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Reyes models
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3431
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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Reyes models
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Driving from Lafayette Louisiana to Austin yesterday (383 miles=617 km) I stopped off in Houston to check out some of Francisco Navarro's "Reyes Model" guitars at Ron Hudson's Memorial Music. Having driven for a few hours before enduring the ever-expanding nightmare of Houston traffic (4 lanes in each direction, dense traffic traveling 80 miles/hour=130 km/hour, 18 miles=30 km through most of the Houston megapolis) my fingers were stiff from a death grip on the steering wheel, but I found Navarro's guitars interesting. I played a used cocobolo/spruce negra, and two cypress/spruce blancas, one with the Reyes headstock and Navarro's standard label, one with a slightly different headstock and the Vicente Amigo/Navarro label, with a signature, presumably Vicente's, on it. All were strung with Savarez Alliance "carbon" trebles, which I don't particularly like. I had my trusty '67 Ramirez blanca along, with well broken in Savarez "red card" 520-R strings. The basses on the Navarros, looking pretty new, equalled the power and brilliance of the Ramirez's well broken in ones. The trebles of the Navarros seemed to me overbalanced just a little by the basses, but when Ron played for me they seemed a little louder than the Ramirez trebles. My touch was calibrated to the Ramirez, since it was the guitar I had been playing for several days. I commented that the Ramirez nylon trebles had a fuller sound, while the "carbons" on the Navarros were loud, but a little shrill to my taste. The workmanship, setup and prices of the Navarros were all excellent. I might go back some time soon, if I could persuade Hudson to string up one or more of the Navarros with nylon trebles and let them settle for a week or so. I might even take along the '82 Arcangel blanca to compare. Hudson also mentioned that Navarro is making some guitars for the Cordoba brand. The last time I was in Paracho, Mexico at the end of 2006 I visited Navarro's shop. It is on the main street of the town. The only place to try a guitar was by the door opening onto the street, with so much traffic noise it was impossible to tell much about a guitar. Hudson says that since then Navarro has built a house and no longer lives behind the shop, which has expanded. Maybe there is some hope for a quiet place to try out a guitar. Speaking of the Arcangel, I plan to take it to San Antonio on Tuesday. Tom Blackshear wants to compare it with his latest Reyes style build. RNJ
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 7 2018 20:54:03
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Richard Jernigan
Posts: 3431
Joined: Jan. 20 2004
From: Austin, Texas USA
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RE: Reyes models (in reply to Ricardo)
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As is the case with many makers when you drop in on their shop, encountering their best guitars in Paracho is hit or miss. Mostly miss, since the top models of the best makers ship out as soon as they are finished. The only finished guitar Abel Garcia had when I went to his shop was the one he made for his daughter. It was about the size of the smaller ones Torres made, maybe 635mm scale. But it was so good I ordered a spruce/Brazilian classical from him, 655mm scale, 54mm nut. When it showed up in Austin nearly 3 years later it turned out to be 650mm, but I have enjoyed it ever since. When I was in Paracho in 2006 I visited Salvador Castillo. His shop is on the main street too, with the attendant noise. There was a young man from Chicago there to pick up his instrument, a spruce blanca. He said he was going to put electronics in it to gig with. He was a good player, and had his cajon man along with him. We played for a while. Again, I couldn't tell much because of the street noise, but the Chicago man sounded good on it. Navarro seems to be doing well with his "Reyes" models, which made a good impression on me at Hudson's shop in Houston. RNJ
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 9 2018 3:32:19
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estebanana
Posts: 9354
Joined: Oct. 16 2009
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RE: Reyes models (in reply to Richard Jernigan)
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Another thing I would add about George and William, George's grown son who works the floor these days. They're a sincere and honest family. They've supported Paracho makers for a long time. And at one time we're in the store together with blues historian and fine player Marc Silber. Before the current visibility of Paracho on the US side or internationally, George, who is from Puerto Rico, and Marc visited Paracho often, buying, but also bringing them power tools and other tools and plans that were difficult to acquire in Mexico at the time. George himself began his long relationship and encouragement of Paracho makers in the first couple of years of the 90's. A combination of Paracho self-determination and George's input about the professional standards of the US market got the baseline of production in the town to move up. Since I've known George to bring guitars from Mexico I've seen the baseline of quality go up. 1997's guitars were pretty good, but the curve changed in the last 20 years and 2017 guitars are really sharp in relationship to price. And price off the table, blind tested, as with all batch made guitars, it's not uncommon to find individual guitars that far exceed the normal envelope of sound interest and play. One example is the Fleta model that George and William commissioned to be built. I've seen several in the a shop and being played out that were like guns on a destroyer. They have a robust sound, but are responsive be and able to give voice to incredible detail in the music. And Marc worked with them to develop a Weissenborn style lap guitar. I've seen many of them as well and I can't think of other makers who can make them better than the Paracho collective, outside if getting a vintage W-born. So if you like Paracho and what comes out of there, give George a nod and thanks for being a long time patron of the work and also for having a hand in the modern cultivation of the style and work quality. It's clear the relationship is a business, but as a model for factory to consumer process can effect a good product to a great product look no further.
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https://www.stephenfaulkguitars.com
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Jan. 11 2018 1:16:38
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