Guitar #128 blanca

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Guitar #128 blanca

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Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

Guitar #128 blanca

Just shipped this guitar...hadn't had the opportunity to build a blanca in many moons but this one turned out great I think. I went back to my blonde shellac as these woods had a good amount of color naturally. Sound is bright and midrange-y with ample volume. I really need to order more of this Caucasian Spruce from Turkey, I honestly have not found better top wood for flamenco guitars.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 4:05:48

agujetas

Posts: 60
Joined: Mar. 9 2021

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Ole! The guitar sounds great and your Moraito falseras are pretty tasty as well.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 7:03:10

gerundino63

Posts: 1756
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Beautiful guitar Andy,
I like the blond shellac, it keeps the natural color of the guitar and ages beautiful.
The sound is great!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 7:43:01

Pali

Posts: 150
Joined: Apr. 4 2021

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

It is a very nice guitar and it sounds very good, congratulations.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 8:12:53

ernandez R

Posts: 766
Joined: Mar. 25 2019
From: Alaska USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Andy Culpepper

... I really need to order more of this Caucasian Spruce from Turkey, I honestly have not found better top wood for flamenco guitars

Nice!

What is it about the spruce you mention that you prefer it for your Flamenco tops?

HR

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I prefer my flamenco guitar spicy,
doesn't have to be fast,
should have some meat on the bones,
can be raw or well done,
as long as it doesn't sound like it's turning green on an elevator floor.

www.instagram.com/threeriversguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 9:24:37

Schieper

Posts: 208
Joined: Mar. 29 2017
From: The Netherlands

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

throughly ellegant in its perfection and simplicity..

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 11:32:12

Escribano

Posts: 6424
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I think I know what I am talking about (as a layman). That looks and sounds like a very flamenca blanca. ¡Sin duda!

New strings will ring. I like them more when the strings get older and drier. Great job.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 25 2021 20:48:58

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Wow, thank you all for the kind words! I don't make as many videos as I used to anymore as I feel like my playing skill (and motivation) have deteriorated, but I suppose I'm still good for short/simple falsetas

quote:

What is it about the spruce you mention that you prefer it for your Flamenco tops?

Honestly it's not something that's really measurable, that I can tell anyway. Density and stiffness are mostly in the normal ranges, though the cross-grain stiffness can be quite high. A lot of the Spruce I've gotten from my Turkish supplier (Akustik) is not the prettiest, with pronounced color variations and some with a fair bit of runout. I keep telling myself "surely this fine, premium quality European picea abies will make better guitars, I should use that", but that damn picea orientalis keeps proving me wrong. There is some kind of magic in it!

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2021 3:21:29

johnparchem

Posts: 9
Joined: Jul. 20 2019

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Wonderful looking and sounding guitar!

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John Parchem - http://harvestmoonguitars.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2021 14:39:43

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thank you, sir!

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2021 3:06:38

FelixH

Posts: 31
Joined: Apr. 19 2018
From: London

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Amazing sound. A very beautiful instrument too, the rosette is especially nice.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2021 15:04:30

rombsix

Posts: 7899
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Eso es!

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Ramzi

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2021 21:42:49

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Andy,

I waited a little while to say something about your guitar so hopefully I will give it a sharp investigation that is worth its merit.

For fear of not giving its worth; and no guitar is perfect, I have to say, well done! You surprise me on every build.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 28 2021 21:57:53

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks Felix, Ramzi and Tom. This one landed safely to one very happy customer.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 29 2021 3:32:37

JasonM

Posts: 2090
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Agree with Escribano, it is muy blanca! Thanks for posting, I’m sure it is indeed tough to keep motivated when you do it for a living

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 29 2021 4:21:16

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to JasonM)

Thanks, Jason! It is tough to find the time to practice as much as I would like to. At least I get to test drive all the new guitars :)

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 30 2021 3:32:54

mango

Posts: 158
Joined: Apr. 2 2019

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

it sounds super nice Andy. And looks beautiful! The dark rosette is nice with that dark blue! One question... How is your view on the back on your flamenco guitars? Stiff or responsive? I just planed off the edges of the backbraces of my last built because I found it too stiff in a way. The tone became more punchy and lively but a bit less focussed in a way. I saw a video on YouTube from Andres Marvi explaining that he wants the back as stiff as possible, like about 3mm with four braces...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 1 2021 9:38:06

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Thanks, Jonas! I make my backs pretty thin, but with probably taller than average braces. I'm happy if my backs are tuned 3-4 semitones higher than the top, certainly not in the Marvi range. That man makes some absolute cannons though.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 2 2021 0:03:40

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

I know this question has probably been asked before but what key do you like to tune your tops to, on the average?

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 4 2021 20:30:45

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3031
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Tom Blackshear)

quote:

I know this question has probably been asked before but what key do you like to tune your tops to, on the average?

I usually like to tune the Helmholtz (air resonance) of the guitar to between F# and G. The main top resonance is typically right around an octave above that. I have also built a number of guitars tuned to between G and G#. That can give a nice sort of "bass roll-off" effect, which a lot of players, especially ones who play mic'd or amplified prefer.

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Andy Culpepper, luthier
http://www.andyculpepper.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 7 2021 2:30:56

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: Guitar #128 blanca (in reply to Andy Culpepper)

Yes, it seems we are pretty much the same here. But I like to tune the G string down into the 4th with G-F#.... as I tune downward when I polish the struts. And somehow the bass fundamentals fall into place as I tune the 3rd and 4th strings.

For me, this helps the middle register stay firm and playable.

But then not all patterns work the same.

Thanks.

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Tom Blackshear Guitar maker

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 7 2021 15:40:10