estebanana -> RE: Harmonic bars (May 8 2016 8:11:42)
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quote:
Steve, I've been told that the Dammann Nomex top guitars do not exceed mine in volume or projection, just different in character. What does this mean? Just that there is a difference in personal stamp for each builder. In 1974 I started building again and my flamenco prototype included a lower harmonic bar, at the sound-hole, about 1/2" high and with fan braces about 1/4" high and 1/8" wide with what is known on the current Condes as outside low fans with high in the middle areas. This was actually based on a 1958 Ramirez style with certain modification that added 2 outside low fans. It was a fire cracker with a 3/32" thick top, and I revived many stores orders for it. And as you know I have been doing fine tuning for the past 30 + years, much longer than Dammann. So why add this information but just to say that much of this modern style has already been done, to some extent, before Jose Romanillos and Matthias Dammann started building. I built my first guitar in 1958, when David Spinks (Jose Rubio) and I were playing flamenco and building. And I might add that Eugene Clark was giving Mr. Rubio pointers on how to build guitars at that time in history. So the truth be told, there is not hardly anything new under the sun that hasn't been tried before. Note: Romanillos and Dammann are certainly well respected builders and they provide interest in this art. And Steve, I agree that everything in the top has to do with weight and thickness, even in compliance with wood to wood ratio between fan braces and top thickness. _____________________________ Tom, Both my guitar teacher and guitar making teacher were fellows of David Rubio's in NY. David Serva and Mr. Spinks were playing guitar duets together and Eugene was one of the people on the NY scene who did show a few things to Rubio the builder. I've heard the narrative from both of them and a few others who were in that crowd. It would be interesting to hear your version. I've been told by a dealer it was not possible Clark taught Rubio anything about guitar making and that he learned from someone else, but I have pretty good reason to understand a different narrative. I'm not super interested in Dammann/ Wagner style work. I met Randy Reynolds, one of the best double top makers in the US , and probably in the world by now, in 2003. He offered to teach me to make DT's , in retrospect I should have taken him up on it, but I've never seen them as a necessary to understand or make great flamenco guitars. I'm still reeling from playing Steve Kahn's 1924 Santos and I figure you could spend you life just trying to accomplish that as a guitar maker. Under Gene's influence, I guess he made a pretty big impact on my basic understanding, and in some ways I've had to outgrow retool my thinking because he made such an imprint on me; that is to say one real basic thing he brought home is that the guitar is not a LOUD instrument, it's an instrument with voice. When you stress the voice, the human voice, it breaks all apart. He said the guitar does the same thing, if you stress it is ceases to be a voice, it becomes a shout or a yell. We talked a lot about making guitars that speak like great actors, not scream. We had a lot of these silly conversations, that was great fun, and there are some truths, I think. I really need to see him, or send Gene a guitar so he can play it and I can finally get my 'diploma'. [:D]
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