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Lester DeVoe guitar
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Ruphus
Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010
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 Lester DeVoe guitar
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I had communicated with Mr. DeVoe, thinking of joining his waiting list later in time.
However, a while later when Tom Blackshear, as you know a very fine luthier himself, raved about a certain guitar Lester had taken to the Boston GFA, saying that it was the only one that spoke to him of all the guitars he had tried out there, and that this specimen could be of the best Lester ever made, I decided to inquire spontaneously.
- Despite the fact that I had originally been after a spruce top blanca.
Admiring Tom´s work, I trust his judge on subtleties a lot, and with no chance of pre-auditioning anyway he was the best taster I could have thought of.
Lester made this specimen for himself, of his best materials, as he said. Built in 2008, with cedar top, IRW B&S, flamed cedar neck and Sloane tuners.
Having been on that GFA as well, you can see Grisha playing that guitar here http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=715183923522&ref=mf , eventhough the audio in this recording won´t tell much.
As it couldn´t be shipped directly to here, I had to wait for more than 8 months until it arrived a week ago.
According to Lester it had seen only very little playing ( eventhough there is enough flab for me to see - impressingly accurately placed - finger tracks on the fretboard ) and not been broken in yet.
So, when first taken out of its case, eventhough with a promissing growl to it, the guitar didn´t really overwhelm me right away.
But I had learned my lesson about fallen asleep guitars and acclimatisation before. And after it had been tuned up and banged the hell out of it for hours the axe started coming to life hat first night, since then opening up further from day to day.
Being of the rather firmly plucking kind, I was also annoyed in the first minutes when I found the strings from G to low E rattling prematurely.
And it showed that there is a slight hump onn the fretboard that starts slim under the G string and expands downwards to the E string where it stretches from 11th to 13th fret. Frankly, my first thoughts were a bit like "What else could I have bought with such a cash ..."
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To evaluate specifics in detail I made an extensive back and forth comparison with a Ramirez blanca from 1970.
That one should serve as quite a benchmark in general terms. It is a highly responsive, feather weight construction with buttery pulsation, great balance and separation, and most remarkably with distinct upper registers which will keep up in volume evenly to the last frets.
Its fundamentals are of depth yet short sustain, accompanied by relatively small measures of overtones, all contributing to separation and percussiveness.
The sonical image resides somewhat midst traditionally dry, yet smooth colour and pristine modern rasp.
A little bit throaty, nasal and dark, with a subtle touch of cigar box flair.
The DeVoe comes in very different from that.
These two in comparison made me fancy the Ramirez like a matured and recognized provincial dancer who´d be visited by her bloomed urban DeVoe niece. The R. leading the way with her slightly wrinkled appearance, but self-confident steps and pirouettes, conquering stage in a way that made you expect the follwing D. to inevitably pale.
However, each time that I put the R. back on the stand, grabbing the D. with the conviction that it just couldn´t do same thing as well, I was in for a positive surprise.
Still, sceptisism lasted for hours until the final impression gradually evolved.
The reason for my sceptisism not only being the preceding earthy charme of the R., but the richness of the D.
The ample sphere of her overtones being something you´d want for a classical guitar, however expect it unsuitable for flamenco as it should just mush the sound at fast arrays of notes.
But to my surprise this is not how it showed to be. Not in the slightest.
The fundamentals come through distinctively throughout, with each string yet clearly revealing its individual attack, notwithstanding how intense rasgueados and whirls be.
The secret of the simultaneity miracle, as I assume, must be the outstanding harmony of the overtones to the fundamental. They are remarkably linear.
Similar with the trebels, which the Ramirez excells with.
Still, the D. wouldn´t stay behind, revealing the same substance of tone and eveness in volume up to the highest notes. Only with considerably more of sparkling overtones. ( At that I even discovered first time that the R. has a wolftone on the upper E strings 18th fret, whereas no dead note to be found on the Ds. fretboard.)
The final aspect that I presumed the DeVoe to succumb was dynamics.
However the D. performed up there with the R.
Could be the dynamic range of the R. being a miniscule bit broader, however I am certain that to be changing rather soon. After all the D. is just being played in while the R. had the time to ripen for over 40 years.
After a night of concentrated comparison the DeVoe emerged as a true gem.
She basically has a similar base of tone like the R., only that all of her notes from trebles down to the basses are crowned with metallic shimmer; not standing behind the smooth percussiveness of her vintage aunt at all and on top of it surrounded with floating clouds of sparkle.
In the end she left the R. behind almost as if the R. was kind of sluggish and blund, which is a weird kind of association when you listen to the old lady solely.
As mentioned initially, I actually was after a rather different sort of flamenca. Feather weight, mighty hollow and almost brittle, which the DeVoe is not. ( It still is in the light weight category, but at the lower end of it.) - And I know where to find such, should I be crazy enough to go for yet another flamenca in the future.
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I never understood why Paco de Lucia did not stick to that blanca featured in those kitchen videos from the sixties, but chose to go with Conde negras.
Anyway, in his arsenal of guitars he seems to have at least one specimen with a beautifully hollow and crisp tone which to my taste leaves nothing to be desired. Yet, now I can see why he despite of owning such perfect flamenco instruments got himself some of Lester´s builds still.
Guitars of a characteristic that might not be exactly "mui flamenco" but maybe "belleza flamenco" or so.
Another shade that deserves its untraditional place in the genre.
A type not that grimly maybe, but flirting.
Allowing cascades of percussive notes, yet with a singing tail to everything.
Velvet from ground up, yet not short of metallic verve when your nails brush over the strings.
This seems a kind of guitar that holds something special to its own.
Albeit, not necessarily before all visually.
I can see that the polishing buff must have been carrying one or two motes ( beside of tiny dangs and scratches on top and back that exhibition demo instruments [ yet sans discount |0P ] might show ); the rosette is premade etc. But Lester won´t conceal ( in conversation ) that cosmetics are not what he wants to overly concentrate on.
He obviously prefers to focus on construction. It must have been what provided the very remarkable harmonic consistence of overtones to fundamentals with this guitar and other of above mentioned features.
I also would had embraced a couple 100 grams less ( though admittedly uncertain whether less material would still allow substance of tone as given ), and wished the pulsation was a bit softer. But I expect the latter to losen up still as we go.
Also could I do with a tad more of specicific personality ( like my Rodriguez has plenty of, or the Mangore ), but as Mr. DeVoe mentions himself, his guitars come from the shop rather neutral and take shape yet with the characteristics of the player.
Obviously even his cedar tops, as I fancy in view of the instruments development in just the past days.
Lester also mentioned that recording engineers like his guitars, which I had actually forgotten, but came to think of it myself while experiencing the basses which don´t boom eventhough deep and punchy.
I don´t even mind the fretboards hump anymore, for the fundamental note actually keeps coming through yet when you enter the rattling state. Also one seems to adjusts unconsciously to it, challenged to be more targeted with hitting the strings.
For my individual specs the necks round could had been a bit more shaved off at the regions approximate to the fretboards edge.
But that´s personal demand anyway.
What the Sloanes are concerned, this must now be the third or fourth boutique production that tempts me to recommend Klaus Scheller mechanics to anyone who is thinking of obtaining precision gears for his guitarra.
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In summry, this is a beautiful little treasure that I love to think of how she lies so greatly fit into her case ( not too lose, not too tight besides, and evenly supported under the neck / with no levering ), waiting for to be taken out as a beautiful urban niece of racy provincial dancers.
Stuffed so abundantly, yet waiting for you to imprint your individual temper.
- And you waiting for the time of day when you open that lid and let the woods odor greet you warmly.
Unlike with my initial swayings: If I had to let go either the Ramirez or the DeVoe, the latter would defintily be the one to stay with mio.
Lester is about to retire* and I think it has been a good idea to grab one of his.
( Disclaimer: Lester is NOT retiring. I had misunderstood him!)
My sincere greatfulness to Tom Blackshear, Mr. DeVoe and friends of mine who all went out of their way to help me get my hands on this one! 
Ruphus
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Apr. 18 2011 1:45:35
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Ruphus
Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010
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RE: Lester DeVoe guitar (in reply to Ruphus)
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Thank your for the appreciation, KMM177! :0)
I think to know what you mean.
During a performance on stage or while accompanying dancers one might not want a guitar that gives away the way each and every note has been hit like under a magnifying glass. Instead prefering the groove to just prevail in the first place.
But in my case such "magnifying glasses" come in handy, as I don´t gig and play only for myself.
In fact I want to hear details as much as possible, which is why I also find myself practising in the night when a quiet environment allows me to hear well what I´m doing.
This is not only for being a sonic addict, but more so, because I am rebuilding my technique from scratch / hence need minute feedback.
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I´d like to mention it again: I absolutely dig the sound of the vintage guitar you found.
It has such a wonderful, dirty, 100% flamenco sound to it and seems so immediate to boot.
What a great resurrection from the dust! ( And great that it didn´t end up somewhere as a mistaken 300 bucks campfire axe!)
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Robson,
I don´t know what offended you; this review was written with good intentions.
What might have shown through though ( without me realizing it ) could be that I was pissed while typing.
That is because I had almost finished the text before when a security application rebooted the computer while I was away, so that the text went digital nirvana and me having to rewrite the review with grinding teeth.
No tracks for a while.
All recording gear is packed and stored away, as I am laborating on focal dystonia, vastly avoiding to play pieces / reducing the risk of falling back into dysfunctional habits before the new motorics have been established first.
- Pleased with the results so far, but it will be needing yet a good measure of time until everything will be reprogrammed and habitual.
Ruphus
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Apr. 18 2011 14:31:09
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rombsix
Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon
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RE: Lester DeVoe guitar (in reply to Ruphus)
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quote:
I don´t know what offended you; this review was written with good intentions.
He is NOT referring to this post solely, but rather to all of your posts in general. I find myself to have an OK level of English reading, writing, and speaking, yet I find myself struggling to understand what you mean (when you write) on many occasions, mainly because of the usage of somewhat complex vocabulary, as well as a style that is not as straightforward and easy-to-grasp as possible.
He's saying you should "tone down" your usage of Shakespearean-like English and stick to more "scientific" or everyday English.
I don't mind though, because your posts are usually quite lengthy, and I always find myself just scanning them or skimming over them fast (mainly because I am too busy with studies, exams, lab work, etc.) - this shows from the fact that I have NOT been as active regarding posting audio/video material as I usually am...
Hopefully I'll be back in the summer, though... Now how did this post suddenly become about me?  
Cheers Ruphus! 
_____________________________
Ramzi
http://www.youtube.com/rombsix
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Apr. 19 2011 10:56:31
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Ruphus
Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010
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RE: Lester DeVoe guitar (in reply to Ruphus)
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Gotcha, Rombsix.
You better return to slow reading after exam stress is over, though.
Just today at breakfast I read an artcile about yields of modern media consumption and fast reading. Title of the scientifical essay: "We Only Scratch Surfaces Anymore". US scientist Nicholas Carr explaining on the internet reading effect on the brain.
Eventhough I dare to claim that it is not the internet that teaches superficial reading, but what users make of it.
I think I post for slow motion readers, and suppose that you will belong to those, when you return from exam in summer.
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Hey Julian,
You seem a generous spirit, and I really dig that. Thank you! :0)
Should you be interested in modestly priced, yet outstandingly well working tuners for your current guitar, I´d like to draw your attention to a product named "Reliance Dixon" I think. It is manufactured in South Korea. ( Below a rough picture, unfortunately had made none from profile.)
I found it on an upper student model from Amalio Burguet, and it showed to be the most seamless, precise and retaining serial production mechanics I recall. These equalled or even outperformed some boutique tuners.
They can´t be too expensive, otherwise the would likely not be mounted on student guitars. They seem not to be found on the internet anywhere, but I am sure Mr. Burguet would let you know where he obtained them from if you ask him kindly.
When you might order from Klaus for your future guitar, remember to ask him about all shapes available, for not all models being listed on his website. Also try to describe your preference on pegs smoothness. He will adjust their torsion resistance to demand if you ask him for.
Ruphus
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Date Apr. 19 2011 12:30:39
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Ruphus
Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010
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RE: Lester DeVoe guitar (in reply to Julian)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Julian
Hey Ruphus,
thanks for the tuner advice. I installed Exagon tuning machines on my new guitar (although I considered the Schellers), which are really great and not as pricey as the Schellers, but that is another topic (there is a thread in the lutherie section).
In fact I own a Burguet 2f with Rubner tuning machines that I wanted to change since I purchased the guitar. Thats a funny coincidence, so I'm going to get some more information
Julian
Hi Julian,
Funny that you have a Burguet too.
I hadn´t heard of him before, when I stumbled over that mapple guitar in the `neglect corner´of a store. All covered with dust.
Turned out that it had the sweetest singing trebles, so I took it home. After a couple of days I figured that the mids and basses were not separating enough, but now my interest in the maker was peaked. So, I returned it and asked the store to order some top of the line from Burguet.
They then had a flamenco and three classicals delivered and I ended up with an AB Rio of his.
The AB hasn´t such lovely high notes like the mapple, but great overall performance.
quote:
ORIGINAL: malakka
It's amazing how lazy folks are. His posts are a little long winded and worded a bit strangely. However, he has interesting things to say and it is not difficult to glean his messages. Give the guy a break!
Thank you, Malakka.
I have decided to not reply anymore to such. To the kid above I only replied, because of it could have been that he was sincere, but as can be seen in his second post now it´s just about teeny mimicing outburst mode. Let alone silly lowbrows like Nealf.
They mostly amuse me. Short of arguments, painting me with dictionaries in hand with my posts, so that I should impress them. hehehe
The amusing part in the first place being how they complain about where they are coming from, shooting in on me as if I was responsible for their vegetating. chrrr
If you don´t receive bias of retarded mindset once in a while then you must have sunken into triviality pursuit.
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Back to the actual matter of the thread:
The review above is almost insubstantial.
Though I had not thought so, for the weather now being rather moderate, the DeVoe must have been exposed to extreme heat / dryness of air during transport.
Not as badly as another guitar half a year ago, but still enough to have obviously ended up substantially under performing.
The courier of the last guitars had been asked by me to taking the cases with himself into the planes cabine by all means.
With the last two the stewardesses had taken the case from him and stored it away in the staff section.
I suspect now that the cases might have been positioned beside a heating or maybe a micro wave oven. ( And that I must have been really lucky that none of the two cracked. - Definitly so with the second transport.)
Anyway, the DeVoe obviously seems to recover from hefty treatment and is developing drastically.
And last night, after her been restringed ...
Boy, did she blow me out of the mules!! 
The way she shows now a comparison with the Ramirez would had not taken place from start.
For you don´t compare barracudas with carps, do ya.
Hey, while Ramirez classicals might be inconsistant in production and arguable, the brand´s flamencas from that time are reknown for not being too shabby. ( This one certainly isn´t.)
So, it shall tell you some about the properties of the DeVoe, which could outperform a good matured example, yet while in intensive care unit so to say. - Not delivering a fraction yet of what she could had potentially offered.
I couldn´t put her aside last night. Not for hours and hours again, until dawn.
Think to not have been that happy and excited for years. |0)
Ruphus
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Date Apr. 21 2011 13:37:56
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