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Jim Opfer -> Guitar shops in Torremolinos (Apr. 12 2004 10:47:13)
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I read D. E. Pohren's book 'Paco de Lucia and Family: The Master Plan' a few years ago and went to see his brother in law's shop that gets a mention in the book (page 131)
Snr. Antonio Corrales 'La Casa de las Guitarras' in calle Casablanca, 4.
I thought it would make for an interesting visit.
The shop sits on a corner with big windows on three sides. There's lots of posters on show advertising the book and various factory guitars hanging in the windows.
Snr. Corrales speaks good English but it was a bit like squeezing blood out of a vampire, trying to find out what guitars he had for sale. He took down a few dust covered guitars he had hanging on his wall and told me that they were very good and offered to sell them to me at what I thought were extortionate prices.
After a bit of playing, he produced a mid range factory Conde that had quite good sound but the action was too low and the top was rippled. This guitar was 1800 Euros.
I mentioned the defect in the top and was told that I didn't understand, this was a Conde and the ripple on the top was insignificant, the sound was the thing and these things could not be explained, you had to feel it in your heart (standing there with his right fist thumping his chest). He showed me a Conde with Rio back and sides, I was told, the same one as Paco's, and priced at 5500 Euros, I could try it but only if I bought it? It went back into it's case having had only a moments breath of air and I got out quick wondering what all that had been about.
Pretty dissalusioned by it all, it was great to stumble upon 'Guitarras Classical y Flamenco' just a few hundred yards along the same street and meet the owner Snr. Manuel Montoya. A really genuine and humble man who had been a professional player but had to stop because of a nasty injury to his right hand. He now has a small shop and he and his wife sell guitars, strings and CD's.
The great thing was that I noticed a picture of him taken some time I guess in the 60's where he's playing his Gerundino peghead in duo with none other than Paco del Gastor! This man's the real thing, turns out he was resident tocaor for the local pena 'Pepe Lopez' in Torremolinas and his family are related to Don Ramon Montoya. Manuel very kindly let me play his prize guitar, a 1969 Ferrer, with great sound and very nice action. This guitar was a bit beat up and had originally been a peghead now fitted with tuners, but still a very nice guitar at 1500 Euros. I bought some CD's and in all had a very enjoyable hour or so in his company.
What a contrast within a stone throw of each other.
Cheers
Jim.
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