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I recently asked some questions in relation to travelling to spain to buy a guitar. After I read replies it became clear to me that shopping for guitar in spain could be difficult and might reguire long research if I don't want to be tricked into buying bad guitar. I wonder if anybody from forum travelled to france to buy guitar from guitar shop or from luthier ? Are the rules of the game the same in France ? When you watch youtube channels that belong to french people you can see them playing beautiful guitars. If anybody bought guitar in France can you please share your experience and give some details in relation to where you bought guitar and who you bought guitar from?
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
Why don't you fly to Soniquete in Edinburgh. They have some nice guitars there. They might be a little over priced but make them an offer if you like one.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to silddx)
quote:
Why don't you fly to Soniquete in Edinburgh. They have some nice guitars there. They might be a little over priced but make them an offer if you like one.
thanks for link. i will definitely contact them. There are probably direct flights to edinburgh from Dublin. i went to london last week to check camps guitars. i remember they have alhambra 4f there. i played this guitar and it sounded good but i remember this guitar is really really big. I am not big person in terms of posture so probably I should find something smaller. i will fly next week again in case they forgot to show me other flamenco alhambras.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
Camps primera body are only 90mm deep at rear. Necks very playable, 21mm at 1st fret i think. Similar to cordob GK series but gk has 50mm nut. Just saying....
Posts: 3487
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
For a period more than 30 years ago I traveled to Paris frequently on business. The only guitar shop I visited there was La Gutarreria, 5 Rue d'Edimbourg. It is near the Gare Saint-Lazare train station. The nearest Metro station is Europe. It's not far from the Conservatoire.
At that time the shop was owned and run by a formidable Spanish woman. From what I have read in the last few years it is now managed by a younger relative.
They had a large stock of classical instruments ranging from economical student models to instruments by well-known luthiers.
The younger brother of the owner worked there. He told me his sister had rescued him from a life of flamenco and alcoholism. He said he had worked with the son of Manuel Serrapí "Niño Ricardo." He said both father and son were alcoholics who died of throat cancer.
The only flamenca I remember was the one he showed me. He said it was his personal instrument, a beautiful top of the line Paulino Bernabe blanca. I played it a bit, then tried to hand it to him, saying, "Here, play it so I can hear it from the audience side."
We were seated. He quickly slid his chair backward and held up his hands to avoid taking the guitar. "I am sorry, I cannot play it. It would be like taking the first sip of manzanilla."
My impression at that time was that the instruments were fairly priced and the staff were honest, but of course, as soon as I played for a while they recognized me as an experienced player.
I recommend telephoning them before you take a trip there, to verify whether they have flamenco guitars in your price range.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
Richard is right. La Guiterreria is probably the only one in Paris. You have more chance to find a bad Vicente Sanchis guitar. It is worthwhile to check out if you have to go to Paris for business or holiday but probably not worth the effort for just finding a flamenco guitar.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
quote:
ORIGINAL: rafapak
I recently asked some questions in relation to travelling to spain to buy a guitar. After I read replies it became clear to me that shopping for guitar in spain could be difficult and might reguire long research if I don't want to be tricked into buying bad guitar. I wonder if anybody from forum travelled to france to buy guitar from guitar shop or from luthier ? Are the rules of the game the same in France ? When you watch youtube channels that belong to french people you can see them playing beautiful guitars. If anybody bought guitar in France can you please share your experience and give some details in relation to where you bought guitar and who you bought guitar from?
Why don’t you go to a guitar shop in the UK, you’re located in the isles right? Go to France to get your salad nicoise…
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
Why don’t you have Stephen Eden build a guitar for you? For the price of hotels and travel plus guitar cost you could get one from him.
I hear they are of biblical quality, like made in a garden of paradise.
Steve did some work on my guitar. I played one of his Solea models, the flamenco guitar on a budget. It was really lovely, and beautifully built and finished, sounded great.
Posts: 15722
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
The problem is that in France, the people there, they speak Irish. I mean they don’t speak Irish. They speak Flemish. I mean Flemish means Flamenco in Irish. I mean in Spanish. So in French Flamenco is Flemish but in Spanish. I mean in France. And there, they speak Italian and … French. But no fries or toast, only kissing. My friend Fred is French and builds flamenco guitars, but he speaks Spanish. Maybe you should go to Australia. There they speak English but with a funny accent so you might need an aboriginal translator. Here is Paco and Mclaughlin in Australia, nice guitars, and they even tell you were you should go at night:
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
Maybe you should go to Australia. There they speak English but with a funny accent so you might need an aboriginal translator.
Maybe he should go to USA and hear nasal sounding american accent. Btw, some say flamenco guitar sounds nasal. It's not true. To me flamenco guitar sounds bright.
When in Madrid I usually stay nearby, but I haven't been there. Judging from the location I would think they see a fair number of tourists, and would have at least a few English speaking employees.
Their website lists a wide range of guitars ranging from €380 to "Inquire." If their stock reflects this list, there would be an opportunity to compare several models in your price range.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to estebanana)
quote:
Why don’t you go to a guitar shop in the UK, you’re located in the isles right? Go to France to get your salad nicoise…
i travelled today to visit shop where they have few alhambras flamenco. I tried three. nice instruments but only imitate flamenco guitars. i decided to stop searching guitar. i have to concentrate on learning basic techniques on my cordoba now.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
quote:
i decided to stop searching guitar. i have to concentrate on learning basic techniques on my cordoba now.
I think that's very sensible. You will enjoy the guitar hunt much more when you can play a bit, and have more knowledge about guitars and what you want from one.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to rafapak)
quote:
ORIGINAL: rafapak i travelled today to visit shop where they have few alhambras flamenco. I tried three. nice instruments but only imitate flamenco guitars. i decided to stop searching guitar. i have to concentrate on learning basic techniques on my cordoba now.
I think that’s the best idea, under the circumstances. I think you’re searching for a fantasy instrument, which is fine because it means you’re no different than many people. And you can easily get one, too, if you’re willing to pony up and fork over some serious money. But, to tell you the truth, you don’t have to, it’s just you’re not ready, that’s all.
When you’ve practiced enough and shopped enough to understand what’s wrong with calling a lower cost instrument an imitation guitar, that’s when you’re going to be ready to buy something. An enormous amount of flamenco music has been played on low cost instruments. Some of the sounds are based upon that. I’ve played some middle range Cordoba guitars that didn’t give anything up to instruments costing ten times as much. None of them ticked any desirability boxes - until they were put up against “real” flamenco guitars in live situations and proceeded to kick their collective butts. They were made in China. The horror. The couple I am thinking about at the time sold for about the equivalent of €500. They were real flamenco guitars in every aspect that counts musically.
So, it sounds like you’re already where you need to be. With some more experience the process won’t be so overwhelming and you’ll feel more comfortable spending what it takes to get an instrument you can cherish.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to silddx)
quote:
I think that's very sensible. You will enjoy the guitar hunt much more when you can play a bit, and have more knowledge about guitars and what you want from one.
RE: travelling to France in search o... (in reply to RobF)
quote:
I think that’s the best idea, under the circumstances. I think you’re searching for a fantasy instrument, which is fine because it means you’re no different than many people. And you can easily get one, too, if you’re willing to pony up and fork over some serious money. But, to tell you the truth, you don’t have to, it’s just you’re not ready, that’s all.
When you’ve practiced enough and shopped enough to understand what’s wrong with calling a lower cost instrument an imitation guitar, that’s when you’re going to be ready to buy something. An enormous amount of flamenco music has been played on low cost instruments. Some of the sounds are based upon that. I’ve played some middle range Cordoba guitars that didn’t give anything up to instruments costing ten times as much. None of them ticked any desirability boxes - until they were put up against “real” flamenco guitars in live situations and proceeded to kick their collective butts. They were made in China. The horror. The couple I am thinking about at the time sold for about the equivalent of €500. They were real flamenco guitars in every aspect that counts musically.
So, it sounds like you’re already where you need to be. With some more experience the process won’t be so overwhelming and you’ll feel more comfortable spending what it takes to get an instrument you can cherish.
thanks for reply. again valuable information. By the way, my friend's son flew to Malaga for a couple of days. He is coming back tomorrow. It is coincidence that I was asking question about malaga on forum and somebody who I am close to just went to Malaga for few days. If I see him tomorrow I will bombard him with questions. He will suffer ! ha ha . I think I will fly to malaga but not to buy the guitar but to see granada, marbela etc. I know this guy who is in malaga at the moment rented a car so I will have also information in relation to renting cars in malaga so that I can travel to granada by car.
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