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RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
quote:
Naturally there is some hype out there around it as a tonewood but so far it seems like decent material. It's light weight and fairly resonant. I would compare it very closely to Myrtle. I haven't strung the thing up yet but the box seems very lively. And it is kind of cool when you think about how old it is.
orson, thanks. The bindings are bloodwood. Unfortunately I don't have any other pictures, this is the best I can do
In the mighty tree video it says... 40,000 years ago, by some inexplicable act of nature.... yeah right, how about clear cutting. The tree is was cut flat, only thing left is the stump (a lot of waste but I guess nothing to the rest of what it was) and it's in the middle of land without any tree left. Finally, they could cut a tree that size 40,000 years ago? hmhm.... But man, a lot of guitars in that baby.
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to rogeliocan)
The sound quality of the recording is bordering on recognition. But what there is sounds like very flamenco, very dry, nicely "tinny" and nasal and with strong mids. I bet the pliability is great too.
Only the trebles seem poking out with separate timbre and lacking meat and shine, but that will very likely be due to the recording. - And not at last chances should be small that someone experienced like Gerardo would accept any imbalance.
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Joined: Jun. 1 2010
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to rogeliocan)
Awesome Ethan, it sounds wicked but these vids are painfully short! I'm sure you're just posting what he has sent. Let him know he's torturing his fans hahaha
Posts: 1708
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to ralexander)
Yes, it is frustrating for me, too, that the videos are so short, but that is what he sent. I would like nothing more than to hear him play for longer with good sound quality like in the first video. He mentioned that he has been busy this month harvesting grapes to make wine. In any case, I appreciate that he went out of his way to help me. What an amazing player, eh?
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He mentioned that he has been busy this month harvesting grapes to make wine.
I know people in Sonoma who do that and when the grapes are begging to be picked they do it at these ungodly hours like 3 am. Maybe later he'll send you a bottle!
Posts: 1708
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
Maybe later he'll send you a bottle!
Speaking of which: It seems to be a lot easier for people in the EU to send and sell us things in the USA than vice versa. When sending something to Spain, there is all that VAT tax and duty and brokerage fees and ID numbers and forms (you're supposed to have a lawyer!) required. I have ordered transcriptions and CDs from Spain, and golpeadors from Belgium, with no hassle or added fees. Does anyone understand this? Isn't the US government looking out for its manufacturers?
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to rogeliocan)
The USA is much more tolerant and forgiving with its customs than EU states. A large percentage of private sendings will be let through without duties. In Germany the customs won´t let slip through one € worth of goods. Each & everything of small freight will be frisked and evaluated and taxed without exception.
So much even that American friends sending gifts to Europe won´t be making a positive surprise as receivers will not only be overly charged duties for the goods, but even including the shipping costs ( which is a scorn seeing general logic and todays shipping prices ).
I don´t see the US customs sloppiness in this regard as neglection of US manufacturers, but as a favour to their citizens.
Customs duty is inherently contradicting the principle of free trade anyway. That crap should be removed to somewhat balance the raptor characteristics of global trade against labour and consumers by at least allowing for actual competition internationally without unfair obstruction through customs.
The way it is conditions are simply and all around to the disadvantage of the little people. And if you thought that large companies would be paying duties for their imports, think again.
ORIGINAL: constructordeguitarras Speaking of which: It seems to be a lot easier for people in the EU to send and sell us things in the USA than vice versa. When sending something to Spain, there is all that VAT tax and duty and brokerage fees and ID numbers and forms (you're supposed to have a lawyer!) required. I have ordered transcriptions and CDs from Spain, and golpeadors from Belgium, with no hassle or added fees. Does anyone understand this? Isn't the US government looking out for its manufacturers?
Ethan. I'm based in the UK and we have 20% VAT (which is roughly the same across Spain, France, Germany) and for example if I was to place a order for a guitar of $3300 from the States, buy the time it would come to the UK (with $200 postage, 3.2% Duty, 20% VAT) it would cost £2812 (or $4392).
I'm no expert to American taxation, but my guess for why it's easier to ship things into the States than it is for Europe, is mostly down to taxation. I've come across some amazing deals on guitars in the States which after seeing what Tax/Postage/Duty the deals seem a lot less amazing. Nonetheless, in the UK anyway it's possible to buy things from the States without VAT but they have to be less than a certain amount, I think the amount is $50 or so.
Posts: 1708
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)
I just completed this flamenco guitar made with birdseye (hard) maple back and sides and some rare figured Spanish cedar for the neck. The tone is like that of a negra, despite the color, since hard maple is a dense wood.
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I built a birds eye maple guitar many years ago. I think it was my third or fourth guitar. The sides were so hard to bend that I swore I'd never use that wood again. You must be a very patient man .
Posts: 1708
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to jshelton5040)
Thanks, Sean, Stephen, John. Yes, it was the weirdest experience bending the sides. When I was done bending them, I set them down on top of the table saw, and they crinkled up so they were pointing in every direction. I was horrified. But next morning when they had dried completely, they were fine. Not as scary as bending irreplaceable Brazillian rosewood, though.
John, I think we met once, sort of, at a flamenco party at Doran Crabble's house in Olympia, Washington, around 1993. Didn't you and your wife bring a double top guitar to show there? I was shy as usual and probably didn't talk to you but I think I tried the guitar. Wow, I must be getting older, talking about a party 20 years ago.
John, I think we met once, sort of, at a flamenco party at Doran Crabble's house in Olympia, Washington, around 1993. Didn't you and your wife bring a double top guitar to show there? I was shy as usual and probably didn't talk to you but I think I tried the guitar. Wow, I must be getting older, talking about a party 20 years ago.
You are correct although I didn't bring the guitar to show. It was my personal guitar. There was a fellow there that got on my nerves when he suggested I didn't know the difference between tangos and tientos. That's about the only thing I remember about the gathering. Doran and Terry were good friends, I was disappointed when they split up. I wish you had introduced yourself I'm sure you would have been much more interesting and fun to talk with than most of the people that were attending.
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to rogeliocan)
Andy's guitars look beautiful.
I'd be fascinated to how the Brazilian RW negra sounds when it's strung up and how it would compare to other EIR and Padauk negras Andy has built. It'd be great if Andy can post up a YT video if possible.
*** Ethan here is some info about Ancient Kauri
"The species is endemic to New Zealand, and belong to the Araucariaceae plant family. .. The logs are below the surface of what are usually farm fields and ranch lands. When a site is identified, permission is secured and expert operators of heavy equipment carefully expose and lift the logs out of the prehistoric bogs. They are immense, and raising the logs to the surface is just part of the job: moving them to a location to begin the milling process, and the milling itself, has necessitated some innovative equipment designs and plain old lumber man's ingenuity. It can be worked with normal woodworking tools, in the same ways you are used to working with other species. One notable difference: when finishing Ancient Kauri, special rewards await the woodworker who sands Ancient Kauri to 600 grit and higher. The wood grains and textures seem to come alive when polished to these levels. Radio carbon dating places the age of the Ancient Kauri trees that are being excavated from the northland of New Zealand at 50,000 years old. This is the maximum limit of radio carbon dating, it is probable that this wood is even older. Kauri is a warm wood with tonal qualities similar to Mahogany. It often exhibits spectacular "flash" under reflected light."
RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to rogeliocan)
Thanks a lot krichards. I'll post a couple more of the blanca soon. I moved shop again 6 weeks ago so everything is still relatively clean and dust-free
Tijereta and Ethan, Here's a little video I made of the guitar. When I recorded this it was brand new and it was still a little breathy and light in the fundamentals but in the last couple days it improved a lot. It has more bass than most of my guitars and the sound is strong, even and well rounded. Not too much unlike a good blanca and pretty similar to the Myrtle guitars I've made. (sorry about the out of tune string )
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