Ignacio Rozas--opinions
paul...@my-deja.com
Ignacio Rozas primera (1a), which I thought was the most beautiful-
sounding guitar I've played. It also reconciled me to the idea of
getting a cedar top. It produced a tremendous sound with very little
effort. What are your opinions of this guitar and luthier, and what is
a reasonable price to pay for such an instrument? Would buying it
straight from Calle Mayor (ah, I know it well) in Madrid help?
Thanks y'all.
Paul
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
John Grimes
Ignacio Rozas produces a fine instrument. I have played a number but have
never owned one. He worked for a time for the Ramirez workshop.
Cedar tops produce a specific type of sound. For years I was a 'cedar' man,
until I played more and more spruce top instruments. Now I like the
penetrating sound of a spruce top over a cedar. Times and impressions
change.
The price to pay is the price you will pay when you find just the right
Rozas. You should contact the various high-end guitar brokers around the
country to see what they have in stock. If you want to buy directly from the
luthier, then you will need to contact him directly with your specific wants
and needs - but remember, the sound you are looking for is going to be
remarkably impossible to relay to another person. At least dealing with a
broker in the United States, you will have the option of approval of the
instrument once you have received and played it. You might have the same
option with Rozas himself, but shipping costs will be higher.
Remember that many instruments imported to the United States by the various
fine makers around the world are hand selected by the broker or an agent.
This is not to say that any instrument sitting in a famous taller is
inferior - it might have been looked at and passed over for any number of
reasons.
[I once met with a well-known luthier who had produced a series of
instruments for review by a series of my students. He valued one instrument
over another and priced it accordingly. Everyone disagreed with his opinion
and the better instrument for less money was purchased.]
Guitars, performers, transcriptions, venues, recording labels, agents,
personalities - all are so different, as different as ones favorite
restaurant. Some love it - some hate it. As long as you are happy with the
instrument, that is the most important thing.
Let me know what you decide.
Best regards,
John Grimes
paul...@my-deja.com wrote in message <80q1t7$p34$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
steve
is. Wanted $5000. Was competing with electric guitars in the same
room, but the thing played wonderfully. Didn't break up at full power
and was always there with just what I wanted. Think it was second
only to a Ruck I tried once. Better than the guitars I can recall
playing, which include many of the top names. At least for my style
and technique. Really liked the neck. Was cedar and Brazilian.
Steve
Bruce Butler
luthiers including Rozas on the Calle Mayor. He is a lovely guy who let me
play his guitars endlessly and we had some interesting conversations as he
only speaks Spanish and I only have pigeon spanish.
I tried out the Primera 1a in both spruce and cedar. They were beautifully
built and sounded great. My personal preference was the spruce which I came
very close to buying. In the end I fell in love with a Bernabe Concierto
spruce top and so didn't return with the Rozas.
In general the prices in Madrid were quite a bit cheaper in Madrid than in
the UK (even taking into account the airfare) but that is understandable I
guess as there are transportation charges and middle men. (NB if you do go,
check to see what they have in stock first as they do not always that many
top instruments hanging around)
So in answer to your question I think the Rozas Primera (cedar or spruce) is
a fine guitar.
If you have fallen for it go get it - you don't need other people's
opinions. Its what turns you on that matters!
Bruce
paul...@my-deja.com wrote in message <80q1t7$p34$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
JimAllbery
Rozas and Ramirez shops, along with a couple of others. As
others have said, the people at the the Rozas shop were
quite nice and helpful. I wasn't really looking for a
concert guitar, if anything, I was looking for an instrument
with a cutaway and electronics. I tried a few of the
factory-made guitars Rozas carried, but had been more
impressed with the Estudio line from Ramirez.
A gentleman from Canada (who played very well) seemed very
interested in obtaining a concert guitar and was checking
out the concert instrument. His favorite of the bunch was
actually an older used Ramirez that Rozas had. It was a
great sounding guitar, if somewhat demanding to play (he
asked me to play it so he could hear it better). The Roza
concert guitars sounded great, too. I suppose its somewhat
unfair to compare a guitar that has been broken in with ones
that are brand new.
Prices in Madrid, at least on the guitars I checked were
quite good. I ended up buying a Ramirez 4CWE (top of the
Estudio line, all solid woods) for significantly less than
what the laminated top/back 2CWE costs here in the US (even
from places that do good discounts). I gathered that the
discounts were not quite so good on concert guitars, but
imagine that the savings were still significant. I've been
very pleased with my purchase.
On the other hand, if I were truly looking for a great
concert instrument, I would be a bit worried about making
that choice without the opportunuity to play numerous
guitars from many makers. There are a number of places out
there that specialize in quality classical guitars, and
carry a wide variety of instruments from many different
makers. You may pay a bit more, but at least you get the
chance to really play and compare the different instruments.
The number of concert guitars that a builder has in stock is
usually quite small (particularly if he/she is good!). I
think Sr. Rozas had 3 or 4 of his own (and one might have
been a flamenco), plus the Ramirez.
My feeling is that while you probably get a very fine
guitar, but a place with a broader selection would increase
your chances of getting a truly great one.
But if you are confident that you'll know the guitar for you
when you play it...
* Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping. Smart is Beautiful
Thomas Jørgensen
ARE acually much lower than anything else I could find. BUT the selection is
really not that great. Also take into consideration that the guitars that
the luthiers sell at the shops are the ones that was not ordered and there
can therefore be a potential risk that the guitar is not up to standard.
If I were to buy another concertguitar I would probably see a larger
selection first....
Thomas Jørgensen
JimAllbery <jim.allbe...@compaq.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:20b9a238...@usw-ex0109-070.remarq.com...
tom patterson
visiting as is Antonio and the rest of the makers in Granada. The Marin is
truly outstanding in every regard....
TP
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In article <newscache$yy2dlf$yc5$1...@kalvebod.groenjord.dk>, "Thomas
Jørgensen" <thomasj...@hhkol.dk> wrote:
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