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Help finding a guitar
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duwen
Posts: 68
Joined: Mar. 25 2009
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Help finding a guitar
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Hello (This is my very first post at these forums. I am excited ) OK, For years, since early 1990s, I have had guitar. It is am Encore, semi-acoustic, roundbacked steel-stringed guitar. But I am afraid to say that it has hampered my progress learning guitar severely (as has my lack of initiative to do something much earlier about this problem. There are reasons for that too personal to go into here) For one, the action was too high, so I find it hard to barre chords. And the steel strings were hard on fingers. So to cut a long sstory short, I ended up staying at top? of neck near strings, and became a strummer, and feeling a block about what i am doing etc.; As I have c9ome online and been inspired by watching great guitarists playing on free videos, and all the guitar lessons help (MUCH better than any books , in my popinion), I am now greatly inspired to now at las try and really learn what playing a guitar is really about. I telephoned our town's main instrument supplier, and said I was complete beginner and told him about the existing guitar problems, and that I was very much interested in Flamenco. He recommended the Santos Martinez SM 80 Classical guitar. And it is relatively cheap at £130 (well a lot to me, as I dont have much money, but I Am beginner) I asked him if he had Flamenco guitars, and he said they were really Classical guitars with some special features? I have also learned from some YOutube guitar contacts that the action on Flamenco guitars is lower than Classical guitars (an idea VERY seductive for me, who has suffered high action for 'ever')--Another person told me they had played Flamenco in Andalucia and many of the real good players there prefered cheap guitars...? But I have had avice to contact Flamenco and/or Classical musicians and makers about this before rushing out in desperation and buying a guitar. This is main reason I have joined these forums. Can you help please?
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 25 2009 4:37:56
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xirdneH_imiJ
Posts: 1898
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton
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RE: Help finding a guitar (in reply to duwen)
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i don't have much in depth knowledge about construction of guitars, nor have i played the top of the range ones that many members here have... i'm advising you to get a real flamenco because in my experience that's brought the biggest improvement to my playing...i had a good classical guitar, not top of the range, but a very good middle category one that i played, first as it was, then i lowered the action and it felt great...but when i decided to get my first real flamenco, i just felt it was totally different...both to my hands but especially to my ears...that difference in tone means the world, as it (the flamenco guitar) was designed to give those kinds of tones you're looking for in this kind of music...that's when i began to understand subtle differences in technique... and nowadays when i (rarely) pick up the classical, though it really is a fine instrument, i can't produce the tone i want and it just sounds different (crap) when i play just normal flamenco on it... perhaps a luthier could tell the differences in depth...but it means a lot that the body of the flamenco is lighter, softer, thinner, the action is already low though sometimes not optimal...oh and the golpeador is already there :) everyone i heard that switched from classical to flamenco were extremely satisfied with their choice, so i advise to save or to look for a cheap used flamenco to save you a headache later, when you're getting better technically and ear-wise...i myself consider the best choice so far in my life saving up and buying a real (though not cheap) flamenco guitar...i can't imagine being stuck with a classical now...(hehe i sound like a before-after commercial :))
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 27 2009 16:09:44
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xirdneH_imiJ
Posts: 1898
Joined: Dec. 2 2006
From: Budapest, now in Southampton
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RE: Help finding a guitar (in reply to duwen)
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i'm afraid i can't describe that tone :)...but listen to pro recordings, it's not very far from that...and on the proper guitar you can learn to create the proper tone with your fingers... my guitar cost about a thousand pounds, but i tried several flamenco guitars before that and i decided to save and go for the best, i fortunately got some family help too for my birthday, so i actually payed for only 2/3 of it... only a month or two ago i tried a yamaha at our local guitar shop and it was really good for the price, the one positive thing about that guitar is that they say you can buy it without trying since they're very consistent and really good value for the money... believe me, 30-130 quid, there's no real difference... but people are right, you should try as many guitars as you can and decide for yourself...if you're living in an urban area i'm sure there's at least one store where they have a yamaha too or maybe other models... our local store sells Cayuela's besides the Yamaha and several Ramirez guitars, that's also quite affordable and although i don't really like it, it is flamenco in design and sound... oh and generally you will be able to play classical on a flamenco, thought (on purpose) it doesn't hold the tone much, but the difference is not as noticable as if you were trying to play flamenco on a classical... 100 quid you'd be saving if you bought a guitar for 30 instead of 130 and decided to lose interest in flamenco later - that way you won't have spent another 100 for a guitar that's crap anyway and won't be using it anymore :)
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE |
Date Mar. 28 2009 4:55:11
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