Carlo Pezzimenti / International classical recording artist
I purchased a Blackshear guitar in December 2000, and have found it to be one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever played. Mr. Blackshear was inspired and influenced by the great Spanish guitar maker from Cordoba, Miguel Rodriguez. I feel that this particular instrument is a testament to that tradition.........This guitar is extremely well balanced; it has an exquisite tone quality, and above all, a depth of sound that is found only in those instruments of the highest possible order. I can describe it better through the making of music, and through this endeavor, I have been able to arrive at those lofty levels that I would assume all instrumentalists aspire to. It is imperative for a concert guitarist to have an instrument that possesses these qualities. I can only hope that Tom Blackshear continues to build outstanding guitars such as the one I currently own........recently, I have found this guitar to be incredible in its dimensional voicing and projection. It just keeps getting better. (2006)
I have received your guitar and since the first notes it has proved to be a wonderful instrument of an exceptional timbre. Your guitar defies the intellect. It possesses a superior musical quality more similar to a vocal sound than to a pulsed string. It has a great balance, the basses are deep and clear, and the trebles are like bells. It has an extensive palette of colors and a stunning volume and clarity. All in all, the beauty of tone in your guitar and the easy production of sound invite to me play her with joy each day. Your guitar, more than a small orchestra, is a universe of sounds that offers the perfect stage for music. Thanks for such an incredible instrument. Your Art is a gift from God to humanity!
Sincerely,
Carlos Rodríguez-Quirós
Sincerely,
Carlos Rodríguez-Quirós
Elario Lozano / World traveled Classical & Flamenco Guitarist
Tom Blackshear is a world class guitar maker. I have known Tom since 1987 when he constructed an outstanding guitar for me; a flamenco negra. I have owned many fine guitars, including instruments made by Manuel Contreras, Marcelo Barbero, Kohno, Fleta and Archangel Fernandez; all of whom are world renowned.
I consider Tom to be in that league of great guitar makers. His instruments have the power, brightness, and projection of any Spanish guitar, and I have played quite a few in my 40 years as a performer.
I consider Tom to be in that league of great guitar makers. His instruments have the power, brightness, and projection of any Spanish guitar, and I have played quite a few in my 40 years as a performer.
Don Soledad
"As a professional musician, the guitar is my most important tool. I've played countless flamenco guitars and have been lucky enough to personally own over 20 guitars from the top luthiers all over Spain, the United States, Canada and Mexico. I'm a working musician, so unlike a collector, I play all of my guitars and know the importance of personally finding THE guitar that would fit my own style of playing for live performance and studio work. In my opinion, Tom Blackshear's guitars are among the VERY BEST that I've owned. His extensive knowledge and background in luthiery extends over 40 years, and his passion for the art of flamenco exceeds those years.
I personally find the understanding of this complex musical art form to be an important aspect in building flamenco guitars. Intuition plays an important part in flamenco music and, in retrospect, also plays a major role in a guitar builder's or "Guitarrero's" work. Tom's never ending quest to perfect the sound of his instruments through years of dedicating his life to studying the work of the genius maestros (Manuel Reyes and the late Miguel Rodriguez - both of Cordoba, Spain) is an overwhelming task. This has gained him popularity and recognition with his peers and players from around the world. Through this, he has implemented his own design and "fine tuning" techniques to give each and every guitar its own personal character and to be the best guitar possible before it leaves his workshop. I have had the opportunity to own two Blackshear guitars and they are both without a doubt on the same level in class, craftsmanship, and in my opinion exceed the tone and capabilities of the most popular-named guitars that I've owned. I consider Tom Blackshear a world class luthier and include him in the top echelon with the very best luthiers in the world today." - Don Soledad (guitarist)
I personally find the understanding of this complex musical art form to be an important aspect in building flamenco guitars. Intuition plays an important part in flamenco music and, in retrospect, also plays a major role in a guitar builder's or "Guitarrero's" work. Tom's never ending quest to perfect the sound of his instruments through years of dedicating his life to studying the work of the genius maestros (Manuel Reyes and the late Miguel Rodriguez - both of Cordoba, Spain) is an overwhelming task. This has gained him popularity and recognition with his peers and players from around the world. Through this, he has implemented his own design and "fine tuning" techniques to give each and every guitar its own personal character and to be the best guitar possible before it leaves his workshop. I have had the opportunity to own two Blackshear guitars and they are both without a doubt on the same level in class, craftsmanship, and in my opinion exceed the tone and capabilities of the most popular-named guitars that I've owned. I consider Tom Blackshear a world class luthier and include him in the top echelon with the very best luthiers in the world today." - Don Soledad (guitarist)
Chaconne Klaverenga
International classical guitar champion Chaconne Klaverenga (b. 1992) was named for J.S. Bach’s Chaconne BWV 1004, which is one of her favorite pieces to play. She began studying piano at age 2 and guitar at age 6 with her parents, James and Julia Klaverenga, both professional musicians.
She began entering international competitions at age 14 in 2007, landing three first place awards that year: the Society of American Musicians Classical Guitar Competition, Senior Division in Chicago, IL (17 and under); the Rantucci International Classical Guitar Competition, Youth Division in Buffalo, NY (15 and under); and the East Carolina University Classical Guitar Competition, Youth Division in Greenville, NC (14 and under). She performed before the concert and during intermission for the Chicago Symphony’s Opening Night concert in Chicago in 2007. “We requested a graduate student, and your teacher said, ‘No, I’ll send you Chaconne – if she can’t perform THEN I’ll send you a grad student’” was the comment from the symphony’s staff. Chaconne was a featured soloist for the Chicago Classical Guitar Society concert in Evanston, IL and featured soloist for the Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society concert in Lafayette, IN.
In 2008, at age 15, Chaconne continued to compete in older divisions, winning three more international competitions that year: the Appalachian State University International Classical Guitar Competition, Division 2 (15-18) in Boone, NC; 2008 Boston Guitarfest Classical Guitar Competition (18 and under) in Boston, MA; and the East Carolina University Classical Guitar Competition in Greenville, NC (15 – 18); and 2nd place at the Columbus State University, Columbus, GA International Guitar Symposium, Division 2. Chaconne has performed as soloist for numerous events including the St. Thomas Aquinas Spring Concert Celebration in Lafayette, IN and the Chicago Classical Guitar Society Christmas Party Concert.
Klaverenga is frequently recognized for her challenging performance choices, commanding stage presence and superior execution. Judges, professional musicians and the press have cited her “strong and dynamic playing,” “great intensity,” “technical clarity,” “unlimited potential” and for having “a symphony in her fingers.”
Chaconne lives in Lafayette, IN. She studies privately with Denis Azabagic and Anne Waller in Chicago and is home schooled. She has master classed or studied privately with Eliot Fisk, Adam Holzman, Lorenzo Micheli, Jason Vieaux, Andrew Zohn, Stephen Robinson, David Tanenbaum, Stanley Yates, Mary Akerman, and many others.
Klaverenga’s concert-quality classical guitars include a 2004 Thomas Humphrey Millennium Thunderbolt and a 2004 Tom Blackshear. She released her first recording entitled Debut in 2007, featuring her favorite selections that she has performed in competition and concert on guitar, and several favorite piano classics. She enjoys teaching piano and classical guitar privately in her parents’ music store in Lafayette and great science-fiction (particularly Dr. Who).
She began entering international competitions at age 14 in 2007, landing three first place awards that year: the Society of American Musicians Classical Guitar Competition, Senior Division in Chicago, IL (17 and under); the Rantucci International Classical Guitar Competition, Youth Division in Buffalo, NY (15 and under); and the East Carolina University Classical Guitar Competition, Youth Division in Greenville, NC (14 and under). She performed before the concert and during intermission for the Chicago Symphony’s Opening Night concert in Chicago in 2007. “We requested a graduate student, and your teacher said, ‘No, I’ll send you Chaconne – if she can’t perform THEN I’ll send you a grad student’” was the comment from the symphony’s staff. Chaconne was a featured soloist for the Chicago Classical Guitar Society concert in Evanston, IL and featured soloist for the Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society concert in Lafayette, IN.
In 2008, at age 15, Chaconne continued to compete in older divisions, winning three more international competitions that year: the Appalachian State University International Classical Guitar Competition, Division 2 (15-18) in Boone, NC; 2008 Boston Guitarfest Classical Guitar Competition (18 and under) in Boston, MA; and the East Carolina University Classical Guitar Competition in Greenville, NC (15 – 18); and 2nd place at the Columbus State University, Columbus, GA International Guitar Symposium, Division 2. Chaconne has performed as soloist for numerous events including the St. Thomas Aquinas Spring Concert Celebration in Lafayette, IN and the Chicago Classical Guitar Society Christmas Party Concert.
Klaverenga is frequently recognized for her challenging performance choices, commanding stage presence and superior execution. Judges, professional musicians and the press have cited her “strong and dynamic playing,” “great intensity,” “technical clarity,” “unlimited potential” and for having “a symphony in her fingers.”
Chaconne lives in Lafayette, IN. She studies privately with Denis Azabagic and Anne Waller in Chicago and is home schooled. She has master classed or studied privately with Eliot Fisk, Adam Holzman, Lorenzo Micheli, Jason Vieaux, Andrew Zohn, Stephen Robinson, David Tanenbaum, Stanley Yates, Mary Akerman, and many others.
Klaverenga’s concert-quality classical guitars include a 2004 Thomas Humphrey Millennium Thunderbolt and a 2004 Tom Blackshear. She released her first recording entitled Debut in 2007, featuring her favorite selections that she has performed in competition and concert on guitar, and several favorite piano classics. She enjoys teaching piano and classical guitar privately in her parents’ music store in Lafayette and great science-fiction (particularly Dr. Who).
BERIT STRONG
The Blackshear Guitar has an astonishingly broad range of dynamics and color. I simply love to play it.
From the desk of Dennis McMillan, Publisher
2008 will be my 25th year as a small, independent book publisher, but it will be my 39th year as a student and "buen aficionado" of the flamenco guitar, starting to play at the "advanced" age (for a serious flamenco, anyway!) of 19 years......
I met Tom Blackshear in 1983, when I moved to San Antonio, through the offices of one of the best, in all respects, flamenco guitarists the United States has ever produced--Miguel Rodriguez, native of San Antonio, Texas, himself, and currently playing at the Hyatt Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
Back in 1983, when I first met Tom, I'd been playing for 14 years already, and had studied with (in more or less chronological order): David Jones (stage name, David Serva, one of the most creative guitarists to play in the "Moron-style," and a "disciple," along with Daniel Staffler [who I also took many lessons from "back in the day"], of the legendary Diego del Gastor [d. 1973, Moron de la Frontera]) in the San Francisco Bay area, until he permanently moved to Spain, circa 1972 or so; then, on trips to Spain in 1969, 1970, and 1972, with several wonderful guitarists, including many lessons with Alberto Velez, close friend of Mario Escudero, in Madrid, and even picked up a few falsetas from the truly legendary Rafael del Aguila (who must have been in his mid-80s, at least, at the time!), in Jerez de la Frontera (I remember him digging out, upon seeing that I was playing a 1934 Santos Hernandez flamenco, from a huge pile of guitar cases, filled with ordinary "Valencia" flamenco guitars that he'd sell to his students, an UNFINISHED 1943 Santos Hernandez flamenco, inscribed inside to him by Santos, with the comment, "I, too, have a GOOD guitar," and I realized, much later, that he was offering to sell it to me, but I, in my overly sensitive apprehension of "doing the wrong thing," etiquette-wise, with regard to this legendary flamenco master, didn't pick up on his cue, and made no offer, even though my mouth was watering at seeing this guitar, which may well have been the very last one that Santos ever sent out of his shop, since 1943 was the year of his death: oh well, it's not the first time I messed up, that's for sure!).
Now, as to Tom Blackshear, luthier.
In 1983, I was immediately impressed with Tom's approach to guitar-making, which I imagine, since he wasn't making guitars to make a living at that time, was quite different, and indeed, much "superior" to most other luthiers, who had to crank out (and SELL!) a certain number of guitars, of a certain KNOWN type/sound/"playability" in order to put bread on the table. Tom had taken the approach, I assume since 1958, when he made his first flamenco guitar, and while he still had ideas of becoming a professional flamenco guitarist himself, of EXPERIMENTING, in some way, with each and every guitar he made.
What MADE a guitar from a certain maker who he admired the sound and playability of, say Manuel Reyes or Marcelo Barbero or Santos Hernandez, JUST THAT WAY? It's a question that CAN only be answered by varying an almost infinite number of factors that go into the construction of an instrument like a flamenco guitar. You can TRY to "copy" a guitar from a great master luthier as exactly as you can, and come out with a totally different SOUNDING and PLAYING (i.e., EASE of playing--"action" of the strings on the fretboard) instrument; either because you've used different enough MATERIALS (wood, mainly, of course), or because you've overlooked something in the EXACT way that one of these great luthiers made their guitars, such as, Tom found out through experiment, varying the thickness of the top at different points, and "tuning" the top as well, by different manipulations of the interior strutting, shapes of the various struts, etc.
It gets very complicated very fast, and it's a slow process to begin with, if you take the care, as Tom always has, to try to make a superior instrument all along the way, even though you may end up putting a dozen different tops on it, in an attempt to get a certain sound that you have in your head--as close as possible to what you imagine the "perfect" flamenco sound to be. That's the difference between Tom and any other luthier I've ever met: he has NEVER STOPPED EXPERIMENTING and TRYING TO IMPROVE BOTH THE SOUND AND "PLAYABILITY" of his guitars, and I doubt that he ever will, although, after 50 years now (in 2008), and several hundred (signed and numbered) guitars, he can offer the world of flamenco guitarists an instrument that sounds as near to a Manuel Reyes of his "classic" period (about 1965-80), as you could possibly get--if that's what you want, of course.
He can also offer you a guitar that has a sound that's "superior" (in my own opinion, and I've played a LOT of flamenco guitars over the years, the very best one being a 1955 Marcelo Barbero --owned now by Richard Bruné, the excellent luthier [and maker of ANY stringed instrument, in fact, including harpsichords!] located in Evanston, IL, who himself commented, on a flamenco guitar that Tom sent up to him 2 years ago, that, with a capo on the third fret, it had the most 'flamenco' sound of ANY GUITAR HE HAD EVER PLAYED, period, and Richard, in contradistinction to most luthiers, who don't actually play the guitar all that well [that isn't what they're TRYING to do--make a guitar for themselves--but instead, to make a guitar that a genius like Adam del Monte, Vicente Amigo, Gerardo Nunez, Chuscales, or even the father of all, Paco de Lucia, can make sound BETTER than any other guitar that THEY'VE ever played--THAT'S their goal] plays flamenco guitar [and he's not a classical guitarist who later "took up" flamenco and had to unlearn half of his technique to do so] at a "professional level" without question, so is in a position to actually JUDGE the worth of a guitar, not only in terms of playing a few chords on it, etc., but actually playing a guitar as "hard" and with as much technique as most professional flamenco guitarists would, so when he says something like the above, in praise of what Tom has achieved, after nearly 50 years of experimenting with making flamenco guitars, it actually MEANS something: it's not just "hype" or bull from somebody making up a line of jive to get a rich collector, who may be able to bring out what the guitar has to offer or not, depending on how serious a student of the instrument he is (or WAS, at one time, probably before he had the money to buy a superior guitar!).
I myself realized, when I first was compelled by an inner drive, to play flamenco, that I would never be a "professional" guitarist: not because I couldn't eventually develop the technique to do so (which point I reached many, many years ago; I guess after about 6-8 years of study), but because I didn't want to live the life-style of an itinerant musician and, more than that, I simply had too many other interests in life, which I wanted to pursue, than only playing flamenco guitar, and, if you REALLY want to be in the top tier of ANYthing--especially anything that requires precision physical technique, in spades, as playing flamenco guitar does, MUCH more than, say, classical guitar; much more than any other instrument that I'm aware of, in fact--you DO have to devote your life to it, lock, stock, and barrel: 10-12 hours a day, for years, maybe for your entire life, if you are SO-DRIVEN to do so, like the jazz guitarist Lenny Breau was, and like, I'm sure, several of the very best flamenco guitarists also have been, even though they never had to even THINK about technique after the age of 16 or so, since they started playing when they were barely old enough to HOLD a guitar!
Most of the preceding verbiage is to tell you, out there in Internet Land, interested in buying a fine flamenco guitar, that, even though you've never heard of me unless you're a fan of hard-boiled and noir fiction, which I've been publishing for the past 25 years, I AM qualified to JUDGE the merits of a guitar, as far as FLAMENCO guitars go: not classicals, and certainly not ANY steel-stringed instrument [I OWN a 1923 Weissenborn lap-steel guitar, but I don't PLAY it worth a darn, that's a fact I'll readily admit--I simply don't have the time, or won't MAKE the time--which is, of course, what you HAVE to do, if you're really serious about learning ANYthing, once again--the way my life is, at this point, to become a competent player of Hawaiian lap steel.
I currently own two Tom Blackshear guitars: yes, I bought the guitar he was working on back in 1983, and it has aged very well indeed [I still get it out and play it sometimes, and it sounds and plays just as good as ever]; in 1997, I ordered a guitar from Tom, and he made me the best guitar that I had ever played, up to that time, with the possible exception of a 1968 Manuel Reyes that I'd played many years before, and would have had to have had there side by side with my new Blackshear to make a valid comparison. I wanted to remove the standard-sized golpe plate and replace it with a much larger one, since I tend to scratch up the surface of a guitar when playing rumbas--my hand is flailing all over the place, as it has to, to get loose and syncopated with the rumba rhythm--so, naturally, I messed up the job, and took several "chunks" of the top WITH the old tapping plate when I removed it.
This left the guitar with an absolutely fabulous sound and playability that looked as terrible as you could ask for. So, finally, last year, when I knew I was going to be co-Guest of Honor at a mystery convention in Austin, TX (I currently live in Tucson, AZ, and have since 1993), I decided to take the guitar back to Tom and see if he could "fix it" in some way, by taking off my larger golpe plate and filling in the "white wood" places that had come off with the old plate I'd removed, etc. This he could not do, as he's simply not set up to repair guitars, except in very specific ways, so he put a new top on the guitar--a "Reyes-style top that he'd made for a guitar that he was making for himself. Thicker than the previous top, but which would, in two or three years, "open up" and actually be AS loud as the previous top had been, but have better separation between the bass strings, and in general, have a more "flamenco sound," as far as being closer to a classic period Reyes went.
This has turned out to be true, so far, except that the bass sound of my "new" Blackshear, when compared to my 1965 Reyes, is much "fuller," but not in a "classical guitar"-type way, but in a "clean, flamenco" way, which I prefer, actually, to the way the guitar sounded before. I play the Blackshear a little more than the Reyes (which I only acquired two years ago, so it's still a "new" guitar to me, and I play it and the Blackshear to the exclusion of my earlier Blackshear and the 1963 Ramirez that I've had for many, many years now, but which is also an excellent-sounding guitar--one of the last made by Felix Manzanero before he left the Ramirez workshop to start on his own as a luthier).
Finally, I can state without doubt that Tom is making the most "flamenco"-sounding (for MY personal taste, of course) flamenco guitars of any U.S. builder, and that his guitars are on a par with just about ANY Reyes and even Barbero guitars that I've ever played (I've only played five Barberos in my life, but I've played quite a few Reyes', probably at least 20-25). That is the highest praise I can give any luthier, as a "buen aficionado" of flamenco, and I give it without reservation to Tom Blackshear and his guitars!
Dennis McMillan, Publisher
I met Tom Blackshear in 1983, when I moved to San Antonio, through the offices of one of the best, in all respects, flamenco guitarists the United States has ever produced--Miguel Rodriguez, native of San Antonio, Texas, himself, and currently playing at the Hyatt Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
Back in 1983, when I first met Tom, I'd been playing for 14 years already, and had studied with (in more or less chronological order): David Jones (stage name, David Serva, one of the most creative guitarists to play in the "Moron-style," and a "disciple," along with Daniel Staffler [who I also took many lessons from "back in the day"], of the legendary Diego del Gastor [d. 1973, Moron de la Frontera]) in the San Francisco Bay area, until he permanently moved to Spain, circa 1972 or so; then, on trips to Spain in 1969, 1970, and 1972, with several wonderful guitarists, including many lessons with Alberto Velez, close friend of Mario Escudero, in Madrid, and even picked up a few falsetas from the truly legendary Rafael del Aguila (who must have been in his mid-80s, at least, at the time!), in Jerez de la Frontera (I remember him digging out, upon seeing that I was playing a 1934 Santos Hernandez flamenco, from a huge pile of guitar cases, filled with ordinary "Valencia" flamenco guitars that he'd sell to his students, an UNFINISHED 1943 Santos Hernandez flamenco, inscribed inside to him by Santos, with the comment, "I, too, have a GOOD guitar," and I realized, much later, that he was offering to sell it to me, but I, in my overly sensitive apprehension of "doing the wrong thing," etiquette-wise, with regard to this legendary flamenco master, didn't pick up on his cue, and made no offer, even though my mouth was watering at seeing this guitar, which may well have been the very last one that Santos ever sent out of his shop, since 1943 was the year of his death: oh well, it's not the first time I messed up, that's for sure!).
Now, as to Tom Blackshear, luthier.
In 1983, I was immediately impressed with Tom's approach to guitar-making, which I imagine, since he wasn't making guitars to make a living at that time, was quite different, and indeed, much "superior" to most other luthiers, who had to crank out (and SELL!) a certain number of guitars, of a certain KNOWN type/sound/"playability" in order to put bread on the table. Tom had taken the approach, I assume since 1958, when he made his first flamenco guitar, and while he still had ideas of becoming a professional flamenco guitarist himself, of EXPERIMENTING, in some way, with each and every guitar he made.
What MADE a guitar from a certain maker who he admired the sound and playability of, say Manuel Reyes or Marcelo Barbero or Santos Hernandez, JUST THAT WAY? It's a question that CAN only be answered by varying an almost infinite number of factors that go into the construction of an instrument like a flamenco guitar. You can TRY to "copy" a guitar from a great master luthier as exactly as you can, and come out with a totally different SOUNDING and PLAYING (i.e., EASE of playing--"action" of the strings on the fretboard) instrument; either because you've used different enough MATERIALS (wood, mainly, of course), or because you've overlooked something in the EXACT way that one of these great luthiers made their guitars, such as, Tom found out through experiment, varying the thickness of the top at different points, and "tuning" the top as well, by different manipulations of the interior strutting, shapes of the various struts, etc.
It gets very complicated very fast, and it's a slow process to begin with, if you take the care, as Tom always has, to try to make a superior instrument all along the way, even though you may end up putting a dozen different tops on it, in an attempt to get a certain sound that you have in your head--as close as possible to what you imagine the "perfect" flamenco sound to be. That's the difference between Tom and any other luthier I've ever met: he has NEVER STOPPED EXPERIMENTING and TRYING TO IMPROVE BOTH THE SOUND AND "PLAYABILITY" of his guitars, and I doubt that he ever will, although, after 50 years now (in 2008), and several hundred (signed and numbered) guitars, he can offer the world of flamenco guitarists an instrument that sounds as near to a Manuel Reyes of his "classic" period (about 1965-80), as you could possibly get--if that's what you want, of course.
He can also offer you a guitar that has a sound that's "superior" (in my own opinion, and I've played a LOT of flamenco guitars over the years, the very best one being a 1955 Marcelo Barbero --owned now by Richard Bruné, the excellent luthier [and maker of ANY stringed instrument, in fact, including harpsichords!] located in Evanston, IL, who himself commented, on a flamenco guitar that Tom sent up to him 2 years ago, that, with a capo on the third fret, it had the most 'flamenco' sound of ANY GUITAR HE HAD EVER PLAYED, period, and Richard, in contradistinction to most luthiers, who don't actually play the guitar all that well [that isn't what they're TRYING to do--make a guitar for themselves--but instead, to make a guitar that a genius like Adam del Monte, Vicente Amigo, Gerardo Nunez, Chuscales, or even the father of all, Paco de Lucia, can make sound BETTER than any other guitar that THEY'VE ever played--THAT'S their goal] plays flamenco guitar [and he's not a classical guitarist who later "took up" flamenco and had to unlearn half of his technique to do so] at a "professional level" without question, so is in a position to actually JUDGE the worth of a guitar, not only in terms of playing a few chords on it, etc., but actually playing a guitar as "hard" and with as much technique as most professional flamenco guitarists would, so when he says something like the above, in praise of what Tom has achieved, after nearly 50 years of experimenting with making flamenco guitars, it actually MEANS something: it's not just "hype" or bull from somebody making up a line of jive to get a rich collector, who may be able to bring out what the guitar has to offer or not, depending on how serious a student of the instrument he is (or WAS, at one time, probably before he had the money to buy a superior guitar!).
I myself realized, when I first was compelled by an inner drive, to play flamenco, that I would never be a "professional" guitarist: not because I couldn't eventually develop the technique to do so (which point I reached many, many years ago; I guess after about 6-8 years of study), but because I didn't want to live the life-style of an itinerant musician and, more than that, I simply had too many other interests in life, which I wanted to pursue, than only playing flamenco guitar, and, if you REALLY want to be in the top tier of ANYthing--especially anything that requires precision physical technique, in spades, as playing flamenco guitar does, MUCH more than, say, classical guitar; much more than any other instrument that I'm aware of, in fact--you DO have to devote your life to it, lock, stock, and barrel: 10-12 hours a day, for years, maybe for your entire life, if you are SO-DRIVEN to do so, like the jazz guitarist Lenny Breau was, and like, I'm sure, several of the very best flamenco guitarists also have been, even though they never had to even THINK about technique after the age of 16 or so, since they started playing when they were barely old enough to HOLD a guitar!
Most of the preceding verbiage is to tell you, out there in Internet Land, interested in buying a fine flamenco guitar, that, even though you've never heard of me unless you're a fan of hard-boiled and noir fiction, which I've been publishing for the past 25 years, I AM qualified to JUDGE the merits of a guitar, as far as FLAMENCO guitars go: not classicals, and certainly not ANY steel-stringed instrument [I OWN a 1923 Weissenborn lap-steel guitar, but I don't PLAY it worth a darn, that's a fact I'll readily admit--I simply don't have the time, or won't MAKE the time--which is, of course, what you HAVE to do, if you're really serious about learning ANYthing, once again--the way my life is, at this point, to become a competent player of Hawaiian lap steel.
I currently own two Tom Blackshear guitars: yes, I bought the guitar he was working on back in 1983, and it has aged very well indeed [I still get it out and play it sometimes, and it sounds and plays just as good as ever]; in 1997, I ordered a guitar from Tom, and he made me the best guitar that I had ever played, up to that time, with the possible exception of a 1968 Manuel Reyes that I'd played many years before, and would have had to have had there side by side with my new Blackshear to make a valid comparison. I wanted to remove the standard-sized golpe plate and replace it with a much larger one, since I tend to scratch up the surface of a guitar when playing rumbas--my hand is flailing all over the place, as it has to, to get loose and syncopated with the rumba rhythm--so, naturally, I messed up the job, and took several "chunks" of the top WITH the old tapping plate when I removed it.
This left the guitar with an absolutely fabulous sound and playability that looked as terrible as you could ask for. So, finally, last year, when I knew I was going to be co-Guest of Honor at a mystery convention in Austin, TX (I currently live in Tucson, AZ, and have since 1993), I decided to take the guitar back to Tom and see if he could "fix it" in some way, by taking off my larger golpe plate and filling in the "white wood" places that had come off with the old plate I'd removed, etc. This he could not do, as he's simply not set up to repair guitars, except in very specific ways, so he put a new top on the guitar--a "Reyes-style top that he'd made for a guitar that he was making for himself. Thicker than the previous top, but which would, in two or three years, "open up" and actually be AS loud as the previous top had been, but have better separation between the bass strings, and in general, have a more "flamenco sound," as far as being closer to a classic period Reyes went.
This has turned out to be true, so far, except that the bass sound of my "new" Blackshear, when compared to my 1965 Reyes, is much "fuller," but not in a "classical guitar"-type way, but in a "clean, flamenco" way, which I prefer, actually, to the way the guitar sounded before. I play the Blackshear a little more than the Reyes (which I only acquired two years ago, so it's still a "new" guitar to me, and I play it and the Blackshear to the exclusion of my earlier Blackshear and the 1963 Ramirez that I've had for many, many years now, but which is also an excellent-sounding guitar--one of the last made by Felix Manzanero before he left the Ramirez workshop to start on his own as a luthier).
Finally, I can state without doubt that Tom is making the most "flamenco"-sounding (for MY personal taste, of course) flamenco guitars of any U.S. builder, and that his guitars are on a par with just about ANY Reyes and even Barbero guitars that I've ever played (I've only played five Barberos in my life, but I've played quite a few Reyes', probably at least 20-25). That is the highest praise I can give any luthier, as a "buen aficionado" of flamenco, and I give it without reservation to Tom Blackshear and his guitars!
Dennis McMillan, Publisher
Other artists who have owned and performed with:
Charles Postlewate
A.J, Stuart
Berit Strong
Ricardo Galindo
Sean Beattie
Eric Robles
Adolf E. Rahm Jr.
John E. Philpott Ph.D.
Luis Linares
Jason Lyerly
Dennis Aberle
Michael Tanner
Polina Ravdel
Michael Boyd
Fareed Hague
Ron Roberts
Gerald Klickstein
Patrick Lui
Ricardo Cobo
David Underwood
Leslie Lyon
Jim Stovall
Robert Brown
El Curro
Alejandro Antonio
Miguel Rodriguez
Michael Soukoup
Steve Kostelnik
Terry Muska (youtube video)
A.J, Stuart
Berit Strong
Ricardo Galindo
Sean Beattie
Eric Robles
Adolf E. Rahm Jr.
John E. Philpott Ph.D.
Luis Linares
Jason Lyerly
Dennis Aberle
Michael Tanner
Polina Ravdel
Michael Boyd
Fareed Hague
Ron Roberts
Gerald Klickstein
Patrick Lui
Ricardo Cobo
David Underwood
Leslie Lyon
Jim Stovall
Robert Brown
El Curro
Alejandro Antonio
Miguel Rodriguez
Michael Soukoup
Steve Kostelnik
Terry Muska (youtube video)
And hundreds of others who have personally ordered or have purchased from music stores nationwide.
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