Opinions on This Guitar for Flamenco Please

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Quill

Posts: 46
Joined: Nov. 2 2013

Opinions on This Guitar for Flamenco...

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical-instruments/guitars-basses/el_nylon_guitars/ntx/?mode=series#tab=feature

I think I've found a solution. Some of you that I've been having a hard time finding a flamenco guitar to fit my small hands. I'm loathe to order a regular-sized guitar and have to return it. I thought about lowering the action a smaller scale classical guitar but I really don't want to take that chance for my first guitar.

So I think I've found a solution. This guitar is not marketed for flamenco though it's sister, the Yamaha NCX is. (The NCX has the same size and shape neck as most flamenco guitars.) This NTX is thin, even more so than the NCX but the neck is the reason I'm considering it. The guitar is marketed as a cross between an electric and nylon guitar. The neck is in between the width of an electric and acoustic, and is thin and flat and radiused. It's still a nylon guitar. Yamaha markets is for many types of music including Latin.

This might be the solution for me because I like hymns as well as flamenco. I could also play easier stuff sooner while I learn flamenco.

Please take pity on me and give me your opinion. Rodrigo y Gabriel helped design these and play on them. They admittedly don't play flamenco but they do use some techniques, which is why the other guitar (NXC model) that Gab uses is sturdier to take her rasgueos (sp)and slaps, etc.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 30 2013 1:14:30

rombsix

Posts: 7808
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

I would definitely try it, and the ultimate solution would be something like a Johnny Walker custom built 640 mm scale length guitar.

http://www.johnnywalkerguitars.com/concert_flamenco_model

Cheers!

_____________________________

Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 30 2013 3:46:04

tijeretamiel

Posts: 441
Joined: Jan. 6 2012

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to rombsix)

Quill,

Personally I would try to avoid the NTX Yamahas. They might be nice guitars but they have 14 fret necks and consequently the bridge will be further up the body and therefore your picking hand will be at a different position. Those guitars will suit players with picks or crossover players more than someone who wants to learn flamenco.

I'd look for a guitar with a nut width I was comfortable first, to negate the scale being longer than what I was comfortable with I'd use a capo on the 1st or 2nd fret to effectively shorten the scale.

Over them I'd recommend the Cordoba GK Studio guitars, which have a slightly narrower nut than most classicals/flamencos but at 50mm it's still a little wider than than the Yamahas. Also there's the Cordoba 12 Fusion Natural which has a 48mm nut, at around $500 which isn't too bad.

I think Ron Hudson at Memorial Music not too long ago had a Francisco Navarro Student flamenco with a 640mm scale (not sure about the nut width), and there are some other companies eg Alhambra who make guitars in the 'Senorita' size which is 7/8 of full size I think it'd be 636mm instead of 650mm.

There's also the Art et Lutherie AMI Nylon, which has a smaller 13" body, a short 630mm scale but it has a 50mm wide nut.

There are a couple of Guild GAD models which have 1 3/4" nuts, some crop up on Ebay for about $500; all solid instruments too eg the Guild GN5, the GN4 was a little less than that.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 30 2013 14:52:07

Ramon Amira

Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

Look into a Cordoba Dolce. It’s a 7/8 guitar – 630/50. It’s a classical guitar and perfectly suitable for flamenco. In addition to having only a 50mm nut, it also has a thin neck. You can get static cling golpeadores from Strings by Mail. Get the Oasis.

The Dolce sounds amazingly good for its category, and I think it might be just right for you. Guitar Center and Sam Ash both sell it, and they have a great return policy if it doesn’t work out for you.

Ramon

_____________________________

Classical and flamenco guitars from Spain Ramon Amira Guitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 30 2013 15:00:38

Quill

Posts: 46
Joined: Nov. 2 2013

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

Thank you, guys. I will definitely look into these guitars!

It's the Yamaha CG172 for a dedicated flamenca versus the others for flamenco + hymns + pop songs + 12-13th medieval classical music.

Decisions!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 1 2013 1:32:57

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

Stay away from these guitars. They have absolutely nothing to do with flamenco or flamenco guitars.
You´ll only get bad habits and never learn to do things right. And these guitars will never sound flamenco.

_____________________________

Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 1 2013 7:27:07

Quill

Posts: 46
Joined: Nov. 2 2013

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

So I went to guitar Center this afternoon and tried out guitars. They didn't have any dedicated flamenco guitars in stock, not even the Yamaha. I definitely liked the nylon stringed ones better thought I didn't hear the steels with picks. Considering that I want to do finger style, that's okay with me. I tried to play the guitars you guys mentioned, but not all of them were in the store.

I did discover some good things. My hand is big enough from top to bottom of fret board. I do have to stretch a bit to reach from side-to-side on the frets. The 650 guitars would probably feel better with a capo. I didn't have time to try one but the small guy salesman old me he grew into it. He started at fifteen and had time to grow into it.

I was stretched on the guitars with more depth but the thinner ones felt fine, especially the 3/4 models.

I'm thinking about the small Yamaha classical.

So Anders, I tried out a guitar the size of the NTX, and it felt great. Too bad the NTX won't sound flamenco. The NCX is marketed as a flamenco classical but is the same size as a regular classical so that's no advantage, plus it's thicker.

When it comes down to it, I'm torn between the Yamaha CG172SF that I juuuust might fit and a 3/4 classical I'd have to alter for flamenco. Back to where I started but I'm more confident having tried them out!

Strangely, for all the musicians in my area (I'm 100 miles from New Orleans), there seem to be only 3 guitar instructors in Baton Rouge. And there are lots of blues and rock guitarist here but only three teacher I found on the internet and at Guitar Center store? How do all these people learn to play guitar??? Can I learn flamenco online? That's what it looks like is going to have to happen.
So some options:

1) Buy the Yamaha flamenco and play flamenco and other stuff on the same guitar. Save up for better sounding guitar next year and keep this one for a beater.

2) Buy a 3/4 classical (even Yamaha classical sounds better on Youtube than Yamaha flamenco to my untrained ears) and lower the strings. Will this sound good in the long run with classical sustain?
3) Save up for a better sounding and more expensive flamenco guitar than the Yamaha and risk not liking plaing guitar and have to sell at a loss?
4) Any scenarios I didn't list? Advice?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 4 2013 4:29:39

Ricardo

Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

Guitar (OFF-) Center sucks as far as flamenco business is concerned. If you want to play fusion or whatever folk stuff and flamenco, you simply need to invest in multiple guitars. Get a real flamenco guitar, you won't regret it.

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CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 4 2013 13:42:35

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Opinions on This Guitar for Flam... (in reply to Quill)

So.. You dont play any kind of guitar right now and you're already concerned about multiple guitars for various genres?

If I were you I would like most people.. Just buy a cheap classical guitar with good playabity and a solid top. Learn some chords, scales, etc and after a year or two you might know what kind of guitar you want (or no guitar at all).

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Dec. 4 2013 14:12:59