An exceptionally gifted
luthier from the famous Mexican guitar building capital, Paracho,
Michoacan, I first met Salvador on one of my many trips to Paracho....
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From Sandra Koot (holland). She owns a 1990 Gerundino blanca, a 1969 Jose Ramirez 1a and a 1972 Conde.
"Hi Beau,
I am still very very happy with the Castillo guitar and I play this guitar every day.
It is a joy to play and that is the most imported thing I like about this guitar.
I do not play my other guitars anymore and my partner advises me to sell them.
I think the Castillo is the best guitar I have ever played.
I am not sure it is true, but I think the sound is improving the more I play.
Another thing is the D-string. On my other guitars I have to replace the D-string weekly.
On the Castillo it last longer, I think about two weeks.
So I made the right choice to buy this guitar.
Regards Sandra Koot from Holland"
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From Harry Wishwood (Canada)
"Beau, just had to tell you, either this guitar is sounding better every day I play it, or I'm getting more used to the guitar - maybe a little of both, BUT WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING INSTRUMENT!!
Harry"
photo- Harry Wishwood
click
to enlarge
Classical/Flamenco
Hybrid
This guitar
design ships with three saddles adjusted for flamenco, classical
and one in between (very useful for touring with classical and
flamenco repitoire).
Soundboard:
European Spruce or Canadian Cedar
Back and Sides:
Brazilian Rosewood $3300
Soundboard:
European Spruce or Canadian Cedar
Back and Sides:
Indian Rosewood $2600
Allow 6-9
weeks for delivery
_______________________________________
Flamenco
Blanca
Soundboard:
European Spruce or Canadian Cedar
Back and Sides:
Spanish Cypress $ 2250
Soundboard:
Canadian Spruce or Canadian Cedar
Back and Sides:
Mexican Cyprus $ 1900
Allow 6-9
weeks for delivery. Prices include shipping in the US.
I
first met Salvador, an exceptionally gifted
luthier from the famous Mexican guitar building capital, Paracho, Michoacan,
on one of my many trips to Paracho to hand pick fine guitars and eat
copious amount of birria (goat meat). I’ve been dealing with Paracho
builders for over a decade now, often with very disappointing results.
I would often find an amazing guitar for a very good price and then
tell the luthier, “I love this guitar! Build me ten more just
like it!”. What I would get shipped to me was sometimes made by
another luthier with inferior materials or some other "inspired"
design that I didn’t order. After learning my lesson the hard
way, I stuck with the “handpicking” business model and flew
them back home when ever I found myself in the Michoacan area. In December
of 2004 I was in Paracho with another guitarist friend from the states.
I asked a young man crossing Avenida Independencia where I could find
a certain luthier’s house and he pointed me to a familiar location
across the street. After seeing a few disappointing instruments from
this builder, I walked toward the town square with my friend lamenting
our current guitar-less situation. Our heads quickly snapped back when
we heard an unbelievably loud guitar being played a couple of blocks
away where we had just been. We headed back toward the sounds bursting
from this canon of a guitar and there was the young man that had just
given us directions playing a Farruca (Flamenco piece) on what turned
out to be one of the instruments that he himself, Salvador Castillo,
had made. We spent the afternoon in Salvador’s shop, which feels
more like a Flamenco tablao than a guitar shop, joyfully playing his
magnificent creations. We were very impressed with his understanding
of Flamenco and how to set up a Flamenco instrument. His guitars were
also very consistent which, in my opinion, has always been the principle
problem with the Paracho builders. The guitar I fell in love with was
already sold but I later commissioned one just like it that is now my
principal guitar. I immediately called him upon returning to the states
to place an order for one of my students that Salvador handled in a
very timely professional manner. Upon seeing this instrument, many more
orders from students and professionals in my area followed. All of the
guitars that we have received have been superbly crafted and structurally
solid. And all of them posses the incredible sound that made me stop
in my tracks back in December 2004 - muy Flamenco, balanced, sweet,
singing but also rowdy and aggressive when you need them to be. All
of his models are made with exactly the same methods and care. There
is no discernable difference in quality from a $1500 guitar and a $3500
guitar other than the cost of the woods used in the construction of
the instrument. And if you have an idea of the current classical/flamenco
guitar market, I'm sure that you'll notice that the price is very agreeable.
I used my Castillo on my last tour of the States (Nov ‘05 - April
’06) and have been very pleased with my instrument and how it
has performed under grueling touring conditions. ¡Olé
Salvador!
-Beau Bledsoe
Here are
a couple of samples from my last CD using my Castillo.
This fine example of the Conde brothers work comes from the Gravina
7 shop in Madrid. If you’re a fan of the Madrid school of building,
this is one of the finest Condes I’ve ever played. I made my first
recording with this guitar and it has recently been put on the market.
It has the classic warm, full basses of a Conde and singing trebles
that have become refined with age. If you’re looking for that
Conde sound, this one is quite unforgettable.
• 664mm scale length
• Cyprus back and sides
• traditional peg tuners
• restored in the year 2000 by Alberto Morales (w/ new golpeador)
This is another fine flamenco guitar from the Madrid school by master
luthier, Manuel Contreras. I owned this guitar in my early twenties
and played it for over six years. The sound is very mellow and it is
actually well suited for classical playing. The shape of the neck is
by far my favorite to put my hand around and the workmanship is second
to none.
Pictured is
Hector's versatile two-sided cajon with the soundhole on the side.
One side featured the classic flamenco soundboard utilizing percussive
snare strings and tuners. The other side is a non-snared sound
that is more like a jimbe drum than a flamenco cajon.
These instruments
are made to order. Feel free to specify any size or color that
you wish. Allow 6-9 weeks for delivery.
