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I am a guitar player also studying flamenco . I own many flamenco guitars from Conde hermanos Felipe v ,Pedro Maldonado, Vahe Blanca flamenco guitar .Cordoba and many more. I wanted to have this to my collection to play, study construction method and for investment. he is one of the masters after marcelo barbero .why not.
Barba is underrated, he's one of the greats. A good Barba will take on anything. They don't sound like Conde's ( thank god) so they are not as popular and sometimes harder to control, but Barba is a great master.
Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco
RE: manuel reyes guitar (in reply to el carbonero)
Whether myth or reality, or a combination of the two, and whether because of Vicente Amigo's Reyes or because of his playing it superbly,and not unlike [all that was duscussed recently with regard to] Stradivari's fiddles.... Manuel Reyes is it !!
If you can find one and can afford it, you own the pinnacle of contemporary flamenco guitar making, and a brilliant investment, no doubt about it.
So my warmest congratulations to you, Victor1, with a dash of healthy envy
When I had my chance to get one, I passed solely because that guitar raises the expectations of its owner's talent. Inevitably the audience would expect one to bring out the same sound, tone and artistry Vicente and Tomatito do. So when you ll post videos of your falsetas played on such miraculous instrument, you must expect some unjust and unreasonable criticism .... Do not "fret"... It is not you, but the guitar.... !!!
Vicinte plays a Reyes becasue he's a hometown boy, They are both from Cordoba. d Gerundinos, Barbas, good Condes, Archangels, they are just as good and sometimes better. Sometimes a Lester de Voe is better than Reyes. Most people who clamor for Reyes' usually don't know his early reputation was for finicky guitars that were temperamental. Somedays they were good other days more dull. I suspect he had humidity issues in his early shop.
There is no doubt Reyes is a master, but he is one among several in Spain. Paco does not play a Reyes, he plays Condes and sometimes a guitar by an American maker Lester de Voe. Vicente also plays de Voe's ....Owning a Reyes is like owing a good Porsche, but your garage also needs a Ferrari: Barbero, and Rolls:Santos maybe a formula one car:Gerundino etc.
.Owning a Reyes is like owing a good Porsche, but your garage also needs a Ferrari: Barbero, and Rolls:Santos maybe a formula one car:Gerundino etc.
I own a Gerundino, and I cannot imagine any other make sounding better. In particular, the trebles are stunning. I have to admit that my level of playing does not come close to doing justice to it, but what the hell, it is always there beckoning me to do better!
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
I have to admit that my level of playing does not come close to doing justice to it, but what the hell, it is always there beckoning me to do better!
I think that´s the way how to look at it, GJ. What counts is whether you can appreciate the characteristics of the instrument. And as long as it gives you a blast, as long as you embrace it in delight owning it makes sense.
If your inner ear tells you that it would be worth it, why care about any audience´s obligation.
In my opinion there be only one thing due with the ownership of ( fine ) handcrafted instruments; which would be to treat them well and preserve them for coming generations. The more outstanding the instrument the rather.
But there too much tocaor play with reyes and for me when i think reyes ,immediatly i think to antonio carrion ,who have the best flamenco sound i ever ear.(for sure his play do something)
for example in this video or in the disc the sound is totally amazing.
reyes is good. I think it's probably worth 20k plus based on market these days. Don't see the problem really. Perhaps some folks simply don't like "the market"?? too bad.
Congrats to Victor. Wish I could afford one I would grab. Best deal still is conde...hence it's popularity amongst PLAYERS...not so popular amongst talkers of course.
Gerundino I played some good ones from the 90's and 80's. But not in same calibur as Reyes sorry.
I guess we all have our "dream" guitars. much like automobiles, if you can afford one by all means. What is it worth to the buyer is the question. My teacher owns a a Devoe negra, it is a dream to play, so easy. That would be my dream guitar
Most aficionados rate a guitar only by its sound. Professionals have another point of view. Then, of course there is subjectivity.
I am no professional, but i have played and worked on a lot of guitars:
Recio, José Ramírez, Manuel Ramírez, Santos, Melero, Valeriano Bernal, Rafael Bernal, Jerónimo Pérez, Gerundino, Rodríguez, Barba, Andrés Domínguez, Carillo, Conde, Reyes, Reyes Hijo, Montero, Jerónimo Peña, De Voe, Andalucían, Alhambra, José Vilaplana, Admira, José Romero, Contreras, Bernabé, Ruck, Rafael Romero, Rafael López, Pedro de Miguel, Díaz, Bellido, Marvi, Lowden.
Talking about the best example (usually I have played several of each maker) the ones that stand out for sound and playability are Rodriguez, Barba, Gerundino and De Voe.
I have never played a Reyes that sounded as good as my Gerundino (subjective
) I have never played a Conde which sounded as good as a Reyes ( more subjective). I have never played a worse guitar for the money than Andalucían.
One day I hope to play a Barbero and an Arcángel. But we all know (I hope) that a great guitarist can make any guitar sound good: in the meantime, I am happy with my Gerundino and you are happy with your Condes. The world is in order
Wow, I'm impressed with the number of major name guitars you have had the opportunity to play and amazed you have never played an Ancangel or Barbero. I have played several Ancangel Fernandez and one Barbero. The Barbero was before I had the skill to make a real assessment, all I remember is that I was impressed and liked it but the Arcangel Fernandez guitars were mostly disappointing ranging from very poor (worn out) to just ok. Of course there must be some fantastic Arcangel Fernandez guitars out there...I just haven't seen one. The most impressive flamenco I've played by a major maker was a Paolino Bernabe. Seems odd to me that he is almost never mentioned on this forum.
Bill, I hope you bring your axe next time you're in town--I am dying to try it! I'll even take you to Rosita's next time :)
You would give it the touch it deserves, Miguel.
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Posts: 3487
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: manuel reyes guitar (in reply to jshelton5040)
A good friend had a '76 Reyes blanca that I played several times during the first years of its life. It was open, bright, had a soft pulsation and low action. I liked my '67 Ramirez 1a blanca and another friends '73 Conde media luna blanca better, but the owner much preferred the Reyes. Different strokes....
I have only played one Arcangel, the blanca I own. It's my all-time favorite flamenca. Brune said he "really liked it", so I guess it's more or less OK. I have also played only one Bernabe flamenca, a cedar/cypress one. It was quite beautifully made, and I really liked the sound and feel, though I had no familiar guitar at hand for comparison.
RE: manuel reyes guitar (in reply to jshelton5040)
quote:
ORIGINAL: jshelton5040
quote:
ORIGINAL:
The most impressive flamenco I've played by a major maker was a Paulino Bernabe. Seems odd to me that he is almost never mentioned on this forum.
The old man's guitar were very nice, and he experimented quite a bit with different designs. But I think the problem was that many of his guitars were overbearing in their sensational capacity to ring beyond the point of good composition. I knew of one fellow who played his P.B. for a singer and just about blew the singer off stage, not a good marriage for a cantaor, and the guitarist wasn't even trying.
And this was essentially the same with classical guitarists who complained that the P.B. character was so intrusive that it interfered with some of their compositions. So what are the good points?
I think the good points are that it defines itself as being a solo flamenco instrument, or as a good instrument for dancers. But unless you buy an earlier instrument of the old man, most probably you will get a factory guitar made for his shop.
It's small in kilobytes, but that doesn't matter - it's large in pixels. It's 3648 x 2736 pixels. Before you post it, resize it to something more reasonable like 640 x 480 pixels or less and it will show up nicely.
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) I have never played a Conde which sounded as good as a Reyes 
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