Chasing Light » Flamenco http://blog.ricecracker.net photography, sandwiches, cigarettes Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:06:20 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Conde Hermanos AF25/R Maple http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/09/07/conde-hermanos-af25r-maple/ http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/09/07/conde-hermanos-af25r-maple/#comments Mon, 07 Sep 2009 11:41:58 +0000 doug http://blog.ricecracker.net/?p=1531 I have been fortunate enough to have lived by the two best retail stores for classical and flamenco guitars in the States: Guitar Salon International in Los Angeles and Luthier Music Corporation in New York City. This has enabled me on occasion to be able to play guitars by renowned makers, guitars that cost well over ten grand which I would not be able to access much less afford.

You cannot exactly browse your way through either collection, but be friendly and forthright and those back doors will open for you.

The guitars of Conde Hermanos stir such debate among flamenco players. They are ubiquitous among the top performers in the world, including of course, Paco de Lucia’s famous Conde negra from the Gravina 7 workshop (its origin is still open to debate by the serious Paco fans). The quality of  Condes are inconsistent which most players will readily admit. There are absolutely great ones out there and then there are the dead ones. I’ve played a few in shops and most of them were the dead ones.

One Conde I played was at Luthier’s in New York a few years ago, and it was unbelievable. It was the AF25/R model, which means that it is a spruce top guitar with maple for the back and sides. Supposedly it is a cross between a negra and a blanca; a bit of growl and a bit of longer sweeter sustain. I don’t know about all that but my God, that was a guitar. Lyrical and raunchy and so easy to play that I could do no wrong on it.

Anyways, that specific guitar is long gone. I was not about to fork over ten grand regardless but I can still hear exactly how that Conde sounded.

Here are pics from an AF25/R currently on sale at GSI. They take such great photos of their guitars. I don’t know if this one is one of the greats or a clunker, but fuck, she looks good. Click here to visit their site and view more information on this particular beauty. Ask for Dave Tate who is a great guy and will answer all your questions and even play falsetas for you if you’re nice.

If you decide to buy it for me, I guarantee you I will play it and immediately put a ding in it.

Yup.

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]]> http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/09/07/conde-hermanos-af25r-maple/feed/ 1 Solea http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/04/21/solea/ http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/04/21/solea/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:48:44 +0000 doug http://blog.ricecracker.net/?p=394 This is a Graf-Martinez solea, only a beginner’s piece and only the first half at that. I am trying to learn to be better at properly finishing pieces. The mic was much too close so there’s a bit of distortion box going on.

I am not a clean player, I am not a pretty player. Every time someone else plays my guitar, I am so surprised to hear how delicate and sweet it can sound.

Solea

bellido2

jesus bellido blanca

]]> http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/04/21/solea/feed/ 0 Tarantas http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/03/08/tarantas/ http://blog.ricecracker.net/2009/03/08/tarantas/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:33:37 +0000 doug http://blog.ricecracker.net/?p=19 I recorded this tarantas in May 2008 which is filled with mistakes and even ends with the sound of traffic in West Hollywood coming through my windows. Its been almost a year since this recording and I still haven’t put the final polish on this piece. Perhaps someday soon, I will be motivated to revisit this and work out the kinks. But yeah, probably not.

These are traditional falsetas taught to me by Federico Bestevar in Los Angeles:

Tarantas

Jesus Bellido blanca © Doug Kim

Jesus Bellido blanca © Doug Kim

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