My "rocinante " 1998 Victor Diaz

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Jonnycake

Posts: 41
Joined: Aug. 26 2020

My "rocinante " 1998 Victo...

With apologies to that great sci-fi show " the Expanse",
I'm sharing my story on my first flamenco guitar.

As previously described in another thread,my Faustino Conde story,this guitar came to me from Manuel Diaz of Granada and his son Victor after my visit there some years ago.

Described as a top level student guitar and priced at $2600 with an old style rosette I was thrilled to have this guitar arrive on my doorstep all the way from that comfy and friendly shop on cuesta gomerez,Granada.

I've recently decided to name this,my now old stalwart companion, "Rocinante" or workhorse due to the long suffering abuse at my hands and her unabashed and humble physical characteristics.

It wasnt till I acquired an '83 Conde, a very distinguished and elegant guitar and from a different social level altogether that " Roci" was put out to pasture.
Recently however I've brought her out ,dusted her off and been banging away on her just like old times.

This guitar has been through a lot which the pix reveal and so herein is my tale of her trials at my hands.

If I remember correctly it was a chinook to blame,that crazy weather phenomenon characteristic in Calgary, Alberta Canada where in a few hours winter temperatures can go from like 30 below to 50 above.

This guitar having been left out in relative coolness was suddenly subjected to blasting furnace heat and super dry conditions for a few days.
Resulting in a long dry crack and a shrunken fingerboard as my poor guitar was suffering from acute dehydration and now in dire need of repair.

A local guitar repairman did the best he could with paper for the cracks and a humidifier to bring this guitar back from the dead.
We also replaced the tap plates and in doing so really scarred the finish..I also installed one of those under the bridge p.u.'s for some -at the time i thought-good reason.

Fast forward a few years,many campfires,parties and gigs later to her next trial where another crack developed.Naturally well hydrated in the Vancouver,Canada climate this injury was entirely due to me banging her about like some rock and roll floozy or stratocaster ( yes they like some abuse!)

Anyway off to Nicole Alosinac 's shop in Vancouver where using an old violin repair trick,goat skin patches for the cracks,Roci was in fighting trim once again.We also added a pre- ban elephant ivory piece at the bridge and this guitar never sounded better.

By now this guitar had loads of character and a deep somewhat raw but muy flamenco voice.
With a groove worn into the wood by my thumbnail and many scratches and dings this old workhorse was my go to flamenco for 20 years,supplanted at last by an '83 Conde ,who as a proper lady deserves the best of care and will never know the trials of her country cousin,the 1998 Victor Diaz.

Today after playing the Diaz for a few hours I'm of mixed feelings..yes the Conde is lighter,perfect in many ways and is definitely an aristocrat compared to the Diaz but the wider neck,throaty punch and rustic appeal of my first flamenco guitar has still got a hold on me.

I sometimes wonder if I should get someone to really fix her up,it wouldnt be like putting lipstick on a pig but more like giving an old friend a facelift,and taking her out for another roll in the hay..just like we used to do..
Cheers everyone, thanks for reading!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 9 2020 9:31:53

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: My "rocinante " 1998 V... (in reply to Jonnycake)

Thanks for showing your guitar, Jon. Victor has come a long way since then, some of his newer stuff is a tad experimental, but still shows a connection to his father’s work, and maintains a stylistic flourish that gives homage the character of the Cuesta de Gomérez. I had a brief video chat with him a couple of months ago, more by happenstance, as I was talking on the phone with a friend of mine as he was walking through the Albaicin and we ran into Victor relaxing on a bench in Plaza Larga, so we had a little virtual hang out.

As far as the guitar goes, I wouldn’t do anything to it if it isn’t in need of fixing. It’s at the phase in its life where any attempts to cosmetically revitalize it would probably do more harm than good. It’s provided you with years of pleasure, and the scars attest to that. It sounds like it’s still a pleasure to play, it’s something to hold onto.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 12 2020 22:24:55

JasonM

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

RE: My "rocinante " 1998 V... (in reply to RobF)

Looks like new to me

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 14 2020 4:45:37

ernandez R

Posts: 737
Joined: Mar. 25 2019
From: Alaska USA

RE: My "rocinante " 1998 V... (in reply to Jonnycake)

Nice Jon, guessing the timber of the top plate is just coming into its own. The marks on the top are just a sign of your dedication.

Some time last year mid summer a buddy of mine was at a river side bonfire and this other guy, an employe of ours, shows up with one of my guitars, it was my second build, a girl only her father could love hence she was often loaned out indiscriminately. Anyway he told me how my guitar was passed around late into the night... Just this evening another helper asked if he could take it to his room in our housing trailer so he could play her... Is like that and great to have such a guitar, only I will not build one that ugly again.

I have my first build and my fourth here in the house and I'll grab one or the other depending on my mood, the first growly and quick the fourth with more sustain, and when I just want to noodle around I'll pull down my partners parlor, my eighth, put my feet up and scratch away at whatever feels good.

HR

_____________________________

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.

www.instagram.com/threeriversguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 14 2020 5:04:43