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I'm debating whether I will get the F7, which has desirable tonewoods for a snappy, raspy and percussive sound - or I should get the F7 Paco, which is based on the F7, as a negra. I've seen some poor reviews from people here about its appearance and the fact that it's a Cordoba. But nothing appears to be said enough to really balance the description of this instrument, whether it's "Ok" for low-financed guitarists such as myself. Long story short, I want to know more about this guitar and its playability from the community here, I simply want an affordable Flamenco negra that isn't a cut-away.
I currently have a Cordoba F7 (not the Paco model) and for a "starting off guitar to see if I like it before buying something nicer later" I am extremely impressed with what I got for less than $500 Canadian dollars. It is extremely comfortable to play and the setup on mine is excellent. Being cheaper, with laminate cypress back and sides, it does not have the depth/range of tone one would get from a more expensive instrument but it doesn't sound bad.
a lot of flamenco guitars in the price range mentioned are sometimes referred to as blonde classicals so having a blonde wood for sides and back may be similar to a negra. you might want to check out Kremona guitars. Another option is to look for a used Navarro.
Yeah, yellow classicals all sound pretty much the same.
In my experience, you can be happy with one of those for a long time but only if you don't have a better all solid guitar to compare to. I used to have an Alhambra 4F and while playing it I would think "this is pretty good" but then I would bring the Kremona out of the case (all solid woods) and "oh, ok... this is waaaay much more goooder!".
Kremona should be around your price so if you can grab one of those, that might be better than any Cordoba/Alhambra/Yamaha etc.
I've only played 2 kremonas but I was pretty impressed for the price point. I've played MANY cordobas and I feel like they're not super consistent so I'd play before you buy. Me and my friend have the exact same model(cheap end) and his plays and sounds way nicer. The low end yamahas are pretty impressive for the price range and consistent from what I've seen. Still never played an Alhambra, the guitar stores out here just don't carry them......
I recently bought a Marlon Navarro guitar - used - from a guitar center in Texas for $399.00. The guitar is a 2014 model in brand new condition, it's made of all-solid-woods, Engelmann spruce top & Monterey cypress back & sides. The guitar sounds and plays much better than any Cordoba iberia or Espana series instrument. The guitar center has a used gear page on their website. You can surf all the guitar center stores nationally and find some very good deals. The guitar center also offers shipping, my guitar was shipped from Houston,TX to Southfield,MI for $14.58. Total price of the guitar including tax + shipping was $439.47. The guitar salon international charges $999.00 for the same instrument. Keep in mind, the guitar center employs minimum wage help that's not very knowledgeable about handmade guitars and - as a consequence - some pretty good deals can be had. Good luck with your search.
Looking at this post again I want to point out that the F7 is laminate and therefore the tonewood isnt going to be as effective. It may have a cypress veneer and have plywood underneath, or it may be pieces of cypress put together, but in any case its not going to have the identical effect of solid cypress.
As for the Paco, I don't get what is Paco about it other than they are using pieces of rosewood as opposed to pieces of cypress. Paco was famous for a flamenco negra, but even there I believe his flamenco negras had spruce tops and not cedar, so I don't get it.
I have to confess it sounds good in this video. Its being recorded by a microphone that I imagine is twice as valuable as the guitar and the player is fantastic, but I dont know if ,y old Yamaha 172SF could have sounded this good under any circumstance
Any opinions on the video? I dont trust my own ears. It sounds pretty good to me for the price point, but Im no expert. I dont want to pass up an opportunity on a great guitar like the C9 to get something less than desirable, just because I was dazzled by a good player and a good double microphone. Anyone who knows anything about guitars have an educated opinion for a working class hobbyist?
From my knowledge, I've been told that the blanca (F7) sounds like the blanca GK model, considering the tonal woods are the same though dimensions are different, could be one factor.
After my trip from Mexico I'm going to buy a Alhambra 4F :) I bought the F7 Paco last year, it's got a glorious moody sound, and the trebles are still raspy as they should be in Flamenco, provided that you have it set up. It was a fine investment, I still have mine, the tap plate isn't very convenient for my long straight hands
Thanks for the reply. It sounded relatively good for a cheap guitar in their add, but things often sound best in idealized contexts, so I wanted to get info from someone with experience.
As for the Alhambra 4F I'd try it out. Sycamore guitars sound a little flat to my ears from what Ive heard online. The orange color is great, but I have yet to hear a good example of the 4F
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