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Solera Flamenca LA 40% off sale!!
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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 RE: Solera Flamenca LA 40% off sale!! (in reply to JasonM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: JasonM
The only two guitars I see if interest are the Conde and the Francisco SANCHEZ - which from the pics does not look like very high quality wood - hence the 40% off discount 
I have written on the Foro that I think when a guitar reaches a certain level of quality, there is no “better” or “worse,” just “different. “
I don’t know whether any of these guitars qualifies for the top tier, but I do know that I have never played a classical that I would say is better than my 1973 Romanillos, #407.
I have been told it is the one just before Bream’s famous #501. #407 is the 7th and last of the 4xx series design, “modeled on” a 1950 Hauser; #501 is the first of the 5xx series, modeled on a Hauser from the 1930s.
The grain of the #407 top is very broad near the center line. It narrows down considerably toward the sides, but substantially broadens again further out. I saw Bream’s guitar up close. The top was obviously from the same tree as #407.
When I visited Abel Garcia in Paracho to order an instrument I told him which Romanillos I had, and that I liked it. Garcia worked twice as Romanillos’s only assistant at his summer course in Guijosa. Garcia showed me some wood Romanillos had given him “from early in his career.” They could have been the next boards in the tree from #407 and #501.
I chose the straight grained, quarter sawn Brazilian for the back and sides from Garcia’s excellent stash—after he had told me he could make an equally good guitar from three other woods, and that using Brazilian for a guitar was “like putting jewelry on it.”
He told me he would have chosen a different set of Brazilian. He showed me a slab cut set. “Why this one, because it is slab cut?”
“El corte no importa mucho,” he replied. “Esta madera es mas blanda.” [“The cut is not particularly important. This wood is softer”] He assured me it was not really a big deal if I liked the quarter sawn set better. I took him at his word. He has published an authoritative book on guitar making woods, which I had a chance to look over at Richard Brune’s shop.
I said, “You choose the top Maestro. You are the expert.” I didn’t even look at tops.
When the guitar arrived, the top had an extremely fine, very regular and straight grain, with a lot of “silk,” and no runout. I phoned Garcia to tell him how pleased I was with the instrument. We talked for a while, then I commented, “You didn’t use the Romanillos wood...’
“It’s some of the best wood I have,” he replied, “but you might have a hard time selling a guitar that looks like that.”
RNJ
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Dec. 17 2018 3:48:15
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Arash
Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)
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RE: Solera Flamenca LA 40% off sale!! (in reply to rombsix)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: rombsix
That's insane, man - why would they do that? Fishy, no?
Its end of year, businesses need cash, pay bills, unload and empty the old stocks, etc. etc. , If you have too many guitars sitting around and the cash flow decreases, then thats dangerous.
Also you have to see carefully 40% off of WHICH price? If the base price was too high, then it is a "normal" deal...if the base price was fair already, then 40% off that is an amazing deal. Also which guitars? hard to sell guitars or popular guitars?
_____________________________
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Dec. 17 2018 10:48:56
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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RE: Solera Flamenca LA 40% off sale!! (in reply to JasonM)
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I didn’t make myself clear. I chose the straight grain Brazilian, Abel said he would have chosen the slab cut, but it wasn’t a big deal, I stuck with the straight grain quartersawn. I hadn’t seen anything like the wood I chose for 20 or 30 years.
Garcia told me, and has publicly complained that there is a lot of illegal wood trade going on in Mexico. He strikes me as the soul of integrity, but I didn’t ask him where the few straight grain Brazilian sets he showed me came from.
Last time I was in San Antonio, Blackshear introduced me to Juan Cadena. Cadena had a big cabinet making shop, but got into the aircraft interiors business. I’m pretty sure the job he did on the Sultan of Brunei’s 747 makes Trump’s 757 look pretty skimpy. He has done a lot of big jobs, and must have made a lot of money, but he doesn’t put on airs.
Cadena has retired from aircraft interiors, downsized his shop, and started making classical and flamenco guitars. When we went to his shop he was sorting a really big stash of old time straight grain quartersawn Brazilian. Juan said he bought it from a California luthier who had retired.
RNJ
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Dec. 17 2018 23:16:35
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I inquired... Maybe PM me. 