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I am seeking advise from forum members on acquiring a Kenny Hill Fleta flamenco guitar. Would you kindly inform me on the following:
1) What is the going price for one in VG condition? 2) What other guitar, in your opinion, comes closest in sound quality, dynamic range, clarity, coloration, and projection to the Kenny Hill Fleta?
For a long time I thought Fleta didn't make any flamencas, but I did see on the web a spruce/cypress Fleta that was advertised as a flamenca. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.
However, I'm pretty sure the Kenny Hill Fletas are all classicals.
A Fleta, is about as opposite a Flamenco guitar as you can get. Fleta used a straight neck angle, so the string height at the bridge is higher then a lot of other Classical guitars. The added string height applies more torque to the bridge, which is why I guess these Fleta copies have such heavy bracing. Not very Flamenco
Still, if one watches the videos of Manolo Sanlúcar who plays a Ramirez from what has been posted here, and a classical one from the sound and materials, one might want to move in that direction soundwise , rather than the raspy dry sound of a tradition flamenco guitar. But the Fleta is certainly far afield I would think. Aaron Greene has a '67 for the bargain price of $11,000 if you are interested. I have been mulling it over as I had a much lamented '72 Ia that I sold.
kenny hill makes very good guitars and the masters' series are pretty faithful to the originals which means the fleta model is probably a very good classical guitar but probably not a good flamenco guitar. i believe the guitars start in the $4000-$5000 range new and they hold their value quite nicely which means a very good to excellent condition guitar will probably go for a few thousand dollars--probably $3000 as the minimum. for that price you can get a very good negra. kenny hill did/does make a flamenco called the la triana.
The Ramirez was made with a different bridge and setup then the pure Classical guitar version. Manolo also had more then one Ramirez, some in shorter scales then the 664, so they were not all the same model.
It did occur to me that given his standing as a premier player he could negotiate an instrument suitable for his playing style. I don't think Ramirez makes guitars to order tho apparently Segovia's guitars were tailored to his wishes as to the wide fingerboard . He had told an interviewer his fingers had gotten fat! .. But it seems pretty clear that the sound Manolo makes has a very high priority with him.
Awww, a compliment to flamenco aeolus, we love it! lol
I have always admired Amigo and have a selection of his albums but somehow missed Manolo until just recently. I'll have to remedy that. Here is an interview with him I just found and am looking forward to reading it. http://www.flamenco-world.com/artists/sanlucar/sanlucar.htm
Thank you all for your feedback - very helpful (and also for educating a neophyte). I have been doing some reading and will probably obtain a Francisco Navarro, perhaps a negra since I also want to play folkloric Latin American music (Cueca, Chacarera, Festejo, Marinera, Cumbia, Merengue, and some Afro-Cuban) in addition to flamenco.
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