| Granada is home to the gypsies of the Sacramonte, the centuries old enclave of gypsy settlement that predates Columbus¹ voyage to America. It is also home to a plethora of guitar makers who make their living off of the gypsy musicians. Traditionally, the makers of Granada were scorned for this approach and in recent years they have reinvented themselves through the designs of Robert Bouchet as interpreted by Antonio Marin Montero. None the less, the flamenco element is never far from the surface, and in this Jose Lopez Bellido, it comes brilliantly bubbling to the surface in a guitar that makes a grand entrada every time it is pulled from the case. Easy to play, exceptionally responsive, and full of salero, this is the essential flamenco guitar with no apologies. It has an ³in your face² rajo and wild abandon that makes a singer want to sing and a dancer want to dance. The professionally applied french polish is so perfect one can forgive the commercial rosette and somewhat exaggerated head design, and with a sound like this, who cares about these kinds of inconsequential details? Forget Gerundinos, this one blows them off the tablao. SN F 1a |
