Spruce/Madagascar negra

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Andy Culpepper

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

Spruce/Madagascar negra

Another month, another guitar.
I don't know if the video really does it justice because my playing is very rusty, but I'm very happy with this guitar. It's loud and very flamenco. It has the hollow midrange bark that I love.

The top is some nice aged German Spruce, Madagascar Rosewood back and sides, and Birdseye Maple for the fingerboard, headplate and bridge. The customer decided on the woods and we collaborated on the rosette.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 4 2019 1:06:50

JasonM

Posts: 2055
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: Spruce/Madagascar negra (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Beautiful work Andy! Sounds very powerful. And your rasgeado sounds great too.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 5 2019 17:21:59

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Spruce/Madagascar negra (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

There has been no axe from you whichs look I didn´t like. They all look haptically attractive and mostly aesthetically perfect to me (who isn´t too educated with tangents to shapes deemed traditional / judging on general aspects of form & color).
From far the rosette reminds me a bit of a typical sombrero pattern.

I think the maple and its birdseye pattern to be looking great.
Only don´t get why you don´t use that other fretwire which is softer than steel yet less wearing away, and further to my taste looking better on any guitar other than ones held in B&W optics.

Softer material on the fretboard appears to be a good choice anyway, which is why I would hope this maple to be not of the extreme hardness that I have experienced once / which some maple woods seem to feature.

Soundwise I can´t judge too much this time for not having headphones at hand while lappy speakers are crappy. Still, from what I could hear it seems as if this axe emits exactly how you described it.
Ought to be quite a flamenca!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 5 2019 18:57:50

BarkellWH

Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC

RE: Spruce/Madagascar negra (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Beautiful guitar, Andy. In 2007, my flamenco maestro and good friend Paco de Malaga served as the intermediary to Vicente Carrillo, whom he knew well, to build a flamenco guitar for me. Among other specs, it had a spruce top and Madagascar Rosewood back and sides. I had always liked Madagascar Rosewood and considered it (and still do) the most beautiful of Rosewoods. The guitar was beautiful and sounded great.

Bill

_____________________________

And the end of the fight is a tombstone white,
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here,
Who tried to hustle the East."

--Rudyard Kipling

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 5 2019 19:28:45

Andy Culpepper

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

RE: Spruce/Madagascar negra (in reply to JasonM)

quote:

Beautiful work Andy! Sounds very powerful. And your rasgeado sounds great too.

Thanks, Jason. To be honest, my rasgueados aren't great. I've spent my career so far trying to make guitars that make them sound great

quote:

There has been no axe from you whichs look I didn´t like. They all look haptically attractive and mostly aesthetically perfect to me (who isn´t too educated with tangents to shapes deemed traditional / judging on general aspects of form & color).
From far the rosette reminds me a bit of a typical sombrero pattern.

I think the maple and its birdseye pattern to be looking great.
Only don´t get why you don´t use that other fretwire which is softer than steel yet less wearing away, and further to my taste looking better on any guitar other than ones held in B&W optics.

Softer material on the fretboard appears to be a good choice anyway, which is why I would hope this maple to be not of the extreme hardness that I have experienced once / which some maple woods seem to feature.

Soundwise I can´t judge too much this time for not having headphones at hand while lappy speakers are crappy. Still, from what I could hear it seems as if this axe emits exactly how you described it.
Ought to be quite a flamenca!

Thanks, amigo! I do use the Evo Gold sometimes, on request. I've never worked with "Rock Maple" before (the kind of trees that grow near me) but I think this Maple is softer. I don't know if that's great for a fingerboard but I do like the lighter weight.

quote:

Beautiful guitar, Andy. In 2007, my flamenco maestro and good friend Paco de Malaga served as the intermediary to Vicente Carrillo, whom he knew well, to build a flamenco guitar for me. Among other specs, it had a spruce top and Madagascar Rosewood back and sides. I had always liked Madagascar Rosewood and considered it (and still do) the most beautiful of Rosewoods. The guitar was beautiful and sounded great.

Bill

Thanks, Bill! It is a privilege to work with woods like this. I do think it's possible to make a great guitar out of almost any wood for the back and sides, but the beloved Rosewoods are beloved for a reason.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 6 2019 2:41:30