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Cesar Talks about his Barthell Guitar
To speak of an instrument, such as the
guitar, is to speak of one of the elements
of human expression in which a melody is the
result and the reflection of the soul. Joy,
surprise, love, sorrow, solitude, adventure
are reflected in sounds, rhythm, through the
pulsation of strings. Through these, a
unique relationship is forged between
instrument and interpreter that can only be
described by those who understand and
appreciate the art of music.
Generally, in my opinion, there is usually a
misinterpretation about the classification
of instruments. Obviously the sound, and at
many times the price range, are of great
importance at the time of choosing but the
worst mistake is to let yourself be guided
by the “big” brands or names of guitars.
For me, the election must be based on the
communication between the instrument and the
musician just as there is communication
between people, a relationship, and an
affinity that the interpreter must find with
his instrument that doesn’t need brand or
price.
Up until a while ago I was in the need of a
new guitar; my last, an Alhambra 3-C,
accompanied me for many years since the
beginning of my career in Chile giving me
supreme results. Unfortunately it was
retirement time for her.
Throughout the beginning of my quest for a
new guitar, I found many good ones in
different places but none that fully
satisfied my needs as a musician
The Visit....
Finally during the summer of 2006 I attended
an event in Sequim, in the beautiful
Washington peninsula, where I was invited
to play. I had the opportunity of meeting
Pete Barthell, a Luthier who lived in the
area, with whom I kept in touch after the
event.
One day, while visiting his workshop, I was
astonished by the organization of his work,
every detail denoted a touch of fineness
worthy of an artist in love with his work
and the simplicity that Pete showed,
demonstrated that behind a noble person, the
value of real art is found because like an
interpreter, a luthier gives life to each of
the instruments he creates.
As the evening wore on, Pete was cordial to
show me the process of making the guitars
from the care of the wood to the fitting of
the strings; and then, a touching and
exciting moment, the moment to try the
guitars myself. While I was pleasurably
playing and admiring the great quality of
Pete’s guitars, I came to play the guitar I
felt was the ideal one that would accompany
me from that moment on.
I was impressed, for the guitar
had an astounding sonorous capability that
did not distort the sound when dynamics
(fortes- pianos) were played. I felt that
whenever I’d play a piece, no matter what
the technical difficulty was, my hands,
specially the left one, would glide and
obtain the perfect, desired sound; the sound
I’d dreamed of and looked for in an
instrument. The melodic lines of any piece
would be emphasized by the sonority of the
sharp strings, making the harmonic capacity
appreciated in its totality.
As a musician, I am endlessly
thankful for my Barthell 116 guitar and very
satisfied with all its capability. I highly
recommend Barthell guitars to all
colleagues, musicians, guitarists, students,
and music lovers overall.
Technical specifications of my guitar,
the Barthell
116:
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Soundboard is Engelmann spruce from the
Canadian Rocky Mountain
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Body is American black walnut from Oregon
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The fingerboard is ebony from Madagascar
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The tuners are Gilberts
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The rosette is one-of-a-kind, designed by
Pete Barthell.
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The finish is polyurethane, applied by a
craftsman in Chehalis, WA.
www.barthellguitars.com |
