Classical from my trip south

[Shotgun]

Got back this AM from my two weeks in south america. Here she is, my $60 (us) handmade classical guitar, first shown in the maker's hands in his shop, then in my home today.

(It is good to be home.)

Keith

www.keithupson.com/images/classical_maker.jpg

www.keithupson.com/images/classical.jpg

www.keithupson.com/images/classical_2.jpg

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Classical from my trip south

[img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] I love it!!! Sixty bucks WELL worth it to me... holy crap!!! [img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[buzzsaww]

Re: Classical from my trip south

saweeeeeet!

[jeff300]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Nice. Reminds me...

A friend of mine brought me back a handmade classical from Spain once. He paid about $50 US. It is the nicest classical guitar I have ever seen or played, and I know classicals. I had it appraised at two different places. The first place told me it was worth $50. The second place told me it was worth at least $1000.

So, if I ever decide to sell it, guess which place I'll bring it to? [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Damn, if I ever travelled to Spain or wherever Axtogrind went in South America, I would DEFINITELY want to buy a nice handmade classical... I generally thought these things were damned expensive...

[Shotgun]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Originally posted by Number Of The Priest:
Damn, if I ever travelled to Spain or wherever Axtogrind went in South America, I would DEFINITELY want to buy a nice handmade classical... I generally thought these things were damned expensive...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It was Bolivia. Sucre, to be exact. Damn glad to be home.

The dollar is so strong there (or the local currency so weak, depending on how you want to look at it) that LOTS of things are inexpensive. I was happy to do my part for their economy. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I went to the guy's shop a week or so ago, and he was working on the one that I bought. He quoted me a price, and said I could come pick it up last Sunday. I went Sunday, it was finished, but he gave me too much change (he had told me 480bs, but when I paid him 500bs, he gave me 50bs in change instead of 20bs. Of course, I made him take the other 30bs. Poor guy forgot that he had 'stuck it' to the gringo, and since there are about 8bs to the dollar, it helped him a lot more than it would have helped me to be dishonest).

The secret to getting such a deal, though, is that (in my case) you have to go to Bolivia to do it! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Now lets see, $500 for airfare, $35/night for the hotel... about 36 hours of total travel time both ways...

[img]graemlins/eyes.gif[/img]

[Trypp Powell]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Nice guitar. I once played a twelve-string guitar from Mexico that had all nylon strings and a classical width next. It was great. The owner told me it had set him back all of $30.

[little0x]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Thats really cool!


Ox

[hottoddy]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Very nice. Do you know the woods used? Spruce top, mahogany body, rosewood board (or South American equivalents)?

It seems that getting it back in one piece may also be a challenge.

[Shotgun]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Originally posted by Todd:
Very nice. Do you know the woods used? Spruce top, mahogany body, rosewood board (or South American equivalents)?

It seems that getting it back in one piece may also be a challenge.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't know, but I'm sort of a wood-moron. I can ask friends there to go ask him, I'm sure that he will remember me.

I was a little concerned about getting it back, but I bought a padded nylon gig bag for it there ($4) and it actually fit in the overhead just fine. The pictures were take here in the states, in my living room, after the trip! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] (Except, of course, for the shot of the maker in his shop.)

K

[GWARGHOUL]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Mmmhmmm.
You fabricated that picture of the shop like a client victim story!

Wow...the airline let ya take it on?
Last time I had to pay $40 in Denver to get to FL with my guitar (the gibson v project body). I bitched that lady out for 5 minutes before I gave up the money too.
What do ya know, as soon as I get past the terminal, theres a guy carrying a guitar twice the size of mine.

[Shotgun]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Originally posted by GWARGHOUL:
Mmmhmmm.
You fabricated that picture of the shop like a client victim story!

Wow...the airline let ya take it on?
Last time I had to pay $40 in Denver to get to FL with my guitar (the gibson v project body). I bitched that lady out for 5 minutes before I gave up the money too.
What do ya know, as soon as I get past the terminal, theres a guy carrying a guitar twice the size of mine.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I wish I was that good with Photoshop! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I should have qualified that the reason I could carry it on may have been because I flew the Bolivian national airline. Seriously.
http://www.labairlines.com/. They seemed more, uh, easygoing than say, AA or Delta. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

K

[Ninja Guitar]

Re: Classical from my trip south

[img]graemlins/drool2.gif[/img] Beautiful guitar, man. A good purchase you have made. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[gtrbuyer]

Re: Classical from my trip south

how does it sound..is the neck thick??

[Shotgun]

Re: Classical from my trip south

Originally posted by gtrbuyer:
how does it sound..is the neck thick??

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sounds amazing, to me. I always loved the sound of nylon strings. Full, but not boomy.

The neck is wide, but not deep. Has been pretty easy for me to get used to, and the action is startlingly consistent. Granted, I kind of suck and have a crappy ear, but I love it. I thought that after I recovered from the trip, I would start to find some warts here and there (lets face it, the finish work isn't really precision stuff, and that shows in the pics), but I just like it more and more.

Cool!
K