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RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to RobF)
Thanks,
I've noticed that sometimes Paco Lucia would change out his third string with a black string to help blend the treble strings together, perhaps to make things flow more evenly.
This shortening of the 3rd strut on the '68 Conde style could have achieved the same or similar result. Even Manuel Reyes had his way by tapering the third strut to achieve a similar result.
It's obvious that changing the sizes, shapes and tapers, of the fan brace pattern, does strange things to the tonal properties of the top.
I'm surprised by seeing things happen, even with 30 plus years experience with this technique.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Speedy recovery Tom!
My partner mentioned that yesterday was when we would have been flying down to California then Texas, Spring Branch on the Godalupe River to visit family. Had hoped to stop in for a visit until this virus came around and shaved our sound bars too damn thin :/
I've been laying around after foot surgery in a crazy amount of pain for days but it's getting better. Like you I don't just lay around and always am working with my hands. Now I'm learning patience... but not vary well. About ten more weeks then I get to learn how to walk again. My playing is getting better and my finger nails are looking almost as nice as yours look in your videos.
Looking forward to next year.
HR
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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy, doesn't have to be fast, should have some meat on the bones, can be raw or well done, as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Stephen Eden)
quote:
Get well soon Tom you've got a guitar to finish!
YES! tell me about it. Hopefully it will be next week to start it up again.
Here is a small video of me fine tuning a flamenco guitar for David Alford a few years ago, with one of many techniques I use for fine tuning a guitar top. This is the start of a process that can take a few weeks to accomplish, not wanting to try and rush things but gradually taking the time to get things right with the tone and articulation of the strings, etc.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
Thanks for the encouragement. Sometimes I think I'm making headway and then something happens to discourage it. But the plan is set good so I'll have to be careful to make it right.
I think the miracle will be in the actual finishing of the instrument, so I hope to make the fine tuning as clear as possible in the finish out.
The fine tuning technique is where the tonal result will tell. And this is simply a universal touch and feel process, regardless of who makes a guitar.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
I've cut the sound hole out and the next step will be to install the fan braces and after that, I will try to explain in detail, the fine tuning steps.
Once the top is done then all other steps are basically easy to work with.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
I'm starting to glue on the fan braces for the top. I'm using my own method not the box style with long sticks. As soon as I get them glued I'll start shaping the braces with an explanation how to do the primary tone before I get to the finish out with fine tuning.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
I still have to finish gluing the struts in but the 7 across are glued and crowned already, then I have to glue the bottom stiffeners and finish out the shaping then explain the fine tuning.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Here is the 7 braces glued in and shaped on their tops and then I'll relieve them on each end and smooth them out before I glue in the two bottom braces and then try to explain the idea of fine tuning.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Hello again, this is the latest video of the 1968 Conde build and its just about together with the top. The fine tuning info is shortly addressed with this one.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Hello,
The upper horizontal bar has been glued and now I'll talk a little about the over all top function.
1. The original top of Ramon's guitar was about 1/16th " and this was very thin. About 1/16" in the center.
2. The two horizontal bars across the top were 5/8th" high with a little over 1/4" scalloped on the edges.
3. The fan braces were about 5/16ths wide and 1/8th" high with a pyramid in the center.
4. The bottom fan brace stiffeners were 3/32nd" high and 1/4" wide. All braces were scalloped on their end about 1" on both ends.
I feel the top thickness was a little too thin so I'm building the top thickness at about 2 to 1.9 MM thick and lowering the horizontal bars to about 9/16th" high with a little under 1/4" scallop on the edges.
This way the load (torgue) on the top will even out its over-all tonal quality without managing to damage the tops equilibrium with age.
RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Lucio Nunez is on his way over to see about making me a more educated guitar mold system for this current build of the 1968 Conde style flamenco.
My current mold lacks some attachments that help stabilize the pattern, so I've decided to up-grade the set up; not so much that I couldn't build the guitar without complications but that this alteration just makes it easier to handle.
right now I have the sides cut and sized for the mold.
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RE: new build for 68' Conde style fl... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Here is the mold made by Lucio Nunez for my 1968 Conde style flamenco build. I will start building again as soon as possible. The jig at the top is made for a top build right side up to hold the neck in place.
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