Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?/NGD

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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Larry Mal
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Larry Mal » Sat May 04, 2019 5:43 am

Yeah, those Presentation models with the cedar over rosewood look like very good instruments. I've been thinking about picking a classical guitar up lately also.
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by marqueemoon » Sun May 05, 2019 7:01 pm

I played a nice Yamaha today.

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Bert Camenbert » Wed May 08, 2019 6:49 am

Why is that? Have you played a La Patrie guitar? Just curious, I don't want to start a big debate. But I would like to know on what you base your opinion.

My first acoustic guitar was an old taiwanese Yamaha. I still have it but I never play it: I replaced it with a La Patrie Concert. I prefer the La Patrie to the Yam. They both sound decent, I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart, but the neck on the La Patrie is a bit smaller and I find it more comfortable to play.

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Bert Camenbert » Wed May 08, 2019 1:30 pm

I've never played a Yairi. In fact, I've probably never seen one. I bought my yamaha when I was a kid, I had no idea what I was getting.

A few years ago, when I was shopping for a new classical guitar, I tried a number of Yamaha guitars, including some japanese-made ones, they're quite common around here. I think they're good for the money, but most of the japanese-made yams I tried were old and, probably because they were considered to be cheap guitars back in the day, many had had a rough life.

In the end, I went with the La Patrie, mostly because of the neck: classical guitars tend to have big necks, and all the cheap to mid-priced classical guitars I tried had bigger necks than the La Patrie I ended up buying.

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Sat May 11, 2019 9:40 pm

I was at a shop today and played a cheap Cordoba that was priced for like $120. I was actually quite surprised about how it was much easier to play than I thought it would be. I am going to hold out for something nicer though. Especially since I hope to record with it

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by DeathJag » Sun May 12, 2019 7:08 am

Ai! This is wild. I just started classical guitar lessons last week! I've got a cheap La Mancha classical guitar and I like it. The teacher gave it a once over and declared it was from the 70s or 60s and that it was decent. I always, always thought of it as a super cheap thing and never "took care" of it, other than leaving it indoors all day.

As I really took in the journey this music was going to be, and how there's just no way to half-ass it, I started thinking about upgrading the guitar. And now this thread!

I also 100% dig the reasoning for asking this board - the people here are very knowledgeable!

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Larry Mal » Sun May 12, 2019 8:35 am

I played a few classical guitars yesterday, including a Cordoba C9, which is not cheap. That's an all solid wood model with rosewood back and sides and I forget what the top is. Cedar?

Anyway, I think I would like to have a classical guitar to keep in my office at work.
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by dc » Sun May 12, 2019 8:44 am

Cordoba also has a "crossover" line with a radiused fretboard and narrower nut width, which might be the ticket for toe-dippers wanting a nylon string sound without the intimidation factor of a traditional classical plank. not necessarily cheap-cheap, but blems keep turning up on Reverb for few hundred bucks -
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by garyfanclub » Mon May 13, 2019 8:55 am

Bert Camenbert wrote:
Fri May 03, 2019 12:58 pm
garyfanclub wrote:
Fri May 03, 2019 11:30 am
Would highly recommend the 70's-era MIJ Guild Acoustics made under the Madeira (or Madiera?) brand name. Recently bought a C-600 for $120 that I really enjoy.
Does yours have a laminated top? I remember seeing one in pawnshop a few years ago, dunno the model, but it was a Madeira steel-string acoustic guitar and it wasn't expensive. Being interested in everything Guild-related, I considered buying it, until I realized that it had a laminated top. :derp:
Whoops, just saw this!

Not sure what the material is, but given the price point I would assume it's laminated. Sounds great for $100ish bucks! To be clear, mine's a classical nylon, not a full steel acoustic.

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by higgsblossom » Mon May 13, 2019 9:30 am

I really like my Ibanez AEG. Good value for the money, and the piezo is not bad.
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Unicorn Warrior » Mon May 13, 2019 6:31 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Sun May 12, 2019 8:35 am
I played a few classical guitars yesterday, including a Cordoba C9, which is not cheap. That's an all solid wood model with rosewood back and sides and I forget what the top is. Cedar?

Anyway, I think I would like to have a classical guitar to keep in my office at work.
What'd you think of the C9?

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Larry Mal » Tue May 14, 2019 3:57 am

I thought it sounded very good, and I found a gently used one selling for around $500, if I was going to buy one it would probably be that.

I'd consider it to be an instrument that I might outgrow in the future, though, if I really went wild for classical guitar then maybe I'd want something better down the road. But the all solid wood construction of the thing and the depth and clarity that rosewood can bring to it would make it a good enough guitar to keep as my only classical, also.

Or so I'd think- honestly, since there is an actual expert on here I'd likely just submit the budget and rough requirements like all solid wood construction to Brad and just buy what he suggested.

Incidentally, the guitar I was looking at was this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cordoba-C9-Spr ... SwUv5c1cIO

Which someone added some ports to. I know that's a fairly common thing for people to do. But such an invasive mod as that could also be done very wrong, so I would probably keep moving or at least learn a lot more about that.

But yeah, I thought it sounded very good, I am very open to the idea that my ears would developing still with classical guitar and that after a couple years playing one I would be able to perceive more nuance than I am now.

I started learning guitar by playing classical guitar, I didn't stick with it for much longer than a year, year and a half or so, though. What I mainly got from it was some ability to play with my fingers and not just a pick, which is probably the best decision I could ever have made. Not only do I play fingerstyle guitar often, but it was a springboard to use with other instruments over the years such as the bass guitar, the banjo, I used to own a bouzouki and so on.

Incidentally, I would never buy any kind of "crossover" classical guitar that attempts to be more like a steel string acoustic. How can you learn that way? Why would you cheat yourself of the experience of learning a new instrument and learning to play it as it is? Of course it will be challenging to have to adapt to a new instrument with new demands, but why else would you bother?
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Larry Mal » Tue May 14, 2019 6:32 am

Very self effacing of you, but I can assure you that you are expert enough for the likes of me, regardless. I suppose I know the rough ideas of buying a classical guitar around common tone woods and all solid construction being ideal, and I could throw money at something and hope for the best.

Otherwise, I don't know much... for instance, I employ some students who play classical guitar as a class, and I ask them to bring in their instruments sometimes (I bring in my own sometimes).

I play their guitars a bit, and I am always struck with what might be a simple question and one I don't even know the answer to:

"Does the action of a nylon strung instrument have to be sky high?"

And I really don't know. I imagine that the nylon strings simply have a lot less tension than steel strings and so vibrate a lot more, thus necessitating a need for higher action.

Still, based on what I see in music stores and from the students, I have to wonder if there isn't some room for lowering the action. But I have never set one up myself to know what is and is not possible or practical.
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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Bert Camenbert » Tue May 14, 2019 12:33 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Tue May 14, 2019 3:57 am
Incidentally, I would never buy any kind of "crossover" classical guitar that attempts to be more like a steel string acoustic. How can you learn that way?Why would you cheat yourself of the experience of learning a new instrument and learning to play it as it is? Of course it will be challenging to have to adapt to a new instrument with new demands, but why else would you bother?
Yeah, but I think that, like other guitars, typical classical guitar necks can have a range of sizes. I prefer smaller necks that are still classical guitar necks, that is, no truss rod, flat radius and optimized for plucking.

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Re: Cheap Classical Acoustic Reccomendations?

Post by Larry Mal » Tue May 14, 2019 12:41 pm

I always thought that classical guitars were basically 2", and that if you deviated from that it was a "crossover" neck of some kind. I could be wrong.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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