RE: "Luthiers share your creations" thread

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Andy Culpepper

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

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

Gracias RTC! Extra points if you can spot the compás fail in my video (besides the libre part of course) :)

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 21 2015 22:36:08

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1676
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Very pretty guitar, Andy. Elegant use of the inlay on tie block, head, and tail. Sounds good, too.

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Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 21 2015 23:43:57

Andy Culpepper

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

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks, Ethan! The inlay motif was inspired by ocean waves.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 25 2015 0:50:48

mounirben

Posts: 43
Joined: Sep. 12 2013

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

My 7th guitar finished, I used a new design for the inlay (both for portal sound & headplate), I used also pau ferro fingerboard

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 19 2015 12:10:03

mounirben

Posts: 43
Joined: Sep. 12 2013

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Some MP3 recoreded files :

http://www.foroflamenco.com/attachment.asp?m=285835

Sorry for the playing mistakes, i'm still a beginner in playing and building.

Thanks

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 19 2015 12:34:12

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Hadn´t you mentioned it I would had thought the fretboard to be of ebony. Very dark.
Also dark seems the timbre of the guitar, which to my ears comes across nicely for trebles, but the basses might be a bit slow / dampened. I could be mistaking though.

The intonation seems off, and I suspect the tilted saddle.

Nice carving!

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 19 2015 12:50:58

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1676
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to mounirben)

Yes, very nice carving! Beautiful head on this guitar, which sounds wonderful. Nice work all around. I am very impressed with the flawless-looking joining of the sound-port cover to the side.

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Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 19 2015 15:35:51

mounirben

Posts: 43
Joined: Sep. 12 2013

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thank You Ethan & Ruphus for your encouragements,

It means a lot coming from you guys, and you're right Ruphus I used a tilted pre-made bridge that I will never use again.

As I am in the process of learning, I took Anders advice and I started building and learning, until now I made 7 guitars and I've learned a lot of things, but I think I still need your help guys and your advice in order to understand better this art.

Is there any others suggestions or recommendations guys for me in order to use it in my next build (I think it will be negra - Walnut) ?

By the way, I want to thank all you guys for sharing your knowledge on this forum especially Anders, Ethan, Ruphus, Andy, Stephen...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 19 2015 16:24:02

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1676
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I just completed this blanca, with a variation on a rosette I did a few months ago. The tie block has mother of pearl in the center, as do the ends of the Peghed tuners--which have ebony handles this time.

More pictures at http://edluthier.com/currently-on-hand.html

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_____________________________

Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2015 0:25:42

Andy Culpepper

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

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Great work all around.
mounirben, I'm very impressed by the headstock and soundport design. On the headstock is that a separate piece glued into a round relief area, dremel, CNC or what?

Ethan, the MOP on the tie block looks really classy. I saw something similar on a Bellido blanca a few years ago.

Here are a few photos of a 2a blanca that I was building on spec, but it is currently on hold. I've got a couple of classical guitars in the works so no more flamencos for a little while. But if anyone is interested, please contact me because it would be great to have another flamenco to look forward to.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 3 2016 23:23:30

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

Ethan,

I'm not going to say you copied me but that great minds run in the same direction :-)

Note the tie block design

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 4 2016 3:01:31

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1676
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

So I see (for the first time).

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Ethan Deutsch
www.edluthier.com
www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
www.youtube.com/marioamayaflamenco
I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 4 2016 3:47:50

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I have seen a fair few people use that tie block design. It looks great so why not!

Splendid looking guitars by all.

Nothing to show from me though. I very rarely get to build a flamenco guitar these days. Very few retailers here stock hand made Flamenco guitars and seems as I build mainly for shops they just don't come up very often.

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 4 2016 12:41:56

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Stephen Eden)

That is the truth all around the US as flamencos are mainly of the inexpensive variety.

I've stopped building the guitars unless I receive a special order.

Right now I'm concentrating on the Miguel Rodriguez style and hope to reap a living from it.

Manuel Adalid plans to come see me sometime this Spring and talk over some business

for making a few parts for me. His flamenco guitars are top of the line and quite impressive.

I'm sure it will be a good meeting for all.

Hopefully my friend from Puerto Rico and his family will be coming with him.

One thing I appreciate about Manuel is that he digs for buried treasure concerning how to improve the voice of his instruments.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 4 2016 13:58:26

mounirben

Posts: 43
Joined: Sep. 12 2013

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks Andy,

Actually it's a separate piece glued into a round relief area, this piece was cutted alone with CNC

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 4 2016 14:38:59

Andy Culpepper

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

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks for the answer mounirben. Also glad if I helped you out at all along the way.
Here's a clip of the above blanca. Phone decided to quit on me so I lost the video.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 5 2016 0:06:15

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Sounds like it's the same all over Tom. I noticed as my prices rose the orders for flamenco guitars dropped off. It appears that even my inexpensive 'Student model' is too much at £1550.

I too am concentrating on classical guitars. The 'Student model' version of those is going a lot better than I would ever have imagined. Which while limiting the supply of my concert guitars to between 10 and 12 is actually helping create some demand for them. I am actually debating whether it is worth while advertising that I even build flamenco guitars any more which would be a shame but I could save some money not having to stock cypress!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 5 2016 9:32:20

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Stephen Eden)

I've got two Manuel Reyes style necks and some bridges coming from my Spain source and after this, Flamenco is finished for me.

I'll built two Reyes styles as an honor to Don Reyes and then no more.

I wish the very best for the art.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 5 2016 12:30:42

mounirben

Posts: 43
Joined: Sep. 12 2013

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

I've got two Manuel Reyes style necks and some bridges coming from my Spain source and after this, Flamenco is finished for me.

I'll built two Reyes styles as an honor to Don Reyes and then no more.

I wish the very best for the art.

What a loss ! In this case can you Tom share will us your knowledge and secrets that you learned along all this years ? Especially Fine Tunning the Top

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 5 2016 13:32:47

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Sounds like a sad trend.
... Like in accordance to the global development of the rich getting ever more richer and the rest correspondingly poorer.

So, a high time for 10- to 50 grands classicals, before hell breaks lose or what?

Here, with the crappiest roads west of Timbuktu (as ridiculous as it gets to hold at out of all sports cars!) there exists the highest density of Porsche cars worldwide. Despite of 100% import customs and actually almost 10 times the end price. Owned by people who are at rocket speed accelerating rates squeezing the living sh!t of their countrymen just for giggles.

Everywhere a mega snatching going on to the point of not knowing what to do with all the dough, while common Joes dropping off the panel on all sites. Reserve your plywood Hohner as long as you can!

This globally raging creaming off is going to end into burning guitars and plains if there be no wake Very soon.

How we stand by watching a bizarrly blatant haul is beyond me. Are there pharmaceutics in the tap water; BSE? What is this paralysis?!

Long live fine flamencas for aficionados! And food, and housing, and dignity.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 5 2016 20:02:57

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Ruphus, Don't get me wrong here. I have plenty of work building guitars. In fact things have never looked so good for me, and they have always looked good.

It is just the flamenco side of business isn't very strong and looking at recent comments it's not just me that is seeing that. I think demand for this style of guitar is low. I also think there is less stigma about factory made instruments in the flamenco world than there is in the classical world so players are more likely to go out and buy and brand name than researching into getting a single luthier hand made guitar.

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 6 2016 11:37:26

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Hi Stephen,

I was considering the decrease of handbuilt flamencas and their average price range / economical customer fraction.
Makes me sad to think of you guys building less of these, and of the clientele who can afford less and lesser.

Am glad however to hear that you luthiers are not all negatively effected / some of you still building and selling well.

Interesting to hear that flamencos are less aware (compared to classical players) about merits of handcrafted axes.
Didn´t know that. (Though noticed how flamencos in Cologne -of Spanish provenience- would set on Takamine cutaways.)

Best,

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 6 2016 13:53:30

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Flamenco in general has become significantly less popular as an internet search term over the past ten years.

It's unsurprising to me that the sale of flamenco guitars would also be in decline. Much to my chagrin.

Click for search trend

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 6 2016 14:01:56

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Wow! :O(

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 6 2016 14:04:26

DavRom

Posts: 310
Joined: Jul. 16 2015
From: De camino a Sevilla

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

silly graph, it means nothing really

i did the same with several genres, including hip hop and dance(two popular genres world wide) and basically got the same results...a downward trend. try it for yourself and see

Google is great for searching, but not much more

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2016 2:42:03

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Ruphus, I am not sure how much the price of the guitar comes into it. In the UK any way. Even as a student if I wanted something I would save and get it. If I worked hard I could have saved £1500 in 3 to 4 months. It must have something to with popularity of the music. Apart from some of the Tapas restaurants I haven't heard of a flamenco gig near me for about 2 and a half years. Even then they drew a crowd of 15. I am sure it's not the same everywhere though.

I suppose the graph could also show a decline in the amount of people using google. It would better if it showed the proportion of searches when compared to the total number of searches.

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Classical and Flamenco Guitars www.EdenGuitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2016 9:42:07

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Maybe you are right, Stephen, / it being a decline in popularity of the genre more than the economical situation of the people.

Actually it shouldn´t wonder, with the numbness after decades of dull billboard hits / with meanwhile less ears sensible to the finesse of such a genre.
(Just been hearing current major girlie / homie lala coming from TV while busy in the kitchen last night. What banal trash, despite of all the breaks and large-scaled sampler stuff in there! It was hard to endure.)

Maybe even flamencos rise was due to Spanish guitar tracks implemented into meanstream lala of the Nineties like from the Spice Girls or so (who meanwhile compare like symphonies to the current pop rubbish. - And actually got to say, the one track I have in mind with named guitar in the arrangement wasn´t too bad.)
-

My first quality punching bag and some of recording gear came about the way you describe it. Less in the fridge for saving up if must be.
But today many can´t do even that anymore. Sometimes despite of three jobs at once, still on welfare.
Social gap has gone outright perverse even within industrialized countries.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2016 10:46:09

tijeretamiel

Posts: 441
Joined: Jan. 6 2012

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tom Blackshear

I've got two Manuel Reyes style necks and some bridges coming from my Spain source and after this, Flamenco is finished for me.

A shame to hear you will be leaving the world of making flamenco guitars Tom.

***

Ruphus,
The guitar market is actually thriving in the UK be it for steel string and electric guitars irrespective of economic conditions.
I can't comment on classical guitars as I don't really know much about that particular side of things in the slightest, but for flamenco, guitars don't seem to sell that much as simply flamenco isn't really that popular amongst listeners and players, it's a very niche genre which I imagine is what impacts sales.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2016 11:23:15

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Sure a niche, but apparently with a tendency (to decline).
-

Still I wouldn´t be surprised if the general mid section (~ 3 to 6 grands) was to be thinning out.

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2016 14:46:48

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: "Luthiers share your creati... (in reply to tijeretamiel)

quote:

A shame to hear you will be leaving the world of making flamenco guitars Tom.

It's not that I'm totally out but that I won't build any more new flamencos UNLESS THEY ARE SPECIAL ORDER.

The classical guitar is more productive, economically. so this is where I have to place my priorities.

But the nice part is that I can modulate the classical design toward a flamenco style if necessary, which would accommodate both styles n articulation and voicing; giving the classical style faster right and left hand feel

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 7 2016 15:05:54