Ruben Diaz needs to stop.

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Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

Ruben Diaz needs to stop.

Yesterday a gentleman came into my shop to select woods and place an order for a guitar.
I had a blanca that I had just strung up and he was trying it out. He looked at it and said "so this is what you would call a female guitar?" A chill literally went down my spine.

It very much scares me that due to the proliferation of his massive number of videos, that his rampant BS about guitars and luthiery is actually becoming part of the popular nomenclature and attitudes of guitar players.

I just don't know what to do about it, except to make sure that everyone reads and studies this wonderful Foro...

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http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 13:04:00

Argaith

Posts: 481
Joined: May 6 2009
From: Iran (living in London)

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

female guitar

??????

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 13:25:39

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

does a male guitar have a tornovoz that protrudes outward?

what was the context of the "female guitar" comment?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 13:35:32

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I'm not going to post his videos or anything here but the "professor"/Andalusian guitars for quite some time was coming out with BS about female/male guitars and blending the two by making half rosewood half cypress guitars etc. etc.
He seems to have taken that crap off the website but there are videos out there.

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http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 13:48:08

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

thank you for sparing us of the good "professor's" videos--they are up there with proctology training films.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 14:25:18

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to keith)

yep ...long time since i sit down to watch some of my all time favourite proctology videos ...
is it time to make popcorn now ...? I have seen , a bit , of one of the videos in question ,,,sad thing is that underneath them in the comments bit everyone is very thankful for the excellent knowledge and deep insight of info on the subject .. and (sadly) he has more followers than any of us ...

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 14:39:14

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Well, Andy. Thats just life. I have had to hear a lot of crap about guitars also from people who had read the foroflamenco and who had nothing to do with Ruben D. The internet is full of crap and those wanting to believe something taken out of the air will believe it. Go on and sell the guitar to someone else.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 15:47:48

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Lose a sale because the guy saw a Ruben Diaz video?? I'm all for sticking to your convictions but that seems a little extreme. Edumacate the guy and take his money....

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 16:01:05

Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Maybe you should adjust the pricing (upward) based on the gender of the instrument--lol.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 16:30:03

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Leñador, we loose clients for all kinds of reasons and sometimes the best we, the builders can do is to tell a possible client to buy a guitar from someone else. To much babble is not worth it. And I repeat, its not only from Ruben D that you get flamenco guitar spam.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 16:58:06

Ricardo

Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

A chill literally went down my spine.

only just now? I realized the guy is worse than scientology when first appeared with his "barbero" guitar.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 17:30:25

sig

Posts: 296
Joined: Nov. 7 2007
From: Wisconsin

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Andy,
"Female guitar" huh? Since you did such a nice job on my #4, could you make me an "Androgynous" model? Seriously, would someone really believe a guitar is male/female because they saw a video on the interweb?? "Its the end of the world as we know it"
Sig--

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 17:49:12

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to sig)

I thought all guitars were female: "La guitarra es como una mujer, para tocarla hay que templarla."

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 18:34:56

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

Leñador, we loose clients for all kinds of reasons and sometimes the best we, the builders can do is to tell a possible client to buy a guitar from someone else. To much babble is not worth it. And I repeat, its not only from Ruben D that you get flamenco guitar spam.

I get you. In this case though it sounds like the guy just didn't know any better and was asking out of innocent ignorance.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 18:35:07

El Kiko

Posts: 2697
Joined: Jun. 7 2010
From: The South Ireland

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Leñador)

I think that if youi have a few guitars of different gender , you shouldn't leave them together ...or pretty soon .. a whole family ...
and teenage guitars are just the worst ....

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 19:12:31

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Lololol!!!

Maybe we could institute some sort of program to have the guitars spayed & neutered before they are adopted? Would they lose a lil umph on the low end??

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 19:23:53

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Since he was there to place an order it doesn't sound like a horrible experience or that he was hopelessly corrupted by a steady stream of BS. It just sounds like someone who heard a line and doesn't have the experience to know whether or not its legitimate.

Diaz is trying to live up to the PT Barnum first rule of applied economics- There's one born every minute.

I think it's pretty comical actually. He is using 19th century shyster techniques in the 21st century. He needs a mustache to curl and a painted wagon with gold lettering in flowery script with great accolades and promises of super human feats of something or other. More power to him if he pulls it off, doesn't bother me either way. A comical villain is my favorite type.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 20:21:23

prd1

Posts: 206
Joined: Jul. 11 2007

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Leñador)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lenador
I get you. In this case though it sounds like the guy just didn't know any better and was asking out of innocent ignorance.

I'm not so sure that this was innocent - but I doubt you have lost a sale, if someone comes into your shop loaded with tasty quotes I'd say he's probably got no intention of buying your guitar.

As undesirable as it may seem - I could understand if he said he preferred another maker's guitar - or if he just didn't like your guitar - it's an large sum of cash for most of us and he needs to be happy with his purchase - but to quote rather abstract reasons to undermine you is rather strange.

We are all different but I would prefer a female's shape if her hips were not rather larger than her breasts - a long neck may be attractive in some societies and I'm sure we all like a little head? Maybe not the way to pick a guitar...as for a female sound, I'm getting shouted at by the wife to build some shelves - I'm lost.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 20:40:12

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to prd1)

I wish I had a really female guitar as I play with it all the time

Anyway, there's too many idiots in the world... I often have to deal with them myself when selling stuff online... I would never sell my guitar (built or just used by me) to an idiot

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 20:56:43

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to aarongreen)

I didn't lose a sale, the guitar he was trying wasn't for sale and he did place an order for a new one.

I've never been a fan of the professor but this was the first time I've ever had someone in real life say something like that to me, so it was a bit jarring.

It's totally not my clients fault at all, it's just an indication of how ubiquitous that Andelusional crap has become.

quote:

I think it's pretty comical actually. He is using 19th century shyster techniques in the 21st century. He needs a mustache to curl and a painted wagon with gold lettering in flowery script with great accolades and promises of super human feats of something or other. More power to him if he pulls it off, doesn't bother me either way. A comical villain is my favorite type.

That is hilarious, and it's a good way of looking at it.

If guitars have a gender, I wonder if they also have a sexual orientation. If all blancas are female, I've played some that were definitely lesbians

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http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 21:08:22

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

maybe this guy should hawk the professor's male guitars

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 21:58:03

tijeretamiel

Posts: 441
Joined: Jan. 6 2012

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deteresa1

If guitars have a gender, I wonder if they also have a sexual orientation. If all blancas are female, I've played some that were definitely lesbians

What about other instruments?

Bongo drums would definitely be male, which means the cajón would be too. A bongo would have a name of something like Nigel Keith Johnson, while a cajón would be called Abdul or Raul.

If a blanca flamenco is a female, I imagine a classical guitar is a male - therefore a flamenco negra is transgender, a crossover guitar is a transvestite guitar (ie difficult to convince that it's not just a dude in a dress).

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 22:01:04

pink

Posts: 570
Joined: Jan. 8 2013

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

ORIGINAL: deteresa1

........I just don't know what to do about it.......

Do what you do best.....make him a wonderful new Andy Culpepper guitar and let that fantastic instrument work its magic on his being.....he will cease quoting the dark side and become the complete guitarist he is entitled to be!!

Best

pink

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 22:17:48

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

When people come into your place and start doing that just ignore and begin talking about reality.

Your job is to find out where the persons knowledge begins and ends, suss them out with questions while you ask them what they want in a guitar. Then begin there with the things they do know that are real.

The guitar world is and always will be rife with superstitions, mythologies and old husbands tales. You have to parse out the few real things the buyer knows and build a relationship starting from that point. Eventually the buyer or repair customer will come to see you understand much more than the superstitions and false beliefs and trust you for information. Then you have done your job.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 24 2014 23:54:45

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Keith
Hilarious. Not going to ask though where you found it.

Stephan
That is a most erudite and concise assessment of our job as luthiers. Something in the water over there? Or is it the sake? Either way I'll have what your having.

A

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 25 2014 1:56:04

Lorenzo714

Posts: 76
Joined: Oct. 8 2013

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I just can't stand it I feel like stirring the pot;

And no I don't own one of these guitars.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 25 2014 2:57:33

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1675
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I agree. He really is a loon.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 25 2014 4:01:17

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Ruben Diaz needs to stop. (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

I didn't lose a sale, the guitar he was trying wasn't for sale and he did place an order for a new one.

I've never been a fan of the professor but this was the first time I've ever had someone in real life say something like that to me, so it was a bit jarring.

It's totally not my clients fault at all, it's just an indication of how ubiquitous that Andelusional crap has become.

You could say that now you´ve lost your virginity.... And put such an emphasis in Andalou guitars and Ruben. He and his guitars are not that important. There are others out there as annoying as him. They just present their ways more politely, but that doesnt make them nicer. At least with Ruben, you know what you get. I was never involved in any of the R. Diaz discussions and that was because I didn´t care about him and I prefer to keep it that way.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 25 2014 8:20:51