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Jonnycake -> My "rocinante " 1998 Victor Diaz (Oct. 9 2020 9:31:53)
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With apologies to that great sci-fi show " the Expanse",
I'm sharing my story on my first flamenco guitar.
As previously described in another thread,my Faustino Conde story,this guitar came to me from Manuel Diaz of Granada and his son Victor after my visit there some years ago.
Described as a top level student guitar and priced at $2600 with an old style rosette I was thrilled to have this guitar arrive on my doorstep all the way from that comfy and friendly shop on cuesta gomerez,Granada.
I've recently decided to name this,my now old stalwart companion, "Rocinante" or workhorse due to the long suffering abuse at my hands and her unabashed and humble physical characteristics.
It wasnt till I acquired an '83 Conde, a very distinguished and elegant guitar and from a different social level altogether that " Roci" was put out to pasture.
Recently however I've brought her out ,dusted her off and been banging away on her just like old times.
This guitar has been through a lot which the pix reveal and so herein is my tale of her trials at my hands.
If I remember correctly it was a chinook to blame,that crazy weather phenomenon characteristic in Calgary, Alberta Canada where in a few hours winter temperatures can go from like 30 below to 50 above.
This guitar having been left out in relative coolness was suddenly subjected to blasting furnace heat and super dry conditions for a few days.
Resulting in a long dry crack and a shrunken fingerboard as my poor guitar was suffering from acute dehydration and now in dire need of repair.
A local guitar repairman did the best he could with paper for the cracks and a humidifier to bring this guitar back from the dead.
We also replaced the tap plates and in doing so really scarred the finish..I also installed one of those under the bridge p.u.'s for some -at the time i thought-good reason.
Fast forward a few years,many campfires,parties and gigs later to her next trial where another crack developed.Naturally well hydrated in the Vancouver,Canada climate this injury was entirely due to me banging her about like some rock and roll floozy or stratocaster ( yes they like some abuse!)
Anyway off to Nicole Alosinac 's shop in Vancouver where using an old violin repair trick,goat skin patches for the cracks,Roci was in fighting trim once again.We also added a pre- ban elephant ivory piece at the bridge and this guitar never sounded better.
By now this guitar had loads of character and a deep somewhat raw but muy flamenco voice.
With a groove worn into the wood by my thumbnail and many scratches and dings this old workhorse was my go to flamenco for 20 years,supplanted at last by an '83 Conde ,who as a proper lady deserves the best of care and will never know the trials of her country cousin,the 1998 Victor Diaz.
Today after playing the Diaz for a few hours I'm of mixed feelings..yes the Conde is lighter,perfect in many ways and is definitely an aristocrat compared to the Diaz but the wider neck,throaty punch and rustic appeal of my first flamenco guitar has still got a hold on me.
I sometimes wonder if I should get someone to really fix her up,it wouldnt be like putting lipstick on a pig but more like giving an old friend a facelift,and taking her out for another roll in the hay..just like we used to do..
Cheers everyone, thanks for reading!
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