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#32
08-31-2020, 09:17 PM
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I have been saving up for a pair of carbon fiber castanets so I can play and dance as part of the Evan Show; after he would be getting the Flamenco guitar, of course. I have already pre-paid for the 15 unit on-line course: "You, too, can play the castanets." Yeah, 2020 bites. Kidding aside: Evan, I hope you find great happiness on those two custom guitars built just for you.
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Some CF, some wood. 
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#33
09-01-2020, 07:57 AM
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When is 'The Evan B' going to be a stock guitar offered by Emerald? What are the specs too? I would love to pick one up at next summer's Mid Summer Sale but maybe with some of the innovations the new X20 has if it has to be tweaked at all.
From doing too many dangerous jobs, I have learned a few lessons. One is never be first and never be last (and don't be the guy in the red shirt when you beam down to a planet). Another is don't be afraid to be the novice and admit you just don't know. Evan has done all the research, so now I just need to figure out how to get something close to perfect in the nylon variety like he has. Might even let go of my X20 or Lucky13 to make this happen. The Kestrel's not going anywhere for a long time unless I get an acoustic only replacement. It is that good.
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Cheers, Tom PS If you don't want to invest in yourself, why should anyone else even bother to try?
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#34
09-01-2020, 09:14 AM
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So Jim, will you sing and be wearing a skirt with those castanets?
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#35
09-01-2020, 10:29 AM
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I'm curious as to what improvement you were expecting to get from a CF Flamenco guitar over a wood one? Not dissing the concept, just genuinely wondering. Well made Flamencos ( Yamaha has no true flamencos (maybe at the custom shop level), all the ones they sell as "Flamenco" are a bit overbuilt) are very lightweight and very responsive, very fast attack, bright.
Certain techniques, particularly I think thumb techniques in Flamenco, benefit from wider string spacing. I have a Nice Takamine crossover with thinner neck and radiused board, but it feels a bit cramped to me when playing Flamenco stuff. I also find that the extra spacing helps when playing the typical Flamenco open chord forms and making it less likely to accidentally mute strings. It does take more work though to get comfortable on. Many Spanish makers have midrange Flamencos in the 2-3K range that are much better introductions to a real flamenco guitar than Yamaha or Cordoba such as the GK ( although I like the GK, I have one, and it does work for Flamenco although it's somewhere between a crossover and a true flamenco). I have an Esteve 8F that is quite decent and was 1300 or something like that. Alhambra and Camps are also appreciated for their lower/mid priced offerings. Last edited by SBalderrama; 09-01-2020 at 10:34 AM.
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#36
09-01-2020, 12:12 PM
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More robust Don't need to re-tune as much Redesigns taking advantage of the material to make better ergonomics or other designs that just aren't practical/possible using a wood medium. I have seen from playing a few CF guitars that the sound and playability are not compromised, so a CF flamenco guitar has the potential of being similar in looks and sound, but quite different in ways that make it superior to the best wood guitars of today. It would take some dedication and know how on the part of the luthier to get there, but I think any wood guitar can be adequately replicated and even surpassed if alternate materials are used. Carbon Fiber seems to be the new world for this exploration. Sure there will be duds, but there will be amazing innovation too. Edison had over a hundred patents. Most of those are forgotten and aren't worth any note except for some of his major hits such as the light bulb and his work on motion in pictures. The case will be the same here. There is something worth watching, so watch Emerald's X20, McPherson's Sable along with many others as examples of excellence and success in this field so far. Why not cast a wider net to include Flamenco?
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Cheers, Tom PS If you don't want to invest in yourself, why should anyone else even bother to try? Last edited by mot; 09-01-2020 at 12:17 PM.
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#37
09-01-2020, 03:08 PM
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SB;
Mot puts it well. The durability is particularly important. I've learned that the finer the guitar, the greater the risk. I live in a very hot and dry environment and have experienced the loss of a good guitar when moving from an inside protected area to an outside venue. I also like Mot's mention of ergonomics. The bevels found on Emerald guitars make guitar playing much more comfortable. Like Mot, I believe that a lot of innovation is possible with Flamenco guitars. For example, I understand that a wider nut width gives the player more space, but I find 2" and more to be a bit excessive. I've had no problems going from such a nut width on classical guitars to the more narrow common on cross-overs with 1 7/8" width. And even if the 2" should be needed a slight bevel would make things a little easier to reach. And while some contemporary Flamenco guitars have electronics I'm not seeing much exploration--for example I think a Barbera pickup would work really well with a Flamenco guitar. Much of what I suggest is hypothetical and, I believe, worthy of testing. It's the kind of testing I've been able to do with classical guitars by Emerald. Testing that has resulted in a durable, playable, great sounding, comfortable, classical X10 nylon string acoustic electric guitar. Well, you're probably sorry you asked after that lengthy exposition. As you can see, you're talking with a believer.
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#38
09-01-2020, 06:15 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Some CF, some wood.
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#39
09-01-2020, 06:31 PM
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Jim; You are a wise man. I misspoke myself and take most of it back but I can live with the castanets, singing, and dancing. There are some memories best avoided.
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#40
09-01-2020, 08:03 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Some CF, some wood.
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#41
09-08-2020, 03:26 PM
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I am a big fan of flamenco guitars for many genres beyond flamenco. My main guitar is indeed a blanca. The nut width of 2” fits the bill also considering you need to keep lot of space at the bridge. Very important for flamenco technique is to have a flat fingerboard and a very low bridge. Btw, mine sports a Barbera pickup and works marvelously plugged in. However, historically there are no “flamenco” guitars, but just spanish guitars. Cypress was used because available and cheap. Basically, flamenco guitars were cheap guitars as many gipsies couldn’t afford a pricey one. Then, the classical world started evolving into more robust guitars, able to create a fuller and sustained sound as it became a solo instrument, and Ramirez with Segovia set a new standard. Based on my “experience”, I am not sure an extremely thin topped CF guitar would sound very good. The physics of CF and wood are very different. It would be very loud but I wonder about its tonal qualities..
__________________
Marco "If want to be happy, be." (L.Tolstoj)
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#42
09-08-2020, 06:08 PM
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Villamarzia;
The Blanca with a Barbera pickup should be a dream. I think I've been spoiled with all the new classical guitars. And yet, when I play my brother-in-laws Ramirez there is a sound that I find over-whelming--a sound I still remember from a Montoya concert I attended many years ago. But I will never play like that and find that a classical sound is just fine. As far as the tonal qualities of CF. I have had 2 Emerald 10s, 1 20, 1 slim-bodied 10, and 2 thin-bodied electrics--and their tonal qualities were all superb. What I've not heard is the projecti9on that emanates from a good Flamenco guitar. The Flamenco is based on a thin top and finely carved and tuned bracing. That's why I continue to think that a thinner face might lead to better projection. I could be wrong.
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