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2004 Tom Blackshear 'Reyes'
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avimuno
Posts: 598
Joined: Feb. 9 2007
From: Paris, France
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 2004 Tom Blackshear 'Reyes'
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Hello everyone,
I should probably be posting this in the review section, but since it is also relevant for this section, I'll post in both.
I have acquired a 2004 Blackshear 'Reyes' about 5 months ago and I wanted to share my experience and impressions of this guitar after having played it heavily over the past 5 months.
It is the first 'Reyes' that Tom built and it's the very guitar he talks about on his website.
The previous owner had the neck flattened to be more like a Conde's neck (which is very confortable to play for long periods of time). The job was expertly done by German Vasquez Rubio, on the recommendation of Tom.
He also had Tom do some further fine-tuning to the top.
The craftmanship is flawless. It's a beautiful guitar that has been expertly put together by Tom using the best possible materials. I have owned a number of good guitars in the past, namely: a Kenny Hill 'Reyes', a Conde (Felipe V), an Antonio Raya Pardo and a Hermanos Sanchis Lopez 1F... all blancas.
I can honestly say that Tom's craftmanship is up there with the best of them.
Now the interesting part... playability and sound.
One thing I usually find very important for me is the tension/pulsation of the guitar. Tension that's too low does not give you a good 'definition' in the sound, especially when pushed. And tension that's too high is simply quite painful on the right hand.
The Blackshear's tension is perfect for me... higher than the Hill, Raya Pardo and Sanchis Lopez, but lower than the Conde, which I thought was way too high... even compared to my teacher's Pedro de Miguel and other Condes I have played in the past.
The Blackshear just 'feels' right. It's loose enough for powerful rasgeados but stiff enough for each note to retain its definition when I dig in with my right hand. I string the guitar with high tension trebles and normal tension basses, and it's exactly the way I like it: perfect for my dance studio gig. If I'm playing a 'solo' gig, I usually just put a high tension set on there and it also does a great job.
Soundwise it's an amazing guitar... period! I have never played a real Reyes so I cannot compare it to one. The closest thing to it I guess would be the Kenny Hill 'Reyes', which in my opinion, although being a good instrument, is not at the level of the Blackshear.
The guitar has crystalline bell-like trebles and rich/'loose' basses... it sounds very close to Tomatito's Reyes IMHO: not as agressive as Vicente's but with a 'bigger' sound.
Overall the sound could be described as rich, earthy and as having a lot of depth to it. It's both mellow/sweet and aggressive when you need it to be, which is quite unique. It's also full of harmonic overtones which is not common in flamenco blancas, but which works great in this particular design. For example, my friend who's a concert classical guitarist loved it because it could get a sound rich enough for classical guitar, but without being overly 'round' and mellow.
At the same time, the guitar is so loud and aggressive that the other guitarist at the dance studio have to mic up his Sanchis Carpio to be able to be heard over the Blackshear.
All in all, I can honestly say that it's the best guitar I have ever owned. I will never part with that one, and I am really curious as to what the negra version would sound like... maybe one day!
Saludos!
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Apr. 2 2010 12:24:21
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Tom Blackshear
Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008
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RE: 2004 Tom Blackshear 'Reyes' (in reply to avimuno)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: avimuno
Hi nealf,
I don't know how the original setup was so I cannot comment on that. It is pretty nice now however, but as you said, I did get it after the modifications.
As for the neck, if it was shaped like the Kenny Hill 'Reyes' then I would definitely have flattened it a bit... the Reyes neck is known to be round, which suits some people but I tend to prefer flatter necks, a la Conde.
Take care
For everyones' information, this was the very first guitar I built of the Reyes style and I copied it exactly as it was from the maker. But I have since altered the action to be lower at the bridge and fingerboard, and the neck contour to be more like the Conde. The first guitar gave me the experience I needed to continue on with the series of 4 guitars that I built in that style. Now, I build very similar but not quite to the 2003 pattern. I use my own head design and Spanish rosette styles.
However, I'm building a flamenco negra for Grisha to try out at the Austin GFA festival in June this year. It will have a Spruce top with the Reyes style rosette and head design but with fan braces set off a little from the original 2003; a little more like one of his '87 patterns. The guitar will be done top of the line, so we'll see how Grisha likes the playing action, etc.
_____________________________
Tom Blackshear Guitar maker
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Apr. 3 2010 19:12:31
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Ramon Amira
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
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RE: 2004 Tom Blackshear 'Reyes' (in reply to avimuno)
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quote:
As for the neck, if it was shaped like the Kenny Hill 'Reyes' then I would definitely have flattened it a bit... the Reyes neck is known to be round, which suits some people but I tend to prefer flatter necks, a la Conde.
I don't understand this statement, and others who have complained about a "bulky" neck. I have played original Manuel Reyes guitars, and the neck was neither round nor bulky. Here is a quote from Manuel Reyes himself on the subject, from an extraordinary interview in the book "The Flamenco Guitar" by David George.
"The format of my mastil is a little bit flatter towards the center, for good reasons . . . . . A flatter mastil, being less round, affords better placement of the thumb."
Yet Tom Blackshear says he copied his "Reyes" model exactly like the original. This is very confusing, and I wonder where the correct answer lies.
Ramon
_____________________________
Classical and flamenco guitars from Spain Ramon Amira Guitars
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Sep. 1 2012 17:03:43
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Ramon Amira
Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City
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RE: 2004 Tom Blackshear 'Reyes' (in reply to estebanana)
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quote:
Builders change over the years, he might have changed his neck to suit a certain player. What Reyes did in 1966 is substantially different, in details like neck thickness, than what he did in the late 1980's.
Right. That's certainly true, and makes sense. But some of the statements are blanket statements – "Reyes' necks are round" etc. As I said, I have played Reyes guitars that did not fit that description, but those were from the eighties. So in conjunction with your excellent observation, the question that naturally arises here is what year was the Reyes that Tom Blackshear copied and distributed a plan for.
Apart from general interest in construction, one of the reasons I'm interested is that a student of mine is contemplating buying a Francisco Navarro "Reyes," and he asked my advice. I have never played one, but if it had a round, bulky neck I would advise him against it. I don't know how closely Francisco Navarro is following the Blackshear plan, so I'm wondering if anyone knows what the neck is like on a Navarro Reyes.
Ramon
_____________________________
Classical and flamenco guitars from Spain Ramon Amira Guitars
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Sep. 1 2012 18:23:34
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Tom Blackshear
Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008
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RE: 2004 Tom Blackshear 'Reyes' (in reply to Ricardo)
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quote:
In my experience, good flamenco players are much less tolerant about sound and feel than classical players.....simply cuz they play faster and harder and need response immediately with not much fuss, so they are so picky. I would say flamenco "tone" is way more specific than what consitutes "good tone" to classical players. Think of this....the bone saddle means almost nothing to a classical player so long as the action over the fingerboard is acceptable. First thing flamenco player does is inspect the bridge and if its milimeters off then its a simple head shake "no good, not flamenco".
I don't find much here to disagree with and most guitarists in general would agree with it, whether classical or flamenco.
But a good flamenco guitarist will catch the sound, as inspiration, as well as classical players. Tone and articulation is very important, as a player.
If a flamenco player finds the sound he likes then it would be hard to separate him from his guitar, until he gets carried away by some frivolous act of compulsion and trades or sells his baby, usually for a loss, for something totally unrelated to his prized possession 
I've seen classical guitarists do the same. Trade a more expensive model for a guitar they can't live without.
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Date Sep. 2 2012 19:27:39
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