{"id":10596,"date":"2018-07-31T16:43:14","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T23:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/?p=10596"},"modified":"2021-06-30T09:41:33","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T16:41:33","slug":"gear-review-la-canada-model-115-is-a-fine-new-guitar-based-on-an-antonio-de-torres-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/gear-review-la-canada-model-115-is-a-fine-new-guitar-based-on-an-antonio-de-torres-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"Gear Review: La Ca\u00f1ada Model 115 is a Fine New Guitar Based on an Antonio de Torres Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"
BY ADAM PERLMUTTER | FROM THE SUMMER 2018 ISSUE OF CLASSICAL GUITAR<\/em><\/a><\/h6>\n

The German luthier Edmund Bl\u00f6chinger is one of the great living guitar makers, and virtuosos no less esteemed than Pepe and Celin Romero have championed his instruments. If you are among those fortunate enough to acquire one of his instruments\u2014he makes only 10 per year, and his only dealer is Guitar Salon International\u2014you will have paid well into five figures. <\/span><\/p>\n

But if that sum is far beyond your means, a collaboration between Bl\u00f6chinger and Wolfgang Jellinghaus, who presides over the Milestones of Music guitar workshop in China, has resulted in instruments that are much more affordable: the La Ca\u00f1ada line. Guitars under the La Ca\u00f1ada name include the Model 17, which is based on an 1864 Torres, and the Model 115, inspired by an 1888 Torres. I auditioned the latter and was as impressed by its build-quality as by its handsome voice and easy playability.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"La<\/p>\n

Wood That Sings<\/span><\/h4>\n

As the name suggests, the La Ca\u00f1ada Model 115 is based on the 115th guitar that Antonio de Torres made during his second epoch\u2014the period, beginning in 1875, when he returned to lutherie after a short retirement. The original No. 115 was first played by the concert guitarist Mathilde Ruiz and then by her widower, Emilio Pujol. Many years later, in 2015, GSI (Guitar Salon International) bought the No. 115 as part of the Russell Cleveland Collection, allowing Bl\u00f6chinger\u2014who, like any classical luthier, owes a tremendous debt to Torres\u2014to scrutinize and measure the instrument. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, I didn\u2019t have the same access as Bl\u00f6chinger, so I auditioned the Model 115 based on its own merits and not through a comparison to its historical counterpart. Removing the new guitar from its hardshell case\u2014which incidentally had an attractive suede-like covering that I hadn\u2019t previously seen on an instrument case\u2014I was struck by the instrument\u2019s lightness and finish. Unlike the typical guitar produced in an East Asian workshop, the Model 115 sports a French polish finish, with its unmistakable sheen and feel. The French polish\u2014whose name describes both the procedure for hand-rubbing many coats of shellac and the end result\u2014has been used on furniture and musical instruments for centuries. It\u2019s much more time-consuming to apply than a modern nitrocellulose or polyurethane treatment, but is thought by many to promote a better sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

The instrument, which is the standard modern classical size, has a spruce soundboard. The back and sides are made from granadillo, a tonewood more commonly used for marimbas, but which, due to its ringing tap tone, has also been used by classical luthiers and, more recently, by steel-string guitar makers. (In South America, granadillo is known as la madera que canta<\/i>, \u201cthe wood that sings.\u201d) The granadillo used on the review model has a striking look, with its reddish coloring, swirling grain pattern, and sapwood portions. This wood is complemented by flamed maple binding and a wooden mosaic rosette.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the guitar\u2019s paper label, the model number bears the suffix A. This stands for antique\u2014a cosmetic treatment often seen on electric guitars and sometimes on steel-strings, but practically never on nylon-strings. Though the finish is entirely smooth\u2014it doesn\u2019t bear the nicks and wear that come with age\u2014the soundboard has been tinted to approximate the look of centuries-old wood. Luckily, if the aged look doesn\u2019t suit you, the guitar is also available without this visual effect.<\/p>\n

\"La<\/h4>\n

Richly Voiced<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Model 115 feels great on the fretting hand. Its neck profile is neither too thick nor too thin, and I find it easy to breeze up and down the neck and to play barre chords for extended periods without experiencing any hand fatigue. The guitar almost seems to play itself. <\/span><\/p>\n

I admit to having a preference for instruments built in North American and European workshops, but I was not in any way disappointed by the sound of the Model 115. The guitar has a warm, deep voice, certainly more robust than expected, and very good note separation and clarity. It feels highly responsive as well, and has a good amount of volume and projection even when played with a light touch.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was transcribing some Brazilian jazz solo guitar pieces when I received the Model 115 for review, and the guitar sounded terrific when I played through some of this work. The bass notes had a certain presence and oomph well-suited to the idiom, without overwhelming melodies and chordal passages in higher registers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The guitar\u2019s richness also worked well for a range of other styles and eras, from a Bach prelude to Enrique Granados\u2019 Spanish Dance No. 4<\/i> to an excerpt from Leo Brouwer\u2019s El Decamer\u00f3n Negro<\/i>. It also felt quite inspiring to improvise freely on the instrument, both in standard tuning and with the sixth string lowered to D. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bottom Line<\/span><\/h4>\n

There once was a time when guitars made in China were considered inferior offerings by far. Now, La Ca\u00f1ada Model 115 is only the latest to offer a formidable challenge to this old notion. The guitar feels and sounds just like a good instrument should, and has been French polished to boot. While it would make an outstanding choice for the student player, the Model 115 would also make a reliable companion for the professional
\nperformer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY ADAM PERLMUTTER | FROM THE SUMMER 2018 ISSUE OF CLASSICAL GUITAR The German luthier Edmund Bl\u00f6chinger is one of the great living guitar makers, and virtuosos no less esteemed than Pepe and Celin Romero have championed his instruments. If you are among those fortunate enough to acquire one of his instruments\u2014he makes only 10 per year, and his only dealer is Guitar Salon International\u2014you will have paid well into five figures. But if that sum is far beyond your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10597,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[81,143],"class_list":["post-10596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-stories","tag-antonio-de-torres","tag-review","post_format-post-format-video"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/La-Canada-Guitar-new-gear-classical-nylon-torres.jpg?fit=1458%2C875&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10596"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16457,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10596\/revisions\/16457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/classicalguitarmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}