From my perspective as a guitarist, building a musical instrument has two complementary aspects: one purely technical—we could even say scientific; the other has to do with sensitivity, imagination and good taste. It is the latter that can raise the making of an instrument to a "work of art." So it should come as no surprise that many musical instruments have ended up in museums as unique pieces, a genuine delight for the eye and, of course, for the ear.
In this day and age, when industrialization and fast-consumption products invade everything, it is refreshing to find spaces for careful creation, research and fine craftsmanship. In the field of guitar making, when we talk about the instruments of Ricardo Sanchís Carpio, we are undoubtedly looking at one of those spaces.
When David, the magazine's editor, suggested I write an article about one of his guitars, I was delighted, since I have known them for some years and have always found them to be of exceptional quality. Not for nothing does Ricardo Sanchís come from a family that has been making guitars for several generations, and all that experience and knowledge is palpably reflected in the construction of his guitars.
Construction
The guitar I was sent is a top-of-the-line model called the Flamenco Extra. Its components are of great quality, and the selection of woods is excellent. The top is German spruce, and the back and sides are cypress. The neck is Honduran cedar and the fingerboard is ebony. The tuning machines are extraordinarily beautiful; they tune very well, fit perfectly and turn precisely. The varnish finish is red, although I have seen other guitars of the same model with a natural finish. The varnish formula is essential, since it can dampen or hinder the instrument's vibration, greatly affecting its final timbre and volume. The rosette is very beautiful, with a fine, dark interlacing pattern and a geometric motif in the center. Inside, the instrument appears, at least as far as my eye can see, perfectly assembled and very carefully finished.
Playing
The first thing I feel when playing this guitar is that it is certainly comfortable: the left hand flows quite nimbly along the fingerboard, and slur techniques (hammer-ons and pull-offs) come easily. The neck width is 5.1 cm at the nut and 6.3 cm at the 12th fret. The radius allows the hand a very relaxed position. It also has plenty of sustain, which gives the "curious" sensation that the notes are ringing out on their own. The fretwork is perfectly done, which helps the fingertip settle onto the fret without difficulty, so the sound comes out clean and without buzzing. The right hand also sits comfortably and, with just a little energy in picados and rasgueos, you get a more than considerable volume.
It is worth highlighting that it is a very balanced guitar in terms of its natural EQ. I should say, as an aside, that every guitar is completely different from the next, and that even when evaluating the same model built with similar woods, we will never find two guitars that sound exactly alike. In this case, the guitar has beautiful, expressive trebles. The third string, which is usually critical, sounds very good. The basses sound really deep, with that "touch of growl" characteristic of the best flamenco guitars. With the alzapúa technique, it unfolds a deep, intense low-mid timbre.
The sound
The overall sound has body and character. The vibration of the wood, in both the soundboard and the back, is remarkable. This aspect should not be overlooked. I have often come across guitars (quite expensive ones, by the way) in which the vibration stayed in the strings and the rest of the instrument seemed like a mere piece of furniture accompanying them. Unfortunately, this is all too common. A good guitar, as in this case, must vibrate, thereby helping to project the sound; and if that vibration passes into our own body, it is an unmistakable sign that we are dealing with a quality instrument.
I want to point out that after several days of playing it, the sound has gained volume and nuance. As a rule, a newly made guitar can offer only a small part of its latent potential. Curiously, some guitars begin to show their particular possibilities just a few hours after being played.
Test bench conclusions
I am told that the price of the guitar with case is 2,436 euros. A flamenco guitar of this caliber usually costs twice that, so I consider the value for money very acceptable.
In conclusion, I must say that I find this guitar exceptional, possibly the dream of any good guitarist. I can only add that my assessment in this article would be rather thin if I didn't refer to other guitars by Ricardo Sanchís Carpio, which I have had the opportunity not only to try but to include in my regular gear. As I said at the beginning, I have known them for many years, and I have compared them with guitars from the most important makers internationally, sometimes with models costing four times as much as the one I am reviewing today. After the experience of those years, my impression is that Ricardo Sanchís is one of the best builders around today. This is not a purely personal impression; it has been confirmed with very good guitarists, with whom I have spent hours analyzing the sounds of one guitar and another, here and there.
Every guitar is a world unto itself, and we can never confidently predict an instrument's sound quality before it is completely finished. I have noticed fairly often that the norm, even among the best builders, is that out of every ten guitars they finish, three or four turn out really good.
Exceptionally, with a few luthiers, this proportion can reach a higher percentage. I honestly believe that is the case with the guitars of Ricardo Sanchís Carpio. In any case, it is worth keeping a close eye on the guitars his sons are building—two very young men who are doing serious work, resulting, in my personal opinion, in some of the best guitars I have heard in a long time.
