just bought a flamenco guitar on ebay

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jg7238

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009

just bought a flamenco guitar on ebay

As the title says, I've just purchased a flamenco guitar on ebay. I never heard of a cypress top. That is what the seller told me it is. (Cypress back and sides as well) . Could it be Port Orford Cedar which is really cypress? It's an Ignacio Rozas high end student model. It probably was farmed out and not built by him but it's a good instrument for what I payed. Anyway, i will make future videos playing with it.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2018 1:03:20

rombsix

Posts: 7807
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

quote:

Anyway, i will make future videos playing with it.

Looking forward to it.

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Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2018 12:42:16

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

Probably a mistake... folks have called regular spruce top “cypress” just because of back and sides.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2018 16:39:58

JasonM

Posts: 2054
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

I used to have a Rozas student model when I first started playing. I forgot all about it until now. Bought it from a teacher. I didn’t like it very much though. I got it from him because I trusted him since I knew nothing about guitars at the time. Could tell it wasn’t my style. I also went to this teacher to learn PdL stuff , but he only played super old school

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 22 2018 23:52:20

jg7238

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to JasonM)

Ok... here is my first video with the Rozas.. My hands were really cold. I was not feeling it frankly. (I know i got out of compas towards the very end). Any thoughts on the guitar? Anyway I kind of like it for the money.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2018 1:44:19

JasonM

Posts: 2054
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

Sounds pretty good!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2018 1:57:08

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

Looks like a nice guitar, it seems to be in very clean condition, too. While it’s hard to say for certain from the video, the chances of that being a cypress top are close to zero, it’s almost certainly spruce.

I suspect that guitar probably has never been played so well in its life, lol, it’s in good hands now.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2018 2:22:46

rombsix

Posts: 7807
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to RobF)

Wow, man - sounds very nice indeed. Congrats! How much did you pay? I'm just curious.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2018 3:03:24

jg7238

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to rombsix)

Thanks everyone! The only thing that I’m not too sure is if I have a good or bad buzz at the 12th fret on the 6th string. Other than that I think it’s pretty decent. @Ramzi: the seller said he paid 1300 dollars at his shop in Madrid. He was asking 900 dollars. He sold it to me for 650 dollars plus 75 for shipping. So I can’t complain really.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2018 15:07:02

rombsix

Posts: 7807
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

quote:

He sold it to me for 650 dollars plus 75 for shipping. So I can’t complain really.

Nice!!!

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Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 23 2018 19:37:17

Carlos_ffm

Posts: 21
Joined: Jun. 11 2016

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

Nice sound, i like it!
Great buy!
Thanks for sharing the video

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 25 2018 7:16:44

jalalkun

Posts: 276
Joined: May 3 2017
From: Iraq, living in Cologne, Germany

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

ole! sounds and looks nice, congratulations!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 25 2018 15:04:37

jg7238

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to Carlos_ffm)

quote:

Nice sound, i like it!
Great buy

Thanks Carlos! Thank you jalalkun!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 26 2018 17:20:25

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1674
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

quote:

Could it be Port Orford Cedar which is really cypress?

It could be (either). If you stick your finger inside--past the "donut" or other sound hole reinforcement--and rub the underside of the top--I know this sounds stupid, but if it's cypress or Port Orford cedar, your finger would likely have the characteristic camphor-like smell of those. Spruce is ordorless.

The guitar and your playing sound great, by the way.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 26 2018 23:58:07

jg7238

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

quote:

if it's cypress or Port Orford cedar, your finger would likely have the characteristic camphor-like smell of those. Spruce is ordorless.

The guitar and your playing sound great, by the way.

Thanks Ethan. Coming from you I really appreciate it.

I think it's not spruce because it always has a very pleasant smell.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 27 2018 2:25:26

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1674
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

You're welcome, but remember that you could just be smelling the back and sides (through the sound hole).

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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. 27 2018 2:42:42

Echi

Posts: 1132
Joined: Jan. 11 2013

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

In my opinion the top is easily spruce made.
I didn’t see port oxford cedar often used in Spain.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 27 2018 10:19:52

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to Echi)

quote:

In my opinion the top is easily spruce made.
I didn’t see port oxford cedar often used in Spain.

That’s the kind reasoning I was using, too. My feeling was that, while it’s certainly possible that the top may be a cypress, it just seems improbable that a manufacturer would go to the trouble and expense of importing what could be considered to be an exotic soundboard wood and then also be willing to incur the additional risk that they might get the treatment of the wood wrong during construction and produce a dog. It doesn’t seem to fit with the kind of business plan that one would expect to be applied to a student guitar, even a higher end one, by a factory or shop.

But that’s just my take on it. Who knows? Maybe they got a deal.

I was also assuming that a Mediterranean cypress wasn’t used for the top or jg would have told us up front that it looked like it was the same wood as the back and sides.

At the end of the day, if the guitar sounds good and plays well and it’s liked, then that’s all that really counts. The price seems to have been very reasonable and it’s a nice looking guitar. Ethan’s suggestion for a smell test is good and pictures also could help, if it matters to dig deeper.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 28 2018 0:49:59

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to Echi)

Mind you, if Rozas was importing guitars from China, then all my reasoning flies out the window.

Edit: To clarify. They have enormous purchasing power and can buy large quantities of wood from NA and elsewhere, plus they have their own resources. They are also closer to the west coast of NA for buying exports. It changes the rules.

Edit again: if the guitar was made in 2000, forget about the China angle. I’m putting my money on Spruce. But without seeing the guitar, maybe just enough money for a pint of beer, lol.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 28 2018 1:11:46

Joan Maher

Posts: 213
Joined: Dec. 3 2013

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to RobF)

I read some years ago the student models were built by alhambra guitars

quote:

Rozas

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Gracias!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 29 2018 9:04:33

jg7238

Posts: 2869
Joined: May 11 2009

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

I'm going to try that test Ethan. Thanks..

The seller told me that when he bought the guitar in Madrid in 2000 Rozas told him he built it there in his shop on Calle Mayor. In the end, if the guitar sounds good that is all that matters. Thanks for the feedback.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 29 2018 22:27:37

Joan Maher

Posts: 213
Joined: Dec. 3 2013

RE: just bought a flamenco guitar on... (in reply to jg7238)

If the label is signed by him then he built it - he didn't sign the outsourced ones that as much as I know, but if it sounds great which it seems to then all is good.

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Gracias!

Joan Josep Maher

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 30 2018 8:57:48