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Posts: 98
Joined: Aug. 20 2008
From: Los Angeles, California
Castillo Blanca
Greetings All, I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for your opinion and replies. All your posts considered i decided to take (all) of your advise and go with mexican cypress with a european spruce top. Peg head blanca using Mr. Castillo's new bracing pattern. i will surely post some video's when i get it. Thanks for all your help.
Daffeyy, Just curious, what new bracing pattern I have a few of Salvador's blancas with Mediteranean cypress all purchased between July 2007 and August 2008. Has he made some major changes to his bracing system?
Yes, his distributer here in the US (Beau Bledsoe) said that he started using a new pattern in 2009. you can see an example in my previous post (mexican vs. spanish cypress) the spanish cypress youtube video is the new model.
You definitely won't regret it. Silviu and I are ordering two more from him. (I own two of his old pattern). His guitars were as good as Conde before. If he thinks his new pattern is an improvement, then it's a no-brainer.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
I have done some reading and am thoroughly convinced Sr. Castillo is an incredible luthier. I just emailed him to order a mexican cypruss and european spruce top. I don't know much about finish but I said that wanted it to be the color of Chicuelo's conde and be semigloss with a french polish top. Does anyone know what color chicuelo's guitar is? Here is a photo.
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Greetings Skimminjerad, thats exactly what i got (except the color) =o) just curious though in going direct to Mr. Castillo what was the cost difference than going through the re-seller.
Chicuelo's guitar is a reddish orange like my profile picture (not avatar). Not sure if you can achieve that color with Frensh Polish cuz it is a build up of laquer as I understand it.
I have done some reading and am thoroughly convinced Sr. Castillo is an incredible luthier. I just emailed him to order a mexican cypruss and european spruce top. I don't know much about finish but I said that wanted it to be the color of Chicuelo's conde and be semigloss with a french polish top. Does anyone know what color chicuelo's guitar is? Here is a photo.
The reddish orange that Salvador made for a friend of mine came out very red - too red in my opinion, but I don't have a picture. It was definitely more red than the usual Conde Orange.
Would your friend's guitar happen to be this one on Salvador's site? That is extremely red. If I were to go for a Conde-like red, I'd opt for nitro lacquer instead of shellac but that's just personal preference. I think the color is possible with either method, but I'm told that going for specific colors is easier with nitro? The OP wants orange anyway so it doesn't really matter.
And how do makers get these rich colors while leaving the rosette with a clear finish?
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I've just ordered my 3rd Castillo -- this one is a negra with palo escrito back. The first 2 had his old Torres bracing pattern. I started with a Mexican cypress blanca, and still love it. I've heard his Spanish cypress and am not convinced there is any difference with Mexican. The Castillo negra I own now is Brazilian RW, and it has a great mellow sound with lots of sustain and projection (incredibly responsive), but a very classical sound. Classical guitarists are trying to buy it from me, in fact. I have heard that palo escrito is lighter and has a more flamenco sound, so the combination of palo escrito and the new bracing pattern is my excuse for buying yet another Castillo.
But the real reason? They are an absolute delight to play. I've owned Ramiez, dela Chica, and other good guitars (some great), and I've compared the Castillo side-by side to Conde, Reyes, Devoe. Castillo wins, hands down. No wonder their price is going up so fast.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
FYI Salvador's first guitar with the new pattern was #248. He is now up to about #320 or so, and has produced almost exactly 3 guitars per month at an extremely steady and uniform rate since #187 in October 2006.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
a_arnold wrote: FYI Salvador's first guitar with the new pattern was #248. He is now up to about #320 or so, and has produced almost exactly 3 guitars per month at an extremely steady and uniform rate since #187 in October 2006.
Tony, I have 216, 254 and 258. I really love them all, but 216 is my favorite. A little more woody, earthy. Just a touch less of the metallic edge and bite of the other 2. Just a hair sweeter in the tone in my opinion. That is why in an earlier post to you when you all discussed this new improved bracing pattern, I mentioned the concern that new and different is not always better. I had suspected in my own guitars and guitars of Salvador that have passed through my hands that he is trending more toward a little bigger but also brasher sound in my opinion, and I was concerned that this newer pattern would go more in that direction. It is at least good to know that all the guitars I am talking about except for my older 216 were after 248 and already had the new bracing already. They are great, but he should not go any further in that direction in my opinion.
I have 216, 254 and 258. I really love them all, but 216 is my favorite. A little more woody, earthy. Just a touch less of the metallic edge and bite of the other 2. Just a hair sweeter in the tone in my opinion.
Michael, I have #187, #200, and just this week received #317. The first is blanca (Mex. cypres), the other two negra (BRW and palo escrito, in that order). All are Euro Spruce.
Everything you say agrees with my experience. The last one (new bracing pattern) is incredibly loud and responsive. The difference is immediately noticeable. I have played #187 (old bracing pattern) alongside a conde blanca and it was both sweeter, louder and easier to play. But #317 (new bracing pattern) is a huge step forward for Castillo and a big step beyond what he (or anyone else, IMO) can achieve in projection. I have to expect his demand is going to skyrocket as word gets around. But, as you say, the sound is not just louder, but more brash.
However, I have to say that the #317 guitar CAN be sweet and lyrical if I back off to normal volume. It only becomes brash when I push it enough to overshadow the other guitars in the cuadro. Which it will easily do now at the top end of the dynamic range. I've never heard another unamplified flamenco guitar that was louder.
I have looked inside the guitars (old and new bracing) with a mirror and I can't see any difference in the bracing. Maybe I don't know what to look for. There are 7 Torres fan braces, and two angled ones at the bottom of the lower bout, almost at right angles to the bottom of the fan, and almost touching in the middle. They look like they are intended to stiffen the top and stop splits from starting at the lower binding. They are visible in one of the photos on Castillo's web site. Anyone know what these 2 braces are called?
In the exact center between those 2 braces is a small cleat. Probably to prevent splits between the 2 lower braces.
What differences might I look for to understand the new bracing? Castillo is reticent about the difference, other than to say it starts with #248. But certainly had the effect he said it would.
One difference might be this: there is a significant amount of "silk" in the top of #317. I posted under "luthiery" about that. But, of course, that isn't bracing.
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"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
Michael: So around what time (month and year) did Salvador changed to the new pattern? Mine was made in March '09 (277) and he did not tell me about it, I guess I was to green to ask. I just so proud of mine and happy to have a SC.
Tony said Salvador started with the new pattern around guitar 248 and I guess he completes 2 or 3 per month. My 254 is July 2008 and 258 is September 2008 so you could do the math and figure out around what month and year 248 was - some time late 2007 or early 2008 I guess.
Tony said Salvador started with the new pattern around guitar 248 and I guess he completes 2 or 3 per month. My 254 is July 2008 and 258 is September 2008 so you could do the math and figure out around what month and year 248 was - some time late 2007 or early 2008 I guess.
I asked Salvador directly. He started the new pattern with exactly #248.
I own #187 (October 2006) and #317 (May 2010). That calculates to almost exactly 3 a month.
_____________________________
"Flamenco is so emotionally direct that a trained classical musician would require many years of highly disciplined formal study to fail to understand it."
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