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I´ve been working for some 3 - 4 weeks now. It took a long time to finish bying and selling houses and a long time to make a new workshop. In the end I was hysterical. I missed working a lot. Building guitars is very addictive.
Here you have some photos of my new place. Its inside our big patio, so there´s all the tranquility and silence I need. The workshop is not very big, but I like it this way and I have tons of space to store wood, cases etc elsewhere.
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Looks fantastic Anders. Cant wait to visit Huelva, have never been but have met flamencos from there such as Los Activos and everyone says there is a lively flamenco scene happening. When you get moment write up a guide to where to go for flamenco and who plays where and when. Must be nice to escape the mallafolla de Granada as well
Must be nice to escape the mallafolla de Granada as well
Kate, Mala follar is called mala leche outside Granada. The temper is lighter here but Andalucia is Andalucia I will report about where to go when I know some more. The biggest summer festival is the Moguer flamenco festival. They always have lots of top artists and the village is very beautifull and stylish.
Koella. Yeah, I got a bit tired some days mortar and cement is tiring.
Hi Anders, Good to see you're getting to the end of the slog and getting in a position to start making guitars again. Remember, there would be no guitarists without guitars!
IMO the real duty of a guitarist is to try to draw out the best tones from his instrument. All the famous guitarists have that talent without a doubt. Some are especially gifted and can invent great compositions and play very fast and intricately.... But it all boils down to the love of the sound of the guitar. That comes first, IMO.
Still very much enjoying playing the Negra you made for me..thanks again!
cheers and the best of luck with the new workshop!
Ron
PS.. You SURELY will get Fandangos de Huelva nailed now!
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A good guitar might be a good guitar But it takes a woman to break your heart
Man , i think you have one of the best lifes among all of us. Doing the work you want , living in the place you like and also making enough money to be able to live from it
Thanks for sharing the moving experience with us.
Man, i am seriously thinking to move to spain in few years. i am tired of this damned boring office job and all these unhappy and unfriendly faces i see here everyday and the cold and rainy weather
But first i have to improve my spanish and also thinking about a job.
I was in spain until last week (Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla and Madrid). But not in Huelva. Next time i definaletly will visit Huelva and also stop by and visit you.
How are the prices for flats and house in Huelva? Less than in Granada?
Ron. I will try to nail the Fandangos. We have Tangos tuesday and thursday and Fandangos de Huelva and Malagueña with cante fridays at the Huelva peña. I´m glad you still like your guitar, the one with the beautifull yellow soundboard
Thomas, I to like playing in workshops and I play a lot in my own one.
Tom. Martillos are good workout. We are going to take down another wall in the house next week. The tough part is to take all the rubble out with the wheelbarrow
Arash: Housing is more expensive here than in Granada. There´s more money flow here and less foreigners looking for a job
Anders very nice to have you back... good luck with your new workshop... just to let you know that my blanca turned out great... amazing tone and playability... Socratis negra turned out even greater... the cedar top is great best regards George Cavaliotis
Estevan: Yes Granada is famous for its grumpy people. They are everywhere in world. just express themselves a lot in Granada
Maestroflamenco: I´m to "green" here to tell you much. I will keep you guys updated. The first impressions are that there are a lot of peñas in the villages and that the flamencos are very down to earth.
Bogdan: Your guitar is one of the 4 necks. The photo is 3 weeks old and I´m almost finished with yours and Lionells. I will send you photos today.
Cavaliotis. I´m glad you like your guitar. I find that Cedar is a very interesting tone wood for Negras. Did you try Kostas guitar when he was in Athens?
ORIGINAL: Estevan Kate, does this mean that Granada has an unusually high proportion of - how shall I say - unpleasant people? Please explain for us foreigners.
Well I think Anders answered this very well, Granada has a reputation for 'grumpiness' there has even been books written about it but that's not to say elsewhere everyone is sweetness and light.
Maybe its to do with the cold winters, distrust of outsiders that isolated places have (no excuse now of course with modern roads, planes etc. as Granada is more cosmopolitan with foreign students), maybe also the fascist tendencies among the middle classes. Granada the town that murdered its poet.
When I first came here I was told a joke about Granada. When God created Granada he gave it running water from beautiful mountains, vast valleys of fertile land, a beautiful fairy tale palace overlooking the city. Jesus looks at it and says, but father you have created a paradise on earth and God replies " Yes my son but you've not met the people yet ".
So its a bit of a running joke but Anders is right there are people with bad attitudes everywhere and I have to say that all my friends in Granada are warm hearted, fun loving and open people. Which is not to say they cant have a bad day
Anders is back! A big welcome to the man that has made me (and some others) a lot happier this year. Good luck on your new beginning, friend. Every day I get more and more addicted to your guitar. Well, I didn't take it with me in Athens, so Cavaliotis didn't play it, but I played both his guitars and they were amazing. As a matter of fact, I 'm jealous of his blanca , maybe some day I'll get one too. Check out the sound of your guitar here in case you haven't done so already: http://www.foroflamenco.com/tm.asp?m=70435&p=2&tmode=1&smode=1 Kostas
Well I think Anders answered this very well, Granada has a reputation for 'grumpiness' there has even been books written about it but that's not to say elsewhere everyone is sweetness and light. [.....] So its a bit of a running joke but Anders is right there are people with bad attitudes everywhere and I have to say that all my friends in Granada are warm hearted, fun loving and open people.
Thanks to Anders and Kate for clarifying this - don't know when I'll get to Granada, but I'll consider myself forwarned! (The few Granaínos I know are very simpático...but then they live in Madrid )
Kostas, you made my day. And I´havent heard it before. (no internet during this summer)
Your playing is really beautifull and you really dig that dry negra sound out of the guitar I made you. You say that its with the strings I shipped it with... That means they are at least 1 month old when you recorded. I´m looking forward to hearing that guitar when its older and with new strings on.
Hi Anders, Wow nice looking place you got there. I would love to see a picture out the large window there. Congratulations on the new home. I hope my new workshop (when I buy a home) is as nice looking,