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RE: Yet another newbie here desperately seeks foro members advice:)
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Guitarsid
Posts: 52
Joined: Aug. 5 2013
From: Maryland USA
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 RE: Yet another newbie here desperat... (in reply to hando)
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hando,
I am not qualified to give you a good opinion or answer to your questions.
But I will just tell you what I did, until I got a real flamenco designed guitar (although just a 500 dollar Kremona)
I lowered the action on the saddle as low as it could go, leaving just enough bone to ramp the strings over top of the wood slot holding the saddle.
My classical is a Cordoba C5, so it has a truss rod, I tightened it a bit to take the relief down along the neck. I stuck a plastic golpeador only on the 1st string lower side below the strings because that is the only golpe I can hit yet.
Then I played most all the time with a capo on the second fret.
This really brought the action down where I believe it was acceptable for a beginning stage.
After these changes, the 12 fret top to 6th string was about 3 mm.
The height from golpeador to bottom of 1st string was sitting right at 10 mm.
As far as the sound, there is a really cheap easy way to dampen the sound if you want to, just stick a piece of duct tape parallel over the strings at the saddle and only covering about 1/8 of an inch of the strings. This will give you a nice shorter sustain. These may be temporary solutions, if you stick with it, you will naturally advance and be lusting for a good flamenco guitar like me!
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Date Aug. 15 2013 20:09:57
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SLJ
Posts: 85
Joined: Jul. 12 2013
From: Houston Texas
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RE: Yet another newbie here desperat... (in reply to Guitarsid)
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I just saw the post on the C5 cordoba, that's my "good" guitar,,, I end up playing the cheaper Yamaha,, and now I just realized its the sustain,, that makes me not like the cordoba as well.
I have the corbdoba,, is there anything I can do to lessen sustain? Ive tightened the truss rod, shaved the saddle, even put low tension to try to get the sound like I want . still Im not happy with it. I paid 3, be lucky to get 2, I m sure.
Steve
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Date Aug. 16 2013 12:57:52
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SLJ
Posts: 85
Joined: Jul. 12 2013
From: Houston Texas
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RE: here desperately seeks foro memb... (in reply to tri7/5)
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It wasn't for tone,,, I was trying to get a lower action,,, that just everything Ive done. I think it could go down at nut, but Im leary on doing it,,, I don't have much exp. on doing it on a fretted inst.
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Date Aug. 16 2013 13:05:55
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Guitarsid
Posts: 52
Joined: Aug. 5 2013
From: Maryland USA
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RE: Yet another newbie here desperat... (in reply to SLJ)
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quote:
I just saw the post on the C5 cordoba, that's my "good" guitar,,, I end up playing the cheaper Yamaha,, and now I just realized its the sustain,, that makes me not like the cordoba as well.
I have the corbdoba,, is there anything I can do to lessen sustain?
Steve, the C5 is a very nice classical, but yes you are right, it will never sound like a really good flamenco in that regard. However, it is a very good, well made, excellent sounding guitar for $300. I understand that Kenny Hill ( a very notable luthier) was in charge of starting up this Cordoba line that is made in China. Historically, China does not have a reputation for making good guitars, but that has changed drastically in the last ten years. They are making much better and cheaper stuff now, you know the basic reason, cheaper labor.
I have done a good bit of guitar building and repair, mostly steel and electric.
I think that the only thing you can do to reduce the sustain, is to dampen the vibrations back at the saddle. A piece of tape across the top of the strings will do it, but that is sort of a temporary novelty thing, not a solution. Also a small thin strip of soft foam can be stuck under the strings, right at the saddle.
These will dampen sustain and unfortunately, the tone, with a real quality flamenco guitar you get it all, great tone and the quick decay that makes for such good sounding attack and separation of notes.
There is one other thing that will cut the sustain just a little bit and that is playing with a capo (I usually do on the second fret). This makes the action very low and the string length is shorter so the decay of vibration is a little faster.
I will keep my C5 for classical stuff, but in time, if I get any good at this style, and before my arthritis advances, I will be frothing at the mouth for the real deal!
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Date Aug. 16 2013 13:57:45
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The action at the first fret on the 3456 strings are all 0.2- 0.3mm now. It's rather uneven. And 1,2strings are kissing the first fret in french style 
