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I recently started getting into Flamenco and am looking to purchase a new guitar very soon.
I have been playing for almost 20 years and am quite bored with music and the styles that I have learned so far. I have been wanting to learn something challenging so I chose Flamenco.
I am looking to spend between $600-$900 on a decent Flamenco guitar. I have been researching for a week or so about different guitars. I went by guitar center the other day to check some out. All of them played terribly, especially most of the expensive Manuel Rodriguez models. I was looking at the cordoba gk studio for a while until I played it and read up on this forum.
Im wanting a decent guitar without having to spend an arm and a leg.
Any suggestions?? Ive looked on the forum, but there are so many different brands and models and its confusing me.
I hate the manuel rodriguez's. My feeling is if you can't spend at least $1,200 or more just forget it and get a Yamaha flamenco, CG172 I think it is. It's like 3-$400 and beats the crap out of most "flamenco's" in the under $1,000 range.
If i had that amount of money to spend my aim would be to find myself a classical Ibanez from the early 70ties with the label "IBANEZ mark of quality instruments, produced in Japan under strict quality control" ... don't confuse them with the crap they made ever since.
I ended up getting an amazing deal on a Yamaha cg172sf at Guitar Center.
I bought the last one in the Houston area and it was on clearance. With tax it was $194.50, brand new!!
They told me that the are phasing them out and that was literally the last one in Houston and they wouldn't be getting any more.
The guy told me that I actually got it at cost. So if you ever wondered about their profit margin then there ya go haha. Thank you for the recommendation.
I also just talked to a local luthier and got a quote on installing a bone nut and saddle for $125. Is that a good price? Would it make THAT much of a difference on this guitar?
Seems a lot of money. Forget about the nut, it won´t make much difference. Buy a bone, a file and some sandpaper and make your own saddle. You can find instructions on this site. Then $5 is a reasonable price
I also just talked to a local luthier and got a quote on installing a bone nut and saddle for $125. Is that a good price? Would it make THAT much of a difference on this guitar?
If you're happy with the existing nut and saddle, keep them. I've bought bone nut and saddle from ebay for very little that apart from a bit of sandpaper work have required no additional work.
I bought a cheap Alvarez classical(300.00) and put a gulpeador (plastic tap plate sticker)on it. Had a great sound just needed the action fixed, which most guitars are set to high from the factory. I know the clearance isn't right from strings to the guitar top but you can learn a lot of techniques on a cheap guitar, just look for intonation and good sound. I think Calvin Hazen told us that guitars have wood memory and the more you change the strings and play them the better they sound.
I think my Cervantes was 1,800.00. I'm about to retire her away, she is beat up bad. Wish I would have kept the Alvarez to do the repeated scales and exercises on.
I would go with the Yamaha, there good guitars.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
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May we find God through Flamenco instead of Angels and Demons
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