a_arnold -> RE: Should I go to Paracho, Mexico to buy a guitar? (Apr. 4 2009 9:57:27)
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quote:
Does Salvador speak any English? The short answer is "no." So is the long answer. The problem with physically going to Paracho: There is only a handfull of luthiers there that make top-tier guitars. So they are the ones you will want to visit. Unfortunately, the best ones make most guitars on commission, and if you go there, you will be a "walk-in" customer. Commission guitars are normally sold and out the door before a walk-in customer even gets a look. So going there means you are taking a chance as to whether the best luthiers will even have a selection in stock for you to look at or choose among. So if you do go, the best thing is to write ahead so they KNOW you are coming. Maybe then they will have something to show you. Shipping: Michael (Chapman_g) is about right on the shipping. Of the two that I got from Salvador, one had a badly damaged case -- something actually penetrated the lower bout of the case but (miraculously) didn't touch the guitar. This is down to Salvador's packing. On the plus side, he is an honorable man and would replace it. Because of this I deal with him directly, sending personal checks both times (I am now ordering a 3rd guitar), not bothering with the (more expensive) wire transfer option. Quality: both of my Castillos are miraculous guitars, and I HAVE had firm offers of more than I paid for both; I paid $1200 and $2800 and his prices have gone up in the 3 years since). I have played and compared them directly next to (in the same room at the same time, the only way to compare) a 72 Ramirez, an 83 Conde, a 67 Manuel de la Chica Garcia a Ricardo and a Vicente Sanchis, two Bellidos (father and son) a Pedregosa, a Burguet, several concert-grade Navarros, and too many factory guitars to name. I've listened to and played a LOT of guitars over the years (lived in Spain across from Bellido's shop and worked at the Smithsonian in musical instrument repair) so I trust my judgment. That doesn't mean you have to (or even should) when I claim my Castillo is the equal of the Conde, and better than the rest. But it is. I'd like to get it next to a Gerundino. BUT: you are not going to find a $5000 guitar for $500 in Paracho. Maybe you would find a $1800 guitar in Paracho that would sell for $5000 in the US. If you buy a high-end name brand guitar you WILL pay extra for the label -- no question. If you can't trust your own judgment (of sound) and need to rely on the label, then you can get stuck with a clunker even from the best of makers. Likewise, if you CAN trust your own judgment, there are a lot of top luthiers out there with great undervalued guitars on their shelves. They just don't have two generations of family history to add value to their label. unfortunately, there are also "luthiers" out there who are capitalizing on their family tradition rather than continuing it. In my opinion, Condes, although still excellent guitars. are overpriced now (with the family tradition and the PDL cachet) just as Ramirez were in the 70's (when Segovia and Sabicas were playing them). That's not to say their quality has dropped (the way Ramirez has); rather, their price is inflated beyond their excellent quality. But there are many equally good but undervalued guitars out there. Who is the undiscovered Conde of the future? Answering that question isn't just a matter of judgment. If it were, Castillo would be as good a candidate as any -- that also depends on a number of unknowable factors like his future family tradition and which famous players adopt him and have the courage to depart from the well-worn path to Conde's door. As Tom Nunez is fond of saying, a good guitar is a good guitar, no matter who made it. He's absolutely right.
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