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GUITARRON


steviedee
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[quote name='steviedee' post='240085' date='Jul 15 2008, 02:40 PM']Anyone ever tried one of these mexican bad boys?

I have a notion to buy one to play and this acoustic band that may be starting, be good for a laugh and no-one will know if your sh*te (I hope)![/quote]

Wot, like one of these? [url="http://www.candelas.com/mariachi-guitarron.php"]http://www.candelas.com/mariachi-guitarron.php[/url]

No idea what they sound like.

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Yes, those guys are no slouches. They have been playing for a while.....

The guitarrone is tuned ADG on the bass courses, and then there are three nylon strings tuned ADG as well, only an octave higher (sorry, no E.) Normally, they are played by plucking both the string on the lower course and higher course at the same time, creating an octave effect like a twelve string guitar. The fellow in the video appears to be playing it more in the style of an upright bass fiddle. Amazing, considering how high the strings are off the fingerboard on that animal. It is quite large, being several inches thick. playing one, as a Mexican gentleman told me, is like wrestling with a gorilla. It has a 28 inch scale and is fretless. :)
I do not know where you could get one on your side of the pond, but it is probably not impossible. I know that www.larkinthemorning.com carries them here, but they are extremely expensive from them. Keep an eye on the U.S. ebay, they pop up from time to time there. lonestarguitars.com makes them in Mexico, so you might email them to get the name of a dealer in your area. Good luck!
Doug

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[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='240241' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:42 PM']this of any use as to what it is like, also completely nuts

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE[/url][/quote]


Blast it!!!
I,m gonna have to learn that now!!!!
I,m hooked, listened to it a dozen times already!!!!

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[quote name='steviedee' post='240511' date='Jul 16 2008, 12:01 AM']And Aargh who is Hobgoblin??[/quote]
These guys:

[url="http://www.hobgoblin.co.uk/"]http://www.hobgoblin.co.uk/[/url]

The last time I was in Denmark St. Macaris had a guitarron in the basement with a notice on it which said "no we dont' know how to tune it either"
Tuning is A D G C E A (top A is pitched between the C and the E).

Lone Star Guitars make decent instruments : I have a Columbian Tiple made by them and the quality is excellent, solid spruce top. Didn't cost a lot because of the exchange rate.

Edited by pete.young
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  • 1 year later...

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='240241' date='Jul 15 2008, 05:42 PM']this of any use as to what it is like, also completely nuts

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE[/url][/quote]

Jesus!
Those dudes are way out there. :)

Good stuff.

Garry

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I watched a mariachi band recently - loved the guitarron and hence did a web search about them. Outside N. America they are very difficult to find and are far from cheap - which potentially makes it a costly error. The guy playing the guitarron in that band always plucked two strings simultaneously as far as I could tell (the octave I assume, for volume purposes I guess), so it would take a bit of re-education. However could be a lot of fun

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[quote name='EssentialTension' post='584195' date='Aug 28 2009, 11:58 PM']The GAK website is showing a [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/75590"]Lucida Guitarron[/url] at the moment - £289.[/quote]
I did look at the Lucida one but the woodwork was pretty plain looking. The one in the mariachi band I saw had a gorgeous figured dark wood (mahogany?)bowl that was highly polished. A real thing of beauty.

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[quote name='Clarky' post='584199' date='Aug 29 2009, 12:01 AM']I did look at the Lucida one but the woodwork was pretty plain looking. The one in the mariachi band I saw had a gorgeous figured dark wood (mahogany?)bowl that was highly polished. A real thing of beauty.[/quote]
And possibly a bit pricier and generally better I guess.

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[quote name='EssentialTension' post='584201' date='Aug 29 2009, 12:06 AM']And possibly a bit pricier and generally better I guess.[/quote]
I couldn't find one like it for sale in the UK when I searched. But similar ones in N. America were from memory 2 or 3 times the price - so I guess the Lucida is a good, reasonably low cost try-out to see if you get on with a guitarron.

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They have the Lucida in CC in Glasgow bizarrely the are distributed by an Italian bloke in Glasgow which was a bit odd.... It's chinese but seems quite well put together.

Tho I have to say it's a bitch to play in the traditional manner tuned too A D G C E A you play octaves plucking 2 notes at once it has a lovely mellow sound but not easy. I'm going to make an admission since I bought the upright I haven't played it too much but I am now going to to try an get a couple of hours in a week.

Anyway the main man in the Guitarron world is Natividad de Santiago he developed the plucking thing and I have a few books and stuff so if you want any info give me a shout.

Check these guys out !

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE[/url]

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[quote name='steviedee' post='584422' date='Aug 29 2009, 12:44 PM']They have the Lucida in CC in Glasgow bizarrely the are distributed by an Italian bloke in Glasgow which was a bit odd.... It's chinese but seems quite well put together.

Tho I have to say it's a bitch to play in the traditional manner tuned too A D G C E A you play octaves plucking 2 notes at once it has a lovely mellow sound but not easy. I'm going to make an admission since I bought the upright I haven't played it too much but I am now going to to try an get a couple of hours in a week.

Anyway the main man in the Guitarron world is Natividad de Santiago he developed the plucking thing and I have a few books and stuff so if you want any info give me a shout.

Check these guys out !

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE[/url][/quote]
Not sure about the orange masks but its a really nice piece of music and that guy plays the guitarron really fluently and effortlessly. Nice one!

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[quote name='steviedee' post='584422' date='Aug 29 2009, 12:44 PM']They have the Lucida in CC in Glasgow bizarrely the are distributed by an Italian bloke in Glasgow which was a bit odd.... It's chinese but seems quite well put together.

Tho I have to say it's a bitch to play in the traditional manner tuned too A D G C E A you play octaves plucking 2 notes at once it has a lovely mellow sound but not easy. I'm going to make an admission since I bought the upright I haven't played it too much but I am now going to to try an get a couple of hours in a week.

Anyway the main man in the Guitarron world is Natividad de Santiago he developed the plucking thing and I have a few books and stuff so if you want any info give me a shout.

Check these guys out !

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRzmyTn_PfE[/url][/quote]
Thanks for responding.

You say 'bitch to play in the traditional manner [etc.]'. Did you try playing in some other manner?

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