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I have been playing for about 16 years now but only 2 years of that has been leaning towards flamenco. For this reason, I want to buy my 1st flamenco guitar but it has to be good enough to perform and record with.
Would I be OK using an Alhambra 4f or 5f or mus I definitely go higher?
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
Hi Conrad,
I recently had a bad experience with cheap flamenco guitars. Having a pretty decent knowledge of electric guitars it hadn't occurred to me that with acoustic instruments there are no electrics to hide behind so cheap wood and poor construction make all the difference.
The Alhambra 3F I sent straight back to the dealer.
I wouldn't budget for less than £1000 ($1200 US, €1200) kind of price range.
You can get a cheaper guitar that would do the trick but you may not want to keep it.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to sean65)
Thank you Sean.
I think I can not afford more than the 7FC though. I am currently in South Africa. It is minimum R16k here which roughly translates to €1.6k. I don't know if they are approximately the same price in the UK?
Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
hi there.. for 1500 euros.. you can save another 500 and get a Eliasson 2A guitar.. and that in american would be about.. (taking a break, just check some online currency convertors.. Euro just dropped! about 30% of it's last years value.. was 1.8=my 1 dollar now it's 1.5 to my 1 dollar..woohoo) about 2000 US.. you can check out the Navarro guitars that are on lafalseta.com They get good reviews here..
it sucks getting a new guitar.. but maybe you can get a katoh flamenco guitar? it's cheap, sounds alright and the dimension is pretty good..
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to HolyEvil)
OK I'll look into those. I am finding out about cost of bringing one from Europe. A local luthier quoted me R35k which is approximately €3.5k to build me a flamenco guitar.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
Another question ,and I am sure this has been asked many times, is if I should go for a cutaway or not. I am only concerned with the sound and playability.
Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
i'm a beginner.. and judging from the videos i've seen and the guitars that pple have around here.. I'd say mostly pple who play flamenco have non cutaways.. of course there are some with cutaway.. just the majority i'm talking about..
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
Hi Guys
OK for those who are interested. I got feedback from Alhambra and the recommend the 5f as the lowest model I should go for if I consider myself intermediate.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to sean65)
Yes I get that impression too. I just found out the 3f: +- €800, 5f: +- €1000
There is a local Luthier that claims that his "SmoothTalker" is great for flamenco too. http://www.smoothtalkerguitars.com/ He quoted me +- €1000 to build one that is light and has a flamenco sound and action. Any opinions?
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
quote:
There is a local Luthier that claims that his "SmoothTalker" is great for flamenco too. http://www.smoothtalkerguitars.com/ He quoted me +- €1000 to build one that is light and has a flamenco sound and action. Any opinions?
The name was SO BAD that I was forced to take a look. Now that I've looked at them you really don't want to hear my opinion (based on looks).
I was going to say that he needs to go back to the drawing board but on second thoughts, I think he needs to stay away from the drawing board. lol
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
what do people thing of the 3F for a beginner flamenco guitar? i played one and found it to be quite a nice entry level instrument, i am a complete beginner,and i am curious what people think
if i did buy one i would have a luthier lower the action straight away, it was a little high for a flamenco guitar
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to marduk)
quote:
what do people thing of the 3F for a beginner flamenco guitar? i played one and found it to be quite a nice entry level instrument, i am a complete beginner,and i am curious what people think
if i did buy one i would have a luthier lower the action straight away, it was a little high for a flamenco guitar
Hi Marduk, I started also with a 3F and within 3 months I got myself another guitar. In my opinion the guitar is very uninspiring. So I took it a level up....and again after a few months I wanted a better one....now I got a Franciso Navarro Concert guitar and thats inspiring.
So if I had all this before I would have gone straight to a good guitar....in the end its a lot cheaper.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
it would take me a very long time to be able to afford a true inspiring guitar, that is my ultimate goal, but my short term goal is to have something acceptable to practice on in these early times, im still playing a very cheap guitar that i have modified, it has been serving its purpose, but sounds really bad, and i need a short term replacement while im saving for a real guitar
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
yeah i know that feeling, even the 3F made me feel like that when i went from it back to my guitar. and i take every oppourtunity to play with my teachers guitars, so i know what a guitar should feel like
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
quote:
o I took it a level up....and again after a few months I wanted a better one....now I got a Franciso Navarro Concert guitar and thats inspiring.
Hi Kozz,
That's interesting. I'm following a similar path. I had two beginners guitars to choose from the 3f and the C3F (Manuel Rodriguez). I decided on the C3F based on sound. But when I heard it beside an Hnos Sanchis Lopez I became a bit disillusioned.
It was my intention to replace it with a Bernal Prodigio Esp.or Hnos Sanchis Lopez mid range guitar, but now these Castillo Guitars have caught my eye so I may well wait till I have the funds for a Castillo.
Marduk,
It's tricky at that price point. One beginner guitar that I didn't get a chance to try that received good review was a Yamaha CG171SF. That may be worth having a look at.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to sean65)
i havnt tried them either, i will play one if i get the oppourtunity. I felt pretty comfortable with the 3f, i am seriously considering getting one and taking it to a luthier to have action lowered, it felt nicer than some other entry level guitars i have played
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to sean65)
quote:
Hi Kozz,
That's interesting. I'm following a similar path. I had two beginners guitars to choose from the 3f and the C3F (Manuel Rodriguez). I decided on the C3F based on sound. But when I heard it beside an Hnos Sanchis Lopez I became a bit disillusioned.
Hi Sean, perhaps there are many people following the same path. But it is also fun in a way. You get frustrated, want a better guitar, and you'll do some research and gain some knowledge about guitars. I didn't know nothing about guitars and now just a little bit more, and appreciate good guitars more, and their builders.
Madruk, good luck with the search, I do not want you to keep of the 3F, but maybe just give it a second thought.
Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to marduk)
quote:
i havnt tried them either, i will play one if i get the oppourtunity. I felt pretty comfortable with the 3f, i am seriously considering getting one and taking it to a luthier to have action lowered, it felt nicer than some other entry level guitars i have played
marduk, i play a c3f. i got mine on ebay for 300 bucks. there's a video of me playing it if you want to hear how mine sounds.
apparently the sound quality is variable with this model but i like the way mine sounds.
i know how you feel about playing ****ty guitars. for most of my flamenco journey, i played a ****ty classical guitar. but i'm grateful because playing with a ****ty guitar taught me a lot.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to at_leo_87)
yeah there is a definate benefit to playing a cheap guitar for a while, i go out of my way to achieve the best possible sound from mine, which forces me to practice my technique.
i am very focussed and practicing full time though, and feel that i am ready to start working with a better guitar
Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to marduk)
quote:
yeah there is a definate benefit to playing a cheap guitar for a while, i go out of my way to achieve the best possible sound from mine, which forces me to practice my technique.
exactly.
quote:
i am very focussed and practicing full time though, and feel that i am ready to start working with a better guitar
do it! don't settle for anything though. it's worth it to wait and save up for a guitar with a good set up if you need to. it's going to feel soooo good.
RE: Alhambra 3f, 4f, 5f and 7fc (in reply to ConradP)
i have played a Sanchis 33 FL a few times recently, and i definately liked the alhambra over it, quite a bit actually.
i have decided to buy the alhambra, and then start saving for a couple of years, to be truly happy i am probably going to need to spend 10k plus, and i want to wait until i can do a guitar like that justice before i own one
i have considered waiting till i can spend 5k on an entry level guitar, but I realised that the important thing for me to be focussed on, is practice and compas, so i will just get the tools i need for now
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