Today we’re looking at a rarity – a James Frieson Flamenco guitar, built while Frieson was working in his native Canada. He currently builds spectacular guitars in Hokkaido, Japan.
The Ramirez FL2 flamenco blanca is a traditional Flamenco Blanca model, built to provide brilliant, percussive and loud rhythms at brisk tempos. This model, and its new replacement the Estudio Flamenco are the only ‘Student’ Flamenco guitars offered by Ramirez. Flamenco is now very professional and formalized, but at its roots a folk style combining highly expressive, rhythmic percussion and melody using voice, dance, hand claps, finger snaps and guitars.
Here we have a Conde Hermanos classical guitar built during 1992, with a Spruce top and Indian Rosewood for the back, sides, headplate and bridge. The guitar is constructed in the typical Spanish style, with the ‘slipper heel’ integrating the neck, sides and back. The neck is Spanish Cedar with an Ebony fingerboard. Schaller tuners with gold finish and faux pearl buttons are installed at the head and work well.
This instrument has sold
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A Gregory Byers Classical guitar is rare to see on the used market. He generally builds as many as twelve guitars per year, to order. His instruments are usually built one at a time, allowing Byers to give maximum attention to each specific guitar. Byers builds single top guitars (as opposed to double top), though he does use other techniques such as the ‘Elevated Fingerboard’ which really involves the top dropping down towards the heel.
This instrument has sold
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Ramirez 130 Anos Classical Guitar, NOS Shopworn, 2013
This instrument has sold
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The Ramirez 1a Professional is considered the top of the line for ‘production’ classical guitars, relied on by professionals requiring the powerful yet expressive delivery of tone and clarity. Beyond the 1a, players rely on very high priced custom instruments hand-built to their own specifications.
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Hello Grant. Just want to let you know that my banjolele arrived on Monday afternoon, so the postal strike didn’t hold it up too long. I’m delighted with the quality craftsmanship of the instrument and I was right that the shorter fingerboard is much easier for my 81 year old hands! So, here’s a shot of me with it in my studio with my dog Dusty laying beside me. Now just to harden up my fingertips and loosen up my finger joints! (Dusty loves it too!)
Thanks for everything.
Best. John.
John McConnell – Deering banjolele
October 2018
(Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)
