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I never played a flamenca by Vicente Camacho, but the nylon string classicals I played at his shop in Madrid were X-braced.
Camacho was the disciple of Modesto Borreguero, who was one of the three great oficiales of Manuel Ramirez, along with Santos Hernandez and Domingo Esteso.
Camacho said he did not get the X-bracing from Borreguero. I assumed, without asking, that it came from Martin.
So loud guitars~ My thought was that the guys who played for Carmen Amaya needed loud double tops with carbon graphite braces-
and the guitarists of today need copies of Santos guitars, because Santos made some of the loudest guitars ever and it would save you guys from struggling with buying all those microphones.
The real answer is a time machine. -
Stephan, You've undoubtedly played more Santos guitars than I have but the ones (only 2) that I had the opportunity to play were singularly unimpressive and definitely not loud. I always assumed they were worn out. The loudest old guitar I've played was an Esteso from the 30's and in all modesty my cedar top double body would easily drown it out.
It's a shame we can't play a new Santos since it might be a revelation. In my experience guitars built since around the 50's and 60's are uniformly louder than the older ones and it most cases the craftsmanship is better as well. Of course I'm not talking about the mass produced junk.
Stephan, You've undoubtedly played more Santos guitars than I have but the ones (only 2) that I had the opportunity to play were singularly unimpressive and definitely not loud. I always assumed they were worn out. The loudest old guitar I've played was an Esteso from the 30's and in all modesty my cedar top double body would easily drown it out.
It's a shame we can't play a new Santos since it might be a revelation. In my experience guitars built since around the 50's and 60's are uniformly louder than the older ones and it most cases the craftsmanship is better as well. Of course I'm not talking about the mass produced junk.
I was just being ironic. One particular Santos' I've seen was a big gutty guitar, but I agree in general guitars are probably louder these days. But my thing, my question to my self as a maker right now, is to what end? That's why I'm studying Torres as much as possible. I'm asking the question of how did sound change between now an then and I'm building a Torres as close as I can to how he did it to find out.
I should probably use captions to say when I 'm being ironic. I need to invent an irony-o-con - maybe an emotocon shaped like an iron bar?
And someday I want to build your double top design too, I saved the pictures you so generously sent me. ( not ironic but true)
I will not continue the discussion. It brings up bad memories and its not worth that.
I didn´t mean to offend any of you and if I did so, I´m sorry.
You are a great man and this translates into great guitars. I wish that I could have done what you are doing right now; living in Spain and building guitars but I had other commitments that took me away from that life style. Be in good health.
Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a species of nightshade commonly known in British English as aubergine and also known as melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash. --wikipedia
Thanks for the eggplant, er aubergine clarification. I guess the smaller bluer ones are what they call Chinese Eggplant when you order delivery from the Hunan Palace on 98th and Broadway (with garlic sauce)
That's possible. I have a Thai friend who has a couple eggplant plants that have roundish fruit as opposed to the long, slender Japanese eggplants or the big, almost pear-shaped Black Beauties. They really are good fresh. I also like Eggplant Parmigiana, although in that dish, it's really more of a cheese delivery mechanism.
It seems that the European builders were far ahead on this style of building, knowing certain aspects of guitar tone and how to manifest certain voicing techniques to cause a vowel tone rather than just string noise.
I don't think most American builders paid much attention to the truer Spanish styles until about 40 years ago, and even with this recognition we have been slow to pick up on certain fine tuning techniques that were used by the Spaniards.
It's ironic that American steel strung builders had a certain amount of this knowledge, even before most higher quality flamenco or classical styles came into vogue in this country.
It seems that the European builders were far ahead on this style of building, knowing certain aspects of guitar tone and how to manifest certain voicing techniques to cause a vowel tone rather than just string noise.
I don't think most American builders paid much attention to the truer Spanish styles until about 40 years ago, and even with this recognition we have been slow to pick up on certain fine tuning techniques that were used by the Spaniards.
It's ironic that American steel strung builders had a certain amount of this knowledge, even before most higher quality flamenco or classical styles came into vogue in this country.
Care to divulge which American luthiers (of flamenco guitars I mean) you think have picked up on it?
Manuel paid $2,500 for the 2 day fine tuning class, last September, 2013, and he will return this Thursday, April 24, 2014 for a refresher class and business discussion about guitar models.
I'll try and let this list know what the outcome is, after the meeting.
Well folks, there ya go....for a mere $2500 you, too, can learn "The Secrets" in just two days plus a little "refresher" course if necessary. At extra cost, no doubt.
Tom should have luthiers lining up at his door ready to take advantage of such a rare opportunity.
Well folks, there ya go....for a mere $2500 you, too, can learn "The Secrets" in just two days plus a little "refresher" course if necessary. At extra cost, no doubt.
Tom should have luthiers lining up at his door ready to take advantage of such a rare opportunity.
Why have builders learn my fine tuning, it's not the only way to build guitars. But to those who feel their knowledge is not there yet, I do offer to level the playing field for the art.
How did you learn to build guitars? Was it with a teacher or perhaps by investigating guitars and picking up information from different sources to grow your craft into something to be cherished?
How did you learn to build guitars? Was it with a teacher or perhaps by investigating guitars and picking up information from different sources to grow your craft into something to be cherished?
On an upper level of art relatively short lessons can still be worth a lot.
A private lesson for an advanced person in an artform that I am familiar with may cost him from 250 € upwards per mere 45 minutes. However the detail conveyed is so ample that it will occupy you for years exercising on it.
It really is like that, without exaggeration.
And Tom´s proficiency could as well be taking an advanced person some time and practice to realize the lecture, hence those 2,5 grands providing learning material for an extensive way of learning. Whilst the outcome could be worth much more even, if it enables to manufacture guitars voiced similar distinctive to his. -
Simple logic tells me: Ridiculing the idea of a final touch is bovine laughter. It is only clear that, related know-how provided, a last individual adjustment for optimal resonating property can only be of sense.
And no, it won´t take you to have built a guitar first to reason this.
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I need to invent an irony-o-con - maybe an emotocon shaped like an iron bar? 
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