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Guest -> RE: Early birthday present (Oct. 2 2004 15:27:19)
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Miguel
Brazilian rosewood used to be cheap. Now it is very expensive due to controls and a Brazilian guitar, especially of jacaranda, would reflect the rise. People like it because it is pretty. Indian rosewood, which is just as good as Brazilian, but without the fancy figuring, costs about the same as cypress, which has become much more expensive. But materials only play a small part in the cost of a guitar, though jacaranda and hand made machine heads certainly would add a lot.
The common view is that cypress is very bright and that rosewood gives greater sonority and depth to the basses. There is a grain of truth in this. But a guitar in which the bass predominates in neither a good classical nor a good flamenco. I have played many flamenco negras with this problem.
But I have played a few which were properly balanced between treble and bass.
A good Reyes blanca is all treble, even the basses[;)] My Gerundino blanca has much more weight to each note and more matices. Played by a friend who is a classical concert player, it is a great classical, but he does not want to use it because blancas are a no no in the classical world. But it sounds very flamenco, when played by a flamenco: I would not change it for a Reyes. The good flamenco negras that I have played have a roughly similar sound.
A great deal depends on the thicknessing of the wood and the internal volume of the guitar. On the other forum, there is a strong opinion that Spanish makers are too traditional and that American makers are much more open to experiment. I am inclined to believe this, having played a Pedro de Miguel negra and a Conde Felipe V negra, both of which suffered from this imbalance.
So I am convinced that a good constructor can make a blanca or a negra with similar sound characteristics. The only proviso is that I have never heard a guitar more treble than a good Reyes blanca. Whether this is good or bad is for each to decide.
Suerte
Sean
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