Anothing buying advice thread...

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altima88

Posts: 5
Joined: Nov. 1 2012

Anothing buying advice thread...

Hello everyone,

I've been playing flamenco about a year and a half now on a really ****ty classical guitar I bought for 80$+tax at a store in town. It's time for some sort of upgrade.

Being in Canada I have little to no options to actually TRY any guitars. I'd love to order one online but once again that brings the issue of being unable to "try before I buy"

I've read over a bunch of these threads about buying already but was still hoping for some additional input

I'm going to Spain for two weeks and probably will not buy a guitar while there as it seems like a big hassle to travel with + bring it back on plane + duty etc. I'm also worried Id get totally for a ride as a tourist shopping for guitars. I do however feel it might be a great opportunity to try out a whole bunch and see what I enjoy. I figure I'll pop in a few places (going through barcelona->valencia->malaga->sevilla->cordoba->toledo->barcelona) a long the way and try some stuff out.

I have no idea what makes a great flamenco guitar well.. a great flamenco guitar! People on here talk about bracing and woods and reinforced necks etc etc. and I have no clue what any of this means in terms of my playing or enjoyment or sound quality of the instrument.

I'd love to buy a nice lutheir crafted guitar but the waits can be crazy and I feel a guitar of such quality and price would be wasted on someone of my skill level.

I mean on the positive side ANYTHING I buy is going to be a massive step up from what I'm using. I'd just like to get a lot of bang for my buck so to speak. I'm willing to spend up to 2,500-3000. There are just so many options up to the price point that I'm beyond confused...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 10 2013 18:24:14

gj Michelob

Posts: 1531
Joined: Nov. 7 2008
From: New York City/San Francisco

RE: Anothing buying advice thread... (in reply to altima88)

quote:

I'm willing to spend up to 2,500-3000.

In which currency, Canadian, US, Euro.... old Pesetas?

_____________________________

gj Michelob

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 10 2013 18:34:24

machopicasso

Posts: 973
Joined: Nov. 27 2010

RE: Anothing buying advice thread... (in reply to altima88)

quote:

I'd just like to get a lot of bang for my buck so to speak. I'm willing to spend up to 2,500-3000.

If you're moving up from $80 CND to $2,500-3,000, then -- unless something goes horribly wrong!!! -- anything you buy will sound and play better.

To clarify: Are you looking for a blanca, negra, or something in between?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 11 2013 7:46:59

rogeliocan

Posts: 811
Joined: Nov. 23 2009
From: Canada

RE: Anothing buying advice thread... (in reply to altima88)

quote:

I have no idea what makes a great flamenco guitar well.. a great flamenco guitar! People on here talk about bracing and woods and reinforced necks etc etc. and I have no clue what any of this means in terms of my playing or enjoyment or sound quality of the instrument.

I'd love to buy a nice lutheir crafted guitar but the waits can be crazy and I feel a guitar of such quality and price would be wasted on someone of my skill level.

What makes a perfect woman? One you like. Once you meet her, you know and it does not matter how she was constructed, white, yellow, brown, beige. You just know that it is good. Of course you had to try a bunch to know and learn about yourself at the same time, because it is mostly about you, your preferences, then you can choose well.

So since you are pretty much a virgin with guitars, try a bunch with no intention of buying, kind of like dating but you don't have to explain before hand that you are not looking for anything serious, unless of course you go to Conde's shop, then you have to look like you will buy one (I hear). And in fact, I would go to one of their shops and try a few guitars out, again so you can compare and expand your experience. But that might be scary if your skills are not there yet.

At this point you will answer your own question about how it should feel, sound, and you won't care about the bracing pattern and whether they were salted, peppered or marinated. Nobody can tell you what you should like, they will only tell you what they like, and that is not necessarily useful, go out and date.
Useful stuff might be what more generic information, like string height, think about ease of playing left hand, stiffness as you pluck, stay away from prostitutes, at least don't kiss them and wear a condom.... meaning, stay away from guitars that you don't know where they've come from. For $3000 you can get a luthier made guitar, new and used, no need to buy a guitar 'made in ???', 'sold in ????', 'touched-up by so and so'; aim for 'constructed by ABC'; that is only my opinion, I think most guitarist think luthier-built when they look for quality, not factory.

I don't think a luthier-built guitar is crazy for any skill level (one that you like of course, because there are s h i t t t y luthier built guitars), it will just make playing more enjoyable. But... your tastes might change when you get better, no big deal, if you bought a good quality guitar, you may not loose any money on it or just a few $100, think of it as rental cost for playing on a good guitar, well worth it. Since you are spending $3k, don't buy a $3k Yamaha just because you think you don't deserve a $3k luthier.

So you are only a child right now, go to Spain and be a s l u t, try as many guitars as you can, take notes because they will get mixed up in your head, especially the ones you did not like, and the ones you did... Guitars are not all built the same and vary but I think that eventually, you won't even want to bother trying out an Alhambra guitar lower than model X, and maybe eventually, no Alhambra at all. (Alhambra, only serving as an example).

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 11 2013 10:20:08

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: Anothing buying advice thread... (in reply to rogeliocan)

quote:

ORIGINAL: rogeliocan

What makes a perfect woman? One you like. Once you meet her, you know and it does not matter how she was constructed, white, yellow, brown, beige. You just know that it is good. Of course you had to try a bunch to know and learn about yourself at the same time, because it is mostly about you, your preferences, then you can choose well.

I like that !

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 11 2013 11:00:42