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This guitar is a guitar I have wanted to make for a while. Its an "intuition" guitar. I have tried Negras with coral and spruce tops and I have tried and made negras and blancas with cedar tops. I just had the intuition that this would be the thing. The strings have been on for 4 hours now and normally guitars dont sound untill after a couple of days, but this one is already hot. Its VERY loud, balanced and very bright, so I expect it to be a canon.
I know very well that some purist will look and say "what is that?" I have style and I think this is a beauty. My french polisher is completely wild about it and as you can see on the fotos he rubbed a bit extra. The french polish is simply awesome.
So what do you think. Its ok to think its ugly.
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RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Hi Henrik. A guitar like this will be standard price. Nothing extra.
The guitar is not sold. I have a guy whos interested and he will reply within a week or so. If he doesn´t take it, it´ll be for sale. Standard price. (2600,- euros)
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
I like it Anders. As naked, but more sunburned, as the blonde you showed us some time ago. I am also fond of the clean look without too much purfling or "decorations".
I know your feeling of exitement when a newly strung guitar works just from start. Too often we have to wait for something to wake up in the guitar. Meanwhile we are waiting frustrated. My wife sometimes say that she would like me to have a small shred in the garden where I could live the first week of every guitar...
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Very nice indeed Anders. Coral I am assuming is another name for Paduak, aka Vermillon, which is what it looks like to me. Paduak is an amazing tonewood and may very well be one of the best substitutes for Brazilian rosewood. It is often bright orange, although I have seen other pieces that were more red like what you have. The color oxidizes down to a deep brown eventually. One of these days I'll give it a try as well.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Hi, and thanks for the nice words everyone.
I forgot to tell Koella that the center piece is Indian rosewood. I actually made this guitar only thinking in sound and not so much in looks, but I´m really happy with the esthetics as well.
Aaron, Coral is the Spanish word for Padauk. African tonewood, which comes in big planks, very straight grain and perfectly quatered. Its splintery, so it should be worked with care. It leaves bright orange sticky dust everywhere and its a pain to finish because it stains a lot. With respect of comparing it to Braz rosewood. I dont know. I´m a bit tired of this comparision because everything is getting compared to braz. Its a bit absurd IMO. I have tried 3 or 4 guitars with Coaral, incl. my own and they had the same characteristics. Loud and bright for being a negra and maybe not so many sound colors as rosewoods. In total a very good flamenco tonewood. I think the cedar top gives it more depth. Cedar topped negras are quite modern in Spain these days.
quote:
My wife sometimes say that she would like me to have a small shred in the garden where I could live the first week of every guitar
yeah, I know what you mean. I sometimes string the guitars and go away for a couple of days. My own Madagascar rosewood negra was absolutely dead when I first strung it up and it took it a long time to wake up. Then after a month woooops it started playing. I still remember that day. I got so inspired that I played most of the day.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
yeah, I know what you mean. I sometimes string the guitars and go away for a couple of days. My own Madagascar rosewood negra was absolutely dead when I first strung it up and it took it a long time to wake up. Then after a month woooops it started playing. I still remember that day. I got so inspired that I played most of the day.
Maybe we should start an AL group (Anonymus Luthiers) to give collegues our support when situations like these occur, as they tend to do on a regular basis. The more ambitous the luthier, the more anxiety and frustration during the first weeks... Anyway, I am not fond of the garden shred idea.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
Aaron, Coral is the Spanish word for Padauk. African tonewood, which comes in big planks, very straight grain and perfectly quatered. Its splintery, so it should be worked with care. It leaves bright orange sticky dust everywhere and its a pain to finish because it stains a lot. With respect of comparing it to Braz rosewood. I dont know. I´m a bit tired of this comparision because everything is getting compared to braz. Its a bit absurd IMO. I have tried 3 or 4 guitars with Coaral, incl. my own and they had the same characteristics. Loud and bright for being a negra and maybe not so many sound colors as rosewoods. In total a very good flamenco tonewood. I think the cedar top gives it more depth. Cedar topped negras are quite modern in Spain these days.
I see your point. The last person to make the brazilian comparision was a wood dealer who had quite a lot of very old, very fine rosewood. Alan Carruth was also rather impressed with Paduak, although the tendency to split when working with it was the reason he never kept with it. Like any wood it is it's own thing but the aspect of comparison that is very favorable is it's damping, ie internal friction. Brazilian has very low damping, which is why its so well suited for guitarmaking. Paduak seems to have similar qualites and that is a very good thing. Another is the fact that it is available in very good quality. In any case congrats on another lovely guitar. I am stringing up one or two myself today. Six of them in this batch. I must be nuts.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
quote:
I am stringing up one or two myself today. Six of them in this batch. I must be nuts.
Maybe you should contact Anonymous Luthiers. Six at the same time is dangerous. Say hello to Julia and tell her to be very kind and understanding the next couple of days. .
Tsoum. Your guitar is comming out very well. Its very different from this one. Much more classical beaty. I like it.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Hey Anders, That's gorgeous! That's the one I couldn't help but notice (i.e. it made me drool ) in the photo a while ago when it was hanging up with a few others. The dark stripe is perfectly balanced and gives a nice energy to the look of it; better than if it was just plain coral. And with the cedar, all the colours are very...harmonious.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
again, thanks for the nice words.
quote:
Pink ivory? I guess your supplier's in Belgium...
My supplier is this old, very estimated, very high quality German family business with the forbidden name (*ick) To be honest, I dont know what pink Ivory is!! Its pink and heavy as ebony and absolutely no pores.
That factory... Is that a brewery that makes you see pink elephants??? (belgium beer )
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
Oh not to worry about Julia, she is used to it by now. Actually stringing up time means I am pretty much living in the shop anyways. Two more today!
When I was an apprentice to Alan Carruth I remember him mentioning the fabled Pink Ivory. Pink Ivory was (maybe still is) a sacred tree to a tribe in Africa that controlled the land where the tree grows. Since this is the only place in the world it grows it was pretty much unobtainable. They would cut a tree here and there and thats about it. About 10 years ago the owner of a lumber company that deals in exotics gave me a pen blank of Pink Ivory. It was the first either of us had seen of this wood and we figured we wouldn't see anymore. It was given to him by a friend in the business. I can't remember if the tribe in question sold the land or decided to go into the lumber business, although I think it's the latter.
RE: A very hot Negra made of Coral a... (in reply to Anders Eliasson)
So it's not just good-looking! Interesting sound - warm and deep, but still crunchy. Nice rumbing, too; sounds like the story of a folk-rocker who leaves his gig in a cafe on the Baltic, and travels to the tropics where he meets the exotic Lola...
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Changed your headstock? I like it a lot. 
) in the photo a while ago when it was hanging up with a few others. 
) 
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