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Tom Blackshear's 1977 Rodriguez Model
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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 Tom Blackshear's 1977 Rodriguez Model
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I am now the proud owner of this great instrument. On Thursday, June 2, I visited Tom at his home and shop in San Antonio, Texas, about an hour and a half drive from my home in Austin. I took with me a couple of guitars, a flamenca that Tom had expressed interest in seeing, and the Abel Garcia classical to "calibrate" the room where I would try out his. The room has an important influence on the sound of a guitar, and I wanted to be sure what I was hearing.
Tom's guitar is a magnificent instrument. Based on only about an hour's serious acquaintance, it may be the best classical I have ever owned. It definitely wants to be a classical. Played softly the sound is full and deep. With a little more force in the right hand and the correct angle of the nails the depth is augmented by a clear and brilliant attack. The combined depth and brilliance of tone is one I have rarely, if ever, experienced.
I'm traveling at the moment, attending the high school graduation of one of my grand-nieces and the resulting family gathering. I'm eager to get Tom's guitar home and compare it with the Romanillos. At present my impression is that Tom's guitar speaks more easily, and yields its glorious tone immediately. The Romanillos is a very different guitar, and a little more particular. The right hand attack has to be precise for it to display its beauty and variety of tone. Will Tom's guitar yield the same wide tonal range as the Romanillos?
I will write more about Tom's instrument as I get to know it better. On my brief acquaintance with it, I feel very fortunate to have it.
Time to shave and dress for the graduation ceremony, and more family get-together. I see some of the people who live overseas only rarely, but enjoy it when I get the chance.
Thanks for a wonderful instrument, Tom!
RNJ
By the way, Tom insisted on throwing in an expensive Visesnut case (see Richard Brune's web page rebrune.com) at a steep discount.
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Date Jun. 4 2016 15:59:43
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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RE: Tom Blackshear's 1977 Rodriguez ... (in reply to Ricardo)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Ricardo
I got to finally try out my Visenut rain cover on Sunday, but alas it was not the torrential down pour as was predicted.
Apparently you should have been in Austin on Thursday while i was visiting Tom Blackshear in San Antonio. Nine inches of rain in one day! One of the roads I often travel in Austin parallels Bull Creek. There are seven low water crossings. The creek was still flowing a few inches over the road yesterday on all seven--on Sunday after the rain on Thursday! There was plenty of evidence that the creek had been out of its banks, and took out fair sized trees and heavy underbrush.
But today was clear and sunny, and I got in a full practice session on the Blackshear Rodriguez model. It's even better than I thought.
After a couple of hours on the Blackshear, with frequent short breaks, I compared it to the 2009 Abel Garcia and the 1973 Romanillos. The Garcia is an excellent guitar, but the Blackshear is objectively better, being stronger above the 12th fret. The Blackshear also can go louder with little sense of strain. As far as tone, it is a matter of taste. The Garcia has a brilliant, complex spruce tone, the Blackshear has a lush cedar tone, but it can be as brilliant as you would like.
Compared to the Romanillos, the two are, as I said, very different guitars. I would not say one was better than the other. The spruce Romanillos tone is more "pure" with a less complex harmonic structure than the Blackshear, but the Romanillos is capable of great tonal variety--so is the Blackshear. The Romanillos can go just a little brassier near the bridge, for me at least, but the Blackshear is not seriously lacking in that department. I would describe the default tone of the Blackshear as more "lush" than the Romanillos. Both are very great guitars, for whatever my opinion may be worth.
I showed both classicals and the Arcangel Fernandez blanca to my 19-year old grand-nephew, in my brother's nice sounding, good sized, high ceiling living room with a hardwood floor, only partly covered by a rug. He played them a bit--though he has been mostly doing steel string finger style lately. He liked the Blackshear better than the Garcia, but the Arcangel best of all.
My sister-in-law, an accomplished singer, liked the Blackshear best.
RNJ
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Date Jun. 7 2016 3:52:24
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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RE: Tom Blackshear's 1977 Rodriguez ... (in reply to SephardRick)
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Hearing Tom sound the guitar in the videos here on the foro, with his decidedly flamenco touch, I thought it might be good for both classical and flamenco, and asked him whether he thought that was the case. He responded that his classicals tended to have a bit of flamenco edge, but this instrument was mainly classical in character.
After playing it for several days, I conclude that this guitar really wants to be played classically. I have played both classical and flamenco for years. I started off with flamenco.
I hold a guitar differently for classical and flamenco, which emphasizes the difference in presentation of the right hand to the strings. The two genres are played with different right hand technique, for pulgar, picado and arpeggio.
I audited a master class where Grisha gave a very informative lesson on rasgueado to classical students of Adam Holzman at the University of Texas. Holzman himself paid very careful attention, and the student's rasgueado improved significantly.
I have played classicals whose pulgar, picado and arpeggio sound very good played with flamenco technique. In fact I own at least one. But both of my flamencas are way, way better at rasgueado.
Tom's Rodriguez model is an outstanding, world class classical instrument, but I like both of my flamencas better for flamenco.
RNJ
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Date Jun. 16 2016 20:32:43
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3430
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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RE: Tom Blackshear's 1977 Rodriguez ... (in reply to SephardRick)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SephardRick
So, RNJ...
Care to give the forum members an update? Have you changed the strings yet?
...at least a couple of times, sticking with the high tension D'Addario EJ-46s that Tom recommends.
I was enthusiastic about the guitar to begin with. It has continued to iget better.
One notable feature when it was brand new was a slight weakness of the note at the 8th fret on the first string. It's a climactic note in a piece I play frequently. On my other classicals the note can be made to really sing. On the Blackshear, when it was new, there was a slight loss of volume, and a lack of sustain. But it immediately began to improve. Meanwhile I found I could help things by moving the attack slightly toward the bridge for that one note, but the habit never really kicked in.
I spent three weeks in Mexico in November without a guitar, and I just got back from almost four weeks in Florida, traveling with the '67 Ramirez blanca.
Last night I got out the Blackshear, warmed up with scales and arpeggios, and launched into the piece with that climactic note. The weakness had disappeared. It had been the only note on the instrument that was even slightly problematic. Now it has the brilliance and sustain of the rest.
That caught my attention. Listening carefully, I felt that overall the tone had improved as well. But it seems to me that tonal perception is particularly sensitive to context and mind set. The instrument was impressive to begin with, and it continues to mature.
Changing strings: I left the original set on for quite a while. I didn't write down any dates, but it was at least a couple of months, maybe a little longer. But the reason I concluded it was "quite a while" was the surprisingly big improvement after a new set settled in for a few days.
Now I have four classicals. Last year I gave one that I played less than the others to the Austin Classical Guitar Society. A student used it to audition for a place at some conservatories and universities. I heard he got into one of his preferred choices, so I guess the guitar is reasonably capable.
I consider all of the four remaining to be really good guitars, but they are all quite different in sound and touch. I like to say that guitars are like fine wine and wonderful women. The better they are, the more individual their character is. I enjoy the character of the Blackshear. Like a good wine, it continues to improve.
RNJ
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Date Jan. 9 2018 2:13:00
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Tom Blackshear
Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008
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RE: Tom Blackshear's 1977 Rodriguez ... (in reply to SephardRick)
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Hi Rick,
Yes, I work the fine-tuning strictly by feel and hearing. But I've come to realize that age plays a big part in the shaping of tone.
Also, keeping the same string brand, that I fine tune with, is vitally important for this process, since the top will try and marry with the string tension as it ages.
Pepe Romero would probably tell you that his Miguel Rodriguez guitars sometimes have problematic notes but that it doesn't mean it can't be managed with a little finesse, since he enjoys the sound and power of his beloved instruments.
43 years ago I was very impressed with the Miguel Rodriguez classical style, so I sought to try and build it with my limited knowledge at that time. It was a struggle but I stayed with it, as the guitar told me it was worth it.
So, now that I have somewhat mastered the technique of fine tuning, I find great pleasure in building this style, even though it is not perfect.
As I write this, I'm waiting for Richard to show up with his prized 1982 Arcangel Fernandez flamenco guitar. I'm sure his guitar is superior to my new build but I would be very happy to take second place 
_____________________________
Tom Blackshear Guitar maker
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Date Jan. 9 2018 18:57:56
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