to Eugene Clark's house to have him give it a look. He talked about what things where right or wrong and then I went and corrected it. He was amazed I kept bringing it back because he said most guys washout when they get criticized. He would compare it to what ever Spanish instrument he had in the shop at the time and talk about those guitars. Eventually I finished it and he said he thought it was profound both aurally and visually. It was really full of mistakes, but it has a good aire. He said you don't really build a perfect clean box until your third one. It took me until number 6 to get everything right.
Posts: 149
Joined: Jul. 14 2011
From: Newark, DE, USA
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
My first was a Tele, in 2001, with EMG pickups and a Fishman power-bridge . I wish I had sold that to one of the people who asked, because I don't do that anymore. I do pull it out once in a while.
The classicals started around 2005, and the last one finished this fall was so far better than anything before that I'm still stunned. Waiting for a flamenco like that - maybe the next??
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to krichards)
quote:
My first was made from 2mm birch ply.
Ditto: I decided that I was not going to spend loads on materials for no. 1. Went down to the builders yard and bought a sheet of Latvian birch ply. I was lucky in that there were two parts I could book match for back and sides. I did get a reasonable top though. Played most days, gets lots of compliments, learned loads and I'm always looking back to where I am now going, "oh yeh, I should have done that......"
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
My first was built in the mid 60's out of Red Cedar (back, sides and top), Philippine mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard, Brazilian RW overlay, bindings and bridge with ivory saddle and nut. It still plays fine. Susan took it to the Philippines several years ago and left it with her family.
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
Mid 60's. Top, back and sides sitka spruce. Neck, back bracings and bindings philippine mahogany, ipe for fingerboard, bridge and head plate. The sitka spruce came from a board that had been rejected by the local fire department for building ladders. Rejected because of too much curl in the grain .. now known as Bear Claw. I selected the board with the least amount of curl. The ipe was salvage from a rail car loading dock repair. I sold the guitar for $20 and immediately afterwards regretted that I hadn't removed my name from the label. 90% of the tools used were borrowed from my father. Ipe is really great wood for loading docks and people who need practice sharpening tools. The Irving Sloane book probably cost more than all of the materials. Leftover hard wood floor varnish was used for the finish.
RE: Guitarreros remember the first o... (in reply to RTC)
I built my first one in 03'. I'm left handed and got tired of having to special order a guitar or find one that was suitable for conversion. A spruce top blanca patterned after the Brune Barbero plans. Action and setup came out way too high as I didn't achieve the proper neck angle but at least it sounded good. Ended up being a better classical than flamenco. A good and valuable learning experience. More than anything, it taught me how to use the tools.
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. I wish I had sold that to one of the people who asked, because I don't do that anymore. I do pull it out once in a while. 
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