A "Marcos Escano" labelled guitar - 1999 (Flamenco?)

The repaired Marcos Escano guitar from 1999. Though

an unknown luthier to this day, details are convincing

it to be a good instrument and very lightly built. What

could have been expected the guitar gives lots' of 

volume. Scale length 645 mm Width topnut: 50 mm.

And the few cracks in the soundboard have been 

treated to my satisfaction. Price 450 Euro's.

Hardly visible are the cracks here, Even after a 

close inspection. On the left just above the bridge 

you can see some traces of damage when I needed

to remove the bridge. As it was repaired by someone 

else in an earlier stage but done with the wrong glue 

the bridge came loose again. All stable now but the

amateur who did this should be ashamed....

A nicely sculpted head what betrays work of a real

woodworker. Everything is showing a high degree

of workmanship. Ebony fingerboard and newly 

made topnut and bridgebone. Scale is 645 mm.

Width topnut is 50 mm.

The back of the head with the reinforcement 

all the way up to the top of the head.

A nice cypress back with no frills but strange thing is 

that nice inlays are made on the sides, a bit unusual...

Almost undamaged after 25 years of service.

Frets have been redressed and can deliver service

for years to come.

I think the tuners to be from Alhambra as the prefix "A"

can be detected here on the left. You need to know that 

there actually is a prefix there!

And the tuners on the right side of this guitar.

The simple label and maybe this luthier didn't built 

that many guitars. We hope to find out in the future.

Refently we heard about a Marcos Escano who is a 

a quite successful musician in Spain. Most likely 

he gave it a try: building guitars,

The blocks on the right from the label are a 

reinforcement of the two halves of the back. A lot

of extra work as a strip of wood would have done 

the job as well. This must have been done by someone

who is accustomed to wood working.

Mercian gelabelde gitaar - Klasse instrument!

Ter presentatie hier een "Mercian" gelabelde gitaar waar

wel het e.e.a. over te vertellen is. Doorgaans worden alleen

studiegitaartjes van dit "merk" aangeboden en daarbij dient

vermeld te worden dat het zeer waarschijnlijk een verzonnen

merknaam is van een van de grotere muziekketens. Logisch

dat de studiegitaartjes het eerst te vinden zijn want daar

worden er de meesten van verkocht. VERKOCHT.

Meteen al gealarmeerd door de verfijnde afwerking van 

dit instrument ben ik verder gaan kijken. Geklonken 

stemknoppen en een ingelegde ebben strip aan de achter-

kant van de hals die bovendien nog ter protectie van de 

fretuiteinden van een palissander lining is voorzien!

Scale van deze gitaar is 650 mm en de snaarhoogte 

staat nu afgesteld op 2,7 mm (hoge E- snaar) en 4 mm 

voor de laagste E- snaar. Het een en ander zorgt voor 

een meer dan prettige bespeelbaarheid met gewoon 

nieuwe frets als een bonus natuurlijk.

Wat daarnaast bij nadere inspectie opvalt is dat de hals ook 

nog eens is voorzien van een verstelbare truss rod of halspin 

zoals we het vaak in Nederland aanduiden. Een rechte hals 

is dan gegarandeerd al moet je wel altijd voor wat neck 

relief zorgen.

Misschien niet interessant voor de klank maar wel mooi

meegenomen: Een erg smaakvolle rozet. De extra fret is

op een gracieus gevormd stukje toets toegevoegd.

Geklonken stemknoppen maar daarnaast is er ook geen 

enkele beschadiging te zien op de achterkant van de kop.

Een nette brug waarin door mij een nieuw kambeentje is 

gezet. Op hoogte gebracht en perfect passend gemaakt.

Hier ziet U dat de uiteinden van de frets niet te zien zijn.

's Winters willen de frets bij de temperatuurschommelingen

nog wel eens uit gaan steken. Allemaal te verhelpen maar 

een binding aanleggen is wel zo'n charmante oplossing.

Een fraaie palissander achterkant en in tegenstelling tot 

achterbladen met een nogal wilde tekening een gelijkmatig

lopend nerfpatroon. Wilder gefigureerde bladen kunnen 

echter vaak eerder tot scheuren leiden. Massief uitgevoerd. 

De "eigen frequentie" ligt op een A (110 Hz) 

Strakke "Bouchet" kop, een van de meest vooraanstaande

Franse bouwers van de vorige eeuw. Ook de bebalking 

wijkt nogal af van de traditionele waaier (Torres) bebalking. 

Keurig geschaafd en gelijmd allemaal en het resulteert in 

elk geval in een mooi geluid! De topkam is net wat 

smaller dus als iemand daarvoor opteert: 50 mm.

Een shot van de mechanieken die ashouders rondom hebben

wat mij verbaast want ze zijn volgens mij toch uit de plaat

gebogen. Hoe krijg je dan het wormwieltje erdoor?

Deze foto genomen om de afwerking van de hak aan de 

binnenkant te kunnen bestuderen. Keurig afgewerkt zoals 

je dat meestal alleen tegenkomt bij de duurdere gitaren.

Natuurlijk nog even uw aandacht voor de mooi vormgegeven 

extra uitloper van de ebben toets waarop een 19e fret geplaatst 

is. Alleen al daarom natuurlijk geen beginnersgitaar...

Joan Cashimira Model 1A / Joan Cashimira "Model 145" All solid!

 

Presented here is a Concert worthy guitar from this rather 
obscure luthier. Here beyond you will find their model 145
which was and is still quite popular among connaisseurs 
and for a good reason. These are simply very good guitars,
even apart from the building qualities they are showing.

Scale 650 mm. Width Topnut 53 mm. Price:  SOLD
Case included.

This example is the top of the line 1A model, provided 
with a spruce top and hand signed. Solid woods of course
and in a very good condition. That counts for tuners,
frets and playing damages if there are any! And enough
bridgebone hight to ensure a nice playing action.

You can study the soundboard here as well as the bridge

that has been provided with harder edges to prevent string 

damages as a result of the string tension. The top exist

of very fine grained spruce with the so called medullar 

rays which is proof of a perfect quarter sawn soundboard.

Nice inlay work on this 1A model what can be 

expected from a guitar in this range.

Even the edges are inlaid perfectly.

  

The head of this guitar which is undamaged and is showing

the knobs of the tuners clinched onto their axes.

No fretwear on this one. Years of playing pleasure guaranteed.

The signed label though suspect might be there that

the name Cashimira in fact is a sort of a fake name.

The Joan Cashimira company provided a certificate together

with this 1A model being their highest model free from possible

faults during the process of making this guitar.

Beautiful Indian rosewood for sides and back

Maybe not that figured but that also means these 

woods are less prone to cracks,

Joan Cashimira Model 145

 

Presented here is a model 145 from Joan Cashimira,

a luthier that vanished in mystery around 2016. Apart

from that, his guitars are in high regard. Some remarks

have to be made around this model 145 as there seems

to be models with laminated sides and back and

others with all solid parts. This model from 2002 has 

the qualities that belong to a guitar in the 3300

Euro's price range when it is priced new. Availability

still remains the question. Price now: € 1500,- (luxe 

case included.) Feel free to ask a sound example.

SOLD.

Made with luxury materials and a delight to see in

reality, this guitar has a cedar top and solid cocobolo

sides and back. An ebony fingerboard that certainly

has to be there in this price range and a beautiful

inlaid bridge and reinforcement strip in the back

of the neck. 5 piece fan bracing of the top.

A better picture to take a look at the bridge. Just

click to enlarge this picture. The soundboard is 

attached to the sides by the use of individual 

spruce blocks while the back is attached to the

side by a glued and bowed spruce strip.

More beautiful details to be discovered as there

is the rosette of course. They often differ from

each other on this model.

The typical headform with the topnut: Width 53 mm

No damage on the head itself on the back. That

often occurs when placing a guitar against a wall.

The frets that still are in pristine condition. On 

a straight neck that supports a 650 mm scale.

And of course the striking use of the Cocobolo species

in the way a lot of his guitars are equipped with.

Luckily not too heavily figured because those pieces

of wood are prone to crack more easily. So, often more

heavily figured backs on the 145 models are veneered 

ones as the other woods used will support the 

layer of veneer in a sufficient way.

Simply to discover wether if the sides and/or back is

solid is by comparing the figuring of the wood from

inside as well as outside.

To my idea likely still the famous Fustero machine heads.

And a glance from the other side....

The label itself that has been handsigned. 09 possibly

stands for the month September. 02 is the year 2002.

Clearly the use of mahogany braces on the back 

and the mahogany center strip can be seen.

Here I've tried to photograph the outer part of the inner heel.

Amalio Burguet Model 1(A) 2005

 

Presented here is an Amalio Burguet guitar that has a 
bit of a disturbing label. The Burguet company nowadays
has two comparable models: 1A and the "Amalio" model.
This model has been discontinued as it is already almost
20 years old. What puzzled me were the rather simple 
tuners. Contact with the Burguet company learned that
they never used these tuners so probably a swap from 
one of the former owners. SOLD.

The way the more luxury details are executed on this

guitar is pointing towards a concert worthy instrument.

The inlay of the string tie block and the extra ornamen-

tation of the edges around the soundboard are proof

for that. Moreover, I think that the bridge has been 

made out of Brazilian rosewood. Scale: 647 mm.

Another striking feature is the headform. On the cheaper range

of the Burguet guitars, the headform is more simply executed.

Width of the topnut is 52 mm. Ebony fingerboard.

The way the rosette has been built up can be studied here.

As the Burguet company is stating that there is no

comparable model nowadays we have to point out

the similarities with their present models. One would

conclude it to be comparable with the 1A Cedar model.

These tuners do not belong on this guitar. I've had

contact with them and they stated they never used

these kind of tuners. Anyway, they work sufficiently.

The rather more luxury inlay on the edges of the back

and the central inlays have been finely executed. The 

cedar model 1A which is priced nowadays at € 2590,-

has the same neck inlay as the model presented here. 

The edges around the soundboard are also there and

comparable.

A closer look to the back of the soundbox should be 

convincing. But it is not clear wether if Indian rosewood

has been used for this guitar. Anyway rosewood must

have been used as inspection from the inside proves.

Use of certain lacquers tend to color a guitar a bit

yellowish over time.

On some new models the rosettes are more simple executed.

One could say: "More modern and according to these times".

For people interested in this guitar: The fretwork is still very 

good though it is possible that this instrument has been refretted

in the near past. It has a scale of 647 mm which is remarkable.

Visible here are the two dark vertical inlays in the back

of the neck with in between a layer of wood, possibly

placed in the reversed direction to strengthen the neck

and thus to prevent it from warping.

I've repaired some damages to the soundboard as the bare 

wood was visible and prone to a further collection of

dirt. Though it carries various traces of use, the sound-

board is stable now and has no cracks or whatsoever.

Some pictures of the bridge though the wood used 

has a more orangy appearance in reality.

Also the way the wood "figures" is a bit "Brasilian" like

though it is known that the Burguet company also made

use of the rather similar Madagascar rosewood.

In the right side of this guitar there is a repaired crack.

It is stable now and well done from the inside. However, 

I think the outside could be French polished in a better

way. I will take care of that.

And from another point I photographed this repaired crack.

I dare to guarantee this guitar regarding this issue. But

therefore the price has been lowered of course.