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I was wondering whether anyone has experience with or any knowledge of the guitars of Felix Manzanero...the blancas in particular. The search function has come up with some info...not a lot but mostly positive. What I've found out so far is that he seems to have a good reputation for his flamenco builds...I believe he's recently retired. I have the opportunity of purchasing a 1999 blanca and so just doing some background..haven't tried the guitar yet...which I suppose is the best test of it's worth....it's a little pricey but maybe it will be worth it.
I played two of them quite a bit. One was cedar top blanca with machines, the other a spruce top blanca with pegs. Both had a fantastic flamenco tone and punch. Neither guitar was very loud but both had a focus and balance that I prefer to volume. The only thing I didn't like was the neck design so much. Basically I prefer a wider fingerboard, these necks were kind of skinny and tapered too much for my taste, but I know some players prefer that set up.
Ok thanks for that Ricardo. I'm seeing the guitar tomorrow and feel a bit more confident from your remarks...although I hope the fingerboard width isn't an issue...
More than 1 year passed already from the last answer to this 3D. Can someone add a little more about the guitars of Felix? How would you compare them to guitars like the Ramirez or Conde? I find a little strange the most of them are sold to Japan...
Signed guitars with the FM traditional headstock are as near to hand made as you could expect in the modern world but not necessarily solely crafted by the man himself – his son Ivan worked with him for many years.
FM apprenticed with Jose Ramirez III in the 50s and was there for about 10 years before setting up his own shop so if you are searching for influence this is something to consider. FM made many of his own experiments in construction.
I have played a couple of FM blancas from the 1970s – both excellent – nothing like Ramirez or Conde.
FM retired in 2010 and the shop closed for a while. I understand that his son Ivan decided to reopen it and there is a website which looks as if it didn’t change and doesn’t give me a feeling of a thriving business. The old FM collection of antique and vintage guitars is up for sale.
As for Japan, I remember feeling cheated when the great flamenco(and classical) guitar maker Arcángel Fernández agreed in 1963 to commit his entire output to Japan. But luthiers need to eat . If Ivan has a deal I hope he does well out of it.
Update: Since I had put the question I could try a couple of good ones and eventually bought one (obviously I liked it). You can detect who is the maker from an internal label as both Felix and Ivan number their guitars effectively. Ivan started making and numbering his guitars in 1979 but up to now he shouldn't have made too many of them while Felix more than 1000. If your guitar has a high number it means it was made by Felix. Btw Ivan is a very good maker and uses the same materials and the same plan. The Manzanero guitars have their own clear identity, somehow half way between a good Conde and an Arcangel if this means something. The note is thick and sparkling like in a Conde but with less emphasis in the midrange; good sustain and transient of the note not too explosive. As Ricardo said, the settings at the neck are a little peculiar (tall frets, high action at the first fret and regular at the 12, round and shallow neck etc). If someone is interested I can share some pictures. Anyway, great maker IMHO.
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