rejectomorph (flying_blind) wrote,
rejectomorph
flying_blind

Storminess

Once the snow had turned to rain, the whitened ground became pocked. Now everything is slush and icy roads. Tonight, the moon occasionally manages to brighten bits of cloud, but has yet to break completely through their massy darkness. A bit of sunshine might arrive tomorrow to melt some of the thin crust of snow, but by Friday we'll be back to rain or whatever else decides to fall from the sky. Frogs, perhaps, or hazelnuts, or little fishes. Probably not, though. I've given up hope of ever seeing a Fortean event. The closest I've gotten is when a frozen bird fell from a tree one cold year. My life is too dull.


It was some forty years ago that I first heard of Candelas guitars, which were fine quality instruments being crafted in a small shop in Los Angeles by a Mexican luthier named Candelario Delgado. A fiend of mine bought one, thereby joining the ranks of a diverse group of luminaries that included Andres Segovia, Jackson Browne, Hoyt Axton, Laurindo Almeida, and Burl Ives. I lost track of the friend ages ago, and have heard nothing of him since, so I guess the instrument alone was not able to bring him fame, but I remember that it sure sounded good.

Now Candelas Guitars is on the Internets! Not only that, but they have a YouTube channel! It's nice to know that the Delgado family is still making instruments. But wait! Delgado Guitars is also on the Internets! And also has YouTube channel!

Dueling Delgados, Batman! Both web sites are full of the history of the Delgado family, and it's the same history on both sites, but as far as I've seen, neither site makes any mention of the other. Candelas Guitars is still in Los Angeles, and operated by Tomas Delgado, but Delgado Guitars is in Nashville and is operated by Manuel Delgado. The are apparently cousins, but I get the impression the cousins are not friends. The Candelas web site contains the following text:
"A Word to Our Dedicated Customers who have stood by Candelas Guitars for over 70 years:
We apologize for any confusion being caused in the marketplace with the Candelas brand. We want you to know that there is only one Candelas shop and only Candelas brand guitars are produced from our shop in East Los Angeles. By law, no other guitar shop is permitted to produce, reproduce, copy, distribute or assume ownership of the Candelas brand."
Ah, some sort of contretemps over the rights to the name, then. Well, at least the skills have been passed down. Which cousin, if either, has the greater mastery of those skills will, I suppose, be decided by the musicians who buy, or don't buy, the instruments. I would wish good luck to both cousins. Excellent craftsmanship is of value in itself, without regard to name or fame.


Still no sign of either feral cat. Here, kitty kitty!
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