| Contact: Susan FelicianoLast Update: 30/09/1998Post Comment | Six-time Grammy Award winning artist, acclaimed by critics throughout the world as "the greatest living guitarist"
Jose's guitar work is legendary. For over 30 years he has been "instrumental" in dignifying the acoustic guitar by bringing it to a level of acceptance rivaled by few in the industry. Soul, pop, rock, jazz, classical - in English Spanish and Italian, Jose has delighted people worldwide with his inimitable style. Honored by Guitar player Magazine, he is in their "Gallery of the Greats"; his hands are 'enbronzed' in Madame Tussaud's in London and Billboard Magazine has bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award on the man whose life has been the guitar. The Cuatro Many interested in Feliciano's music have noticed his playing of the cuatro, the Puerto Rican stringed instrument. It is rather small, is sometimes quite beautifully decorated and sounds a little like a mandolin. Jose has played the instrument for many, many years, as his uncle played and even made them in Puerto Rico. Jose now has several and he considers them one of his most special possessions. A number of recordings include the sound of the cuatro, "Feliz Navidad", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Ponte A Cantar", to name a few. One of the tracks from "Señor Bolero" also has the distinctive sound of the cuatro. To string this instrument one needs to use four sets of silk and steel light gauge strings which make up the unique combination: 2 High E's; 2 B's; 2 3rds; a 4th and a 1st and a 5th with a 3rd or a 2nd string. This combination allows for the seemingly "happy " or "jovial" sound of the cuatro, which is crisp and clean. a nice website about the cuatro The Electric Jose Feliciano's love of the guitar includes also, those he plugs into an amp! In fact, though it isn't commonly considered, he has been playing the electric guitar nearly as long as the acoustic, though his image is that of an acoustic player. He has a nice collection of electric guitars including a cherry red Les Paul Guitar, autographed to Jose by Les Paul, himself, right on the front. What a treasure! On the road, Jose tours with an electric guitar that, over the years, has evolved into quite a special instrument. It's a custom-made DiCarlo solid body guitar that he has used for the last 15 years or so. Over time, it has been lovingly worked to a point where we've coined it, Jose's Super Galactica! Some of its features include an on-board (old style) MXR distortion and MXR chorus with 2 double-coil pickups (Humbuckers). He likes GHS Boomers-Extra light-strings. Jose considers the electric guitar an important part of who he is, musically, and rarely performs without it. The Acoustic Clearly, however, it's safe to say, the acoustic guitar is Jose Feliciano's first love. Since he was a boy the acoustic guitar has been his best friend, his passport to the world; his salvation, as he puts it. It has been the source of his success and he will forever be grateful to this beautiful instrument. Jose has played a number of different acoustic guitars, over the years. His very first, at nine years old, was a ten dollar, second-(or third!)-hand guitar given to him by his father. "Dad surprised me one day with this paper bag and in it was my first guitar!" Later, he heard of the master guitar maker, Candelario del Gado, in Los Angeles, California. He made a number of guitars for Jose over a period of time but Jose remembers fondly that Candelario even lent him a guitar in the early years when he couldn't quite afford it on his own. The last guitar Candelario ever made, it is told, is a very special one in Jose's collection: The Carved Head, as it is refered, was photographed extensively and used for recording purposes, but rarely, if ever, taken on tour. It gets its named from the carving on the head of the stock where a bold "JOSE" can be seen. There's a nice picture of it on the Romance in the Night LP. The sons and nephews still run the shop, Candelas Guitars, in East L.A., and carry on the tradition of the master luthier, Candelario del Gado. Currently, and for the last 10 years of so, Kirk Sand of The Guitar Shoppe, in Laguna Beach, Calilfornia, has been custom-building instruments for Jose. Kirk and Jim Mathewson have developed a design with Jose that they call aptly, the Jose Feliciano Model. It has the larger-than-usual dreadnot body but, of course, with nylon strings and a cutaway for easier access up the fret board. It's a lovely instrument with sweet richness that is both deep and clean. You can hear it whenever you see Jose on tour or listen to him on record, most recently, of course, on Señor Bolero. Nail Care As an acoustic guitarist of Feliciano's stature, you can imagine that his nails are extremely important to his ability to perform. His left hand, which frets the guitar, has very short nails, except for the "pinkie" and thumb nail which are not used for playing. His right hand, however, is the more particular in that it is the one that creates the crisp, clear sound that is necessary against the nylon strings. The nails cannot be too short or long, for that matter, and must have a perfect roundness with absolutely no "corners" at the cuticle. The pinkie, again, is not as important as the others, while the right thumb nail is most crucial to his performance. It is a bit longer than the rest on that hand, and again, is perfectly round and very strong. God certainly blessed him there. One supposes the stimulation to his hands has helped his circulation, too, over the years---why, after all, are one's toenails stronger than the nails of the hand??? More on nail care The History of the Guitar A particularly good site offers a comprehensive history of the guitar: Paul's Guitar Museum |
