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Posts: 6447
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy
Another trip, a new guitar?
I'm off to Andaluz again in the next few weeks, so where do I go for some more lessons?
Back to Granada or Jerez or Sevilla. Any recommendations? I really want to see some performances as well. Granada is lovely but too hit or miss for penas.
If I were to buy a guitar for $3000 which luthiers would you be suggesting down there?
I would like to see the workshop if possible. Not just the store. Any ideas?
Posts: 1770
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
Hi Simon
Lucky you!!
( I suppose you don't need somebody to carry your luggage?? lol )
I have some favorite guitar builders, but a few I would like to fisit myself someday are:
Felix Manzanero in Madrid
Pedro y Hijos Maldonado in Malaga
Manuel Belido in Granada
There is in Madrid too Juan Alvarez. I have a classic guitar from his father it was built in 1979 and it is a very good and loud guitar, I know he makes flamenco too, and he is not well known, so the price will be there perhaps be a little better.
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
Hi Simon
I think it is already time you go to Jerez and take some classes with El Carbonero. I am sure Phil will be willing to help you. There should be some gigs in the peñas. Regarding guitars you could go to Algodonales which is in the mountains not too far from Jerez where the Valeriano Bernal workshop is. If you go to Jerez you will end up finding somebody like Moraito or Paco Cepero having a drink next to you.
Un saludo
Melchor
_____________________________
Carpe Diem y no dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
Simon you lucky man! What a great thing to be doing. I went over to the south coast and Granada a few years ago to find a guitar. Rene Barslaag in Lanjeron is good to go and see, half way between Granada and the coast. He makes great guitars but he's booked up for years, however, he'll phone round for you to see if any of the Granada makers have a guitar available, Rene has a long neck flamenco (14 frets to the neck) and it was hanging on his wall, an experiment, interesting to play. In Granada this time of the year there are few guitars, I was told that the weather in October is bad for finishing instruments. Manuel Bellido has his shop in Plaza Real (I think that's the name) but he didn't have any primera guitars there. If you go, try to speak with his daughter, she is in the shop and has good English. The point being to get taken along to the workshop about 1/2 mile away along past Antonio Marin Montero's place on the fringe of town. Manuel had a wordrobe there with various guitars in cases, he let me try a Coral wood negra that was a sister to the one he made for Tomatito, nice guitar but not for me. I went to see Pedro Maldonado Snr. in Malaga and he sent me to his son, Pedro Maldonado Ruiz in Torremolinos, very nice man with good English. I bought one of his Primera 1a blancas, but you have to be sure you are happy with the weight and physical size of his guitars which are bigger than normal, I later decided the guitar was not for me and have recently sold her. There is also Jose Marin in Malaga, but I couldn't find his workshop, he sounds interesting and he's devised a special bridge design that is ment to increase volume from the guitar. So might be worth a look. However, having said all of that, for 3k I'd definately check out your old pal, Valeriano Bernal, I think at that price he'd provide you with a top class professional guitar. Cheers Jim.
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
Simon, Some more thoughts, closer to your home. Stephen Hill's about to re-locate his workshop in Granada from Lewes, contact him for advice. Also, why not get a SH? Cheers Jim.
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
Simon, See my post 'Flamenco in Jerez' http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=2302&p=1&tmode=1&smode=1 Of course, I'm going to recommend lessons with El Carbonero. I'm not quite clear on your concerns about his teaching style. Could you elaborate?
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
quote:
It sounds a bit like a conveyor belt.
Simon, Now I know what you're talking about. A couple of people recently came for lessons and they wrote to me with the same concern. Rather than try to convince them, I told each of them to try his 'normal' method and if they didn't like they could arrange completely private lessons. None of them took the completely private lessons option. Talk to someone that's been here, like Fergus for example, and get their input. Then make your decision. (I'm assuming that Fergus was happy, but I don't know that for a fact.) I can tell you that he has students that return year after year, so it can't be that bad. Phil
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
RE: Another trip, a new guitar? (in reply to Escribano)
Simon, if you go to Sevilla, get ahold of Eduardo Rebollar at the Cristina Heeren Fundacion... he's a wonderful soul and the most compassionate of teachers, and the best accompaniast for the cante I've seen--at least to my taste. He makes the whole thing really come alive! Plus he could teach you some cool falsetas, and give you a good spirit of flamenco guitar.
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