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Just shipped this guitar...hadn't had the opportunity to build a blanca in many moons but this one turned out great I think. I went back to my blonde shellac as these woods had a good amount of color naturally. Sound is bright and midrange-y with ample volume. I really need to order more of this Caucasian Spruce from Turkey, I honestly have not found better top wood for flamenco guitars.
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... I really need to order more of this Caucasian Spruce from Turkey, I honestly have not found better top wood for flamenco guitars
Nice!
What is it about the spruce you mention that you prefer it for your Flamenco tops?
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.
Wow, thank you all for the kind words! I don't make as many videos as I used to anymore as I feel like my playing skill (and motivation) have deteriorated, but I suppose I'm still good for short/simple falsetas
quote:
What is it about the spruce you mention that you prefer it for your Flamenco tops?
Honestly it's not something that's really measurable, that I can tell anyway. Density and stiffness are mostly in the normal ranges, though the cross-grain stiffness can be quite high. A lot of the Spruce I've gotten from my Turkish supplier (Akustik) is not the prettiest, with pronounced color variations and some with a fair bit of runout. I keep telling myself "surely this fine, premium quality European picea abies will make better guitars, I should use that", but that damn picea orientalis keeps proving me wrong. There is some kind of magic in it!
it sounds super nice Andy. And looks beautiful! The dark rosette is nice with that dark blue! One question... How is your view on the back on your flamenco guitars? Stiff or responsive? I just planed off the edges of the backbraces of my last built because I found it too stiff in a way. The tone became more punchy and lively but a bit less focussed in a way. I saw a video on YouTube from Andres Marvi explaining that he wants the back as stiff as possible, like about 3mm with four braces...
Thanks, Jonas! I make my backs pretty thin, but with probably taller than average braces. I'm happy if my backs are tuned 3-4 semitones higher than the top, certainly not in the Marvi range. That man makes some absolute cannons though.
I know this question has probably been asked before but what key do you like to tune your tops to, on the average?
I usually like to tune the Helmholtz (air resonance) of the guitar to between F# and G. The main top resonance is typically right around an octave above that. I have also built a number of guitars tuned to between G and G#. That can give a nice sort of "bass roll-off" effect, which a lot of players, especially ones who play mic'd or amplified prefer.
Yes, it seems we are pretty much the same here. But I like to tune the G string down into the 4th with G-F#.... as I tune downward when I polish the struts. And somehow the bass fundamentals fall into place as I tune the 3rd and 4th strings.
For me, this helps the middle register stay firm and playable.
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