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MikeC -> Andy Culpepper Andaman Padauk Negra (Mar. 22 2015 21:45:14)
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Hi,
I recently became a member of the Foro but I've lurking for a while. As I mention in my intro I got my first flamenco guitar made by Andy Culpepper. My guitar is #58 and is a flamenco negra with Andaman Padauk sides and back and LR Baggs Lyric pickup.
The first thing that I noticed when I pick it up is how light it is. The guitar is beautifully finished. It has a custom made rosette inspired in Panamanian pottery designs. Working on the design with Andy was fun and smooth. The Padauk is gorgeous.
One of the things that I was looking for is a guitar that was easier to play than my classical. I have a Ramirez classical that has a very thick neck typical classical action. The neck on this guitar is very comfortable. The action is low without unintentional buzzing. Bar chords are almost effortless.
The sound is crisp and very balanced. The other surprise for me is the dynamic range of this guitar. When played softly it sounds sweet and mellow but you do a rasgueado and it becomes aggressive and very percussive. Very cool!
I checked notes up and down the neck and they are very balanced with no unpleasant resonant frequencies. Intonation is perfect (checked with a tuner).
The LR Baggs Lyric is great since it does NOT require a cut out on the side or an under the saddle piezo. I haven't played with it too much. I just tried briefly and it seems fine.
Overall, I'm very impressed with Andy's work and very satisfied with the guitar. He kept me informed of his progress and sent pictures during the build- which I enjoyed a lot.
Here are some pics:
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