z6 -> RE: Wonderful Anders 2A Flamenco Guitar (Oct. 13 2012 10:22:24)
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The fact that guys like Bart can come here and offer such an inspiring critique of Anders' 2A model is a wonderful thing. THIS is the type of thing that entirely convinces me. I bought my current guitar never having even tried a single example. It was miles and miles more expensive than guitars I've spent hours 'auditioning'. But, by the time I ordered, I knew that luthier put his soul into these things and his craftsmanship, and his art, was as good as it gets. I would 'never' have considered buying a guitar, or example thereof, that I hadn't tried, but I did, nonetheless. If and when I buy a blanca I would be apoplectic trying to decide between Anders and Estebana, never having tried a single model a single time. I read these guys and know I'll get a guitar I love, and feel honoured to own it. No instructions from me... any size... blah... blah... just provide me with your daily work.... build it any way you want. Experiment or don't. (Unfortunately, my fantasies do not help to pay anyone's rent. And I'm not really a multiple-guitar guy. One is enough for me.) Make it as fast and fun to play as you can, that's all. 2,000 euros IS far far far too little. No doubt about it. Around 6,000 US dollars seems, to me, equitable for a quality luthier-built guitar. And that's what I'd expect to pay either of those guys. If they did it for less then 5,000 dollars would be a floor. I can't figure how they can do it for less and live. It's almost insanity that these guys are charging as little as this for guitars that are absolutely their real work, and not a watered-down version. I've seen students at art school get this much for gobbing on a canvas. My post was referring to an imaginary factory-built guitar where luthiers design and check quality, and really care. (And I know that 'factory built' has a wide interpretation.) Most companies, in the low price range, take the p i s s. They can make a thing almost like a good guitar but 'deliberately' don't instead. But the market is the market, whatever the hell that means. The unsolicted reviews that people can find here do matter. But the wider market needs 'names' playing their guitars, for real... because that's the guitar they want to play, not because of a 'deal'. But people have to make a living. Everything I've read implies that luthiers are the ones always taking the hit, or the risk. It's comical that people talk about 'money', in this context, as it is so little it makes my eyes water. But something that could be 'happening' or built when the luthier is done for the day would be an appropriate place for him to slice up some chunks for the good of everyone. Just a thought. It's hard to get mindsets out of 'name' guitars. I've only tried one single Conde in my life, a negra, it was fantastic, really fantastic. I knew nothing about flamenco. I played the thing and loved it. It growled. It spoke to me. (I had no idea other people had said such things about these guitars.) But I know the brand has been so watered-down by now that this experience might be quite rare. The fact that Anders talks about building a luthier guitar that costs twice what I consider the low range seems almost surreal. Even a cursory consideration of overhead makes it seem almost impossible. And those are very nice guitars indeed, very nice. I cannot see what 2A has to do with it at all. It's a steal. (And you don't even have to sandpaper off some guitarist's name from behind the neck.)
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