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RobF -> RE: solera flamenca in barcelona (Sep. 4 2023 1:23:10)
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quote:
… My problem is that I am not young anymore. I am 52. I don't know how long I will live and would love to play flamenco guitar before I leave this planet. Old people don't have time to wait. All you said makes sense -more experience is needed when buying expensive instrument. I was thinking about basic flamenco guitar-but flamenco guitar. For me time is running fast. If I wait I might never get a chance to own flamenco guitar because before I develop skills I might just die. Yes, maybe this is funny for some people but for me it is sad reality.
I think you should re-evaluate the requirement to buy the guitar in Spain and the insistence that it be made there, too. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with having your biases, except for the biases themselves (which frankly are kind of nonsensical), but you don’t know enough about the flamenco guitar or even your own needs to be placing the kinds of restrictions on your search that you’ve been doing.
Even experienced guitarists will make bad purchases on occasion. Price doesn’t matter. The bottom line is many/most/all guitarists will make purchase decisions based on factors that don’t always line up with buying the best available instrument. Your stated criteria proves this. But, don’t worry, you’re not alone, everybody does stuff like this, including me. People buy based on colour, label, country of origin, historical significance, what somebody famous plays, etc, none of which has a gnat’s measure of poo-poo to do with the quality of the instrument they end up with.
Very, very few people possess the skills to make an unbiased evaluation when purchasing an instrument for personal use. It’s really not in our nature to be that dispassionate and it’s almost pointless to worry about it. The problem arises when we try to use a physical object to satisfy an emotional urge or fill a metaphysical void that extends far beyond the object itself. It’s chasing a platonic ideal and it simply can’t be done. We need to remind ourselves of that aspect of our nature, we can’t be satisfied when we follow that path. Better to remember what the guitar is actually for and get over ourselves.
As I mentioned in an earlier response to another of your posts, going to Spain to buy a guitar can be a lot of fun. You’ll go to interesting places, you’ll meet a lot of great people and, if you’re willing to listen, you’ll learn about guitars. That’s all good. You’ll also end up in places that’ll be happy to relieve you of your money. Just be aware that after you buy the guitar you’ll take it home and play it for a while and I pretty well guarantee you that you’ll realize it’s not the last word. They never are. Doesn’t matter what you spend, where it was made, or where you buy it. It’s just how it is. Try to keep it in perspective.
My concern with this whole Spain fantasy is you’re going to get ripped off and all this Foro talk will have been meaningless. People selling guitars to tourists in Spain have been doing so for a long time and they’re going to see you coming from a mile away. You’d be better served to loosen up on the restrictions and try to buy locally from someone you can trust or, at the very least, from someone with whom you can communicate. I don’t believe for one minute that there aren’t viable instruments available in Ireland or the UK. Go to Spain for the food, the music, the wonderful weather, and also for your love of flamenco and the flamenco guitar. Go to celebrate life. If you happen to find a guitar you like during your travels, great, get it, but don’t make that the focus of the trip. And, for goodness sake, stop overthinking it. If your time on earth is truly limited then buy something nice now and stop worrying about whether your skills line up. When they finally do, if you decide what you’ve got isn’t for you, it’s no big deal, just sell it and get another. Or not. In the grand scheme of things does any of this really matter? Just get a guitar and start playing it. It’s supposed to be about the music.
I sincerely hope your health improves. It sucks to be as young as you are and have to think about your time left on the planet as being limited. It can really mess you up. I wish you the best. I really do.
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