# Performance Classical Guitar suggestions?



## Hybrid138 (Sep 2, 2011)

What are some of the major classical guitar builders. I will probably have to invest in one soon for school... I don't know of many. I only know of Jose Ramirez and Alhambra.


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## stryker1800 (Sep 2, 2011)

I have a Cordoba that suits me very well.


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## karvin99 (Sep 15, 2011)

I don't screw of galore. I exclusive live of Jose Ramirez and Fortress.


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## Alberto7 (Sep 15, 2011)

I have a Cordoba C7-CE (which you can see here http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/ja...ly-one-i-get-perfectly-along.html#post2518346) and it sounds beautifully, and plays even better. Intonation is near perfect, and has a very mellow yet punchy tone. It looks very classy as well. I promised a video of the guitar, which I haven't done due to several reasons, but I will some time soon hopefully. If you go to Cordoba's higher end guitars, you get some truly fantastic and exotic instruments!


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## yingmin (Sep 16, 2011)

Cordoba and Taylor make the best production classical guitars I've played. I've never cared for Ramirez, but they're certainly not bad. You may even want to look into La Patrie, the Godin umbrella's classical guitar brand.


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## Guimaj1435 (Sep 24, 2011)

Well that would depend on your price range, and how nice you need it to be. If you are looking for a professional, concert model classical guitar you are looking at a $3,500-$6,000 investment. These most of the time are made by luthiers and not large production companies. My guitar was made by Kamil Jaderny, and ran me $4,000 but I found it used so that actually cut down the price a bit. 

However if none of that helps you and you are looking for cheaper production model, then look at Cordoba, Contreas, Ramirez, and surprisingly I have heard Yamaha churns out a good one every now and then. 

The problem with classical guitars is that they are very fickle, I have played one guitar from a luthier/brand that was amazing, and then played another of the same value that was awful. So a lot of the time it doesn't really matter much who built it, you really have to play it first. Hope at least some of this helps.


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## Hybrid138 (Sep 25, 2011)

Yeah, I know a "good" guitar well cost me a fair amount of money, but my problem is that I can't really try them out. I'm going to ask my fellow guitar major buddies if I can try their guitars out. Other than that, I can't really try before I buy. When I played some classical guitars at GC, nothing really popped out as being a huge step up from my 10 year old, $100 Austin guitar. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for in tone or playability to justify the price difference?


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## Guimaj1435 (Sep 25, 2011)

Definitely a good idea to play some other guitar majors instruments, that's what I did and it payed off. When you're looking at a new guitar you want to listen to multiple things. You will want to see how different the tambre of the instrument is as you move your right hand along the string from tasto to ponticello. You will also want to listen to the tone, typically (but not always) guitars with spruce tops will produce a louder and brighter tone, while cedar will produce a softer darker one. The biggest difference however between a quality guitar and a cheap one is volume. The thing you will really want to watch out for though is make sure it's not just loud while you're playing it. There are many guitars that sound like a cannon when you're behind it, but can barely be heard at 20 ft. Take a friend with you (preferably a guitarist with nails,) so that you can hear the guitar from the audiences point of view, and make sure to check it at various distances and angles to see if the sound dies. And then of course check all the other regular guitar things like intonation, action, if the neck is bowed etc. I would recommend you go to a dedicated classical guitar shop if at all possible. Even if it is a long drive, it is definitely worth it for the amount of variety they will have. And lastly don't compromise on a guitar, if it is the right guitar you will know it.


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## Guimaj1435 (Sep 25, 2011)

Oh and I forgot to mention, many classical guitar stores will ship a guitar to you and let you keep it for a week to try it out. So if you aren't anywhere close to one that might be option. Just be careful, it's usually a break it and buy it type of thing.


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