Sexauer Classical Guitar (2015)

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by Jonathan19

I'd be very interested in hearing what this guitar sounds like.

That makes at least two of us.

Here's the bridge I expect to use on the Classical:


I pumped the weight a gram or two by inlaying a chunk of BRW into it.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I have got the finish onto both guitars, 7 coats of varnish on the Classical, and 5 on the Blanca. It'll be at least a couple of weeks before I will flatten and buff them and a couple more days after that till I string 'em up, so I put their parts an the scale today as I was anxious to know where the weight really falls. I see 2.7 lb for the Blanca, and 3.5 lb for the Negra. It's mostly the tuners, IMO.

[riffmeister]

Hi Bruce, just curious, why no 19th fret on the rosewood guitar?

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by riffmeister

Hi Bruce, just curious, why no 19th fret on the rosewood guitar?

No particular reason. The little one/two string fret extensions I sometimes see leave me cold, and I wouldn't have liked to move the sound-hole south at all. The Blanca's two/three string one fret extension was a last minute flourish, and I do like the way it looks. Perhaps someone will make a small use of it one day.

W/o the saddles, 17.9 and 19 grams. Unshaped saddle is 5.1g. The classical is almost 3/8" tall whereas the Blanca is a hair over 1/4" tall. Both have a finish, but only one has stain.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I strung up the Flamenco Blanca this morning. Seems to work well enough, but I am no expert so I can't really judge it past being competent. Here are some pictures:






The pegs seem to work GREAT and I haven't even finessed them yet!

[Dave T]

Very KOOL looking, Bruce. Wish I had the ability to take advantage of an instrument like that. I'm a fan and admirer of Flamenco music and guitars but I'll never learn to play. Sure would like to see your "Blanco" in person none-the-less.

Dave

[Bruce Sexauer]

I have been playing it all day, off and on. I know nothing of flamenco and I have been using a round cornered flat pick as that is where my skill is. The voice is a new one for me, but it is utterly compelling. I cannot say how it compares for lack of perspective.

I hope to have strings on the classical Monday. I expect the classical to be a contender judging by its drum tone. The Blanca will be pretty inexpensive compared to the classical, but not because it's inferior.

[Dave T]

Having seen the price (value) of some of your other guitars, I can't help but wonder what "pretty inexpensive" looks like. (smile)

Dave

[Bruce Sexauer]

The last thing I want is this thread closed because I treated it as a classified advertisement, so I will not answer the price question here. I will point out that I have a page on my site, hopefully linked to the header bar on every other page there, called "inventory", wherein I list many of the guitars I have for sale in my shop. In another half hour I will have this guitar on that list.

[Otterhound]

Glad to see that you got some strings on it .
I am looking forward to hopefully hearing a sound clip some day .
Maybe , if you are very lucky , you can get Esetban to audition that beauty .
By the way , that Catalpa grew at the local sewer plant property .

[Bruce Sexauer]

The stink seems to have worn off completely IMO!!!

Yesterday I was showing the Classical bridge to the L00 buyer and have no idea where I put it down subsequently. It'll turn up. Meanwhile I am enjoying my entirely fraudulent emulation of a Flamenco guitarist. I made a recording just now, and if you are able to ignore the lack of coherent time keeping, you ought to get a sense of the Blanca. I did just this one take: BLANCA!

[Bruce Sexauer]

I put strings on the BRW classical today:

[cogito]

The classical looks fabulous. I'm curious: A couple of years back you suggested that, for you, building classicals requires substantially less labor than building steel strings. Did you find that to hold true in this instance?

[Bruce Sexauer]

Originally Posted by cogito

The classical looks fabulous. I'm curious: A couple of years back you suggested that, for you, building classicals requires substantially less labor than building steel strings. Did you find that to hold true in this instance?

The Blanca was very quick for me, and that is why I am selling it relatively affordably. The Classical just finished is another story, but that's mostly because I made some false starts. I think all guitars I make, and probably everything else I do, is taking more time than it used to. My attention to detail is far more meticulous that earlier in my career, but mostly I simply have a different attitude about time and money, that they are not so directly related, that business will take care of itself if I am pure about the work. Possibly naive, but I may live longer.

If I spoke about classicals two years ago it it worth noting that I had not made one at that point for 12 years! I have built steel strings in less time than the Blanca (The MagCat), and I have built guitars with far more man hours than the Classical (Bob's carved back comes to mind).

I have been playing the classical today, and it has a stronger clearer voice than the Blanca, particularly the high end voice, but is is relatively formal to play. I have not yet succeed in recording something I'd be willing to share. that is in sharp contrast to the Blanca, which gave me joy at every attempt, and continues to delight me every time I pick her up! This is a great example of one guitar being technically superior to another, yet not being the better guitar from a musical standpoint.

I am inspired to make more Flamenco Blanca guitars. Not least because someone is going to take this one away from me and I will then have a deficit in my life which must be filled. Who knew?

[Otterhound]

I have your catalpa when you are ready Bruce .