Alhambra vs. Yamaha Classical Guitars?

Question

I'm a Music Major in my first year of the classical guitar performance course. I'm in the market for a better classical than the one I currently own (a $400 Alvarez). I have been looking into Alhambras and love them, playing the 4p, 5p, and 6ps. However a good friend can get me a significant discount on Yamaha guitars since he works for the company. The Yamaha GC31 and GC41 look excellent, but my problem is that there is no dealer in my state where I can try them out anywhere in my state. My question is if you would recommend buying one of these Yamaha guitars at under $1000 with my friends discount, or go with one i have tried out but is not a completely hand made with some laminated wood at a more expensive price?

Also, a side question, Cedar vs. Spruce? My understanding is that Cedar is more forgiving.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Unless a guitar is custom made just for you, wouldn’t get hung up on it being “handmade”. Taylor guitars are exceptionally made by robots – and advertised as such.



You should absolutely love the sound of a laminated wood guitar prior to purchase – the sound will never change. The advantage of solid wood is it improves with age.



Acoustic Guitar Magazine compared different wood tops in a recent article. I’ve included a link to the article. Never played a cedar wood top guitar – no experience. The article says Cedar has less headroom but more overtones than spruce.



Why not ask your guitar instructor at college his opinion on the Yamaha's? Have you considered a used guitar? Your instructor may know of used guitars for sale.



The $1500 Yamaha's are substantially better than your $400 Alvarez. You should be happy with one for a couple of years. As a classical guitar music major you will eventually want a superior instrument – and it will probably be used!

Answer 2

Seriously Birdgirl has a good point. If you are spending $1000 on a guitar you should try and get an idea of what you're getting before you commit to one. Up to $500 it probably doesn't matter, but $1000 shouldn't be a random guitar you haven't gotten to experience. I inherited a new $1,200 martin guitar that I didn't get to test, and that thing has a horribly poor action setup which I still need to get re-set before I can actually enjoy the thing. (that's probably much less of a problem with a classical guitar but still) That kind of money could have gone to a guitar I actually enjoyed in the first place. But If you just want a good classical guitar without worrying too much, then it shouldn't matter which brand you get, it rather matters which guitar looks prettier.

Answer 3

If you're gonna spend about a thousand bucks for a acoustic, I would recommend something like can Ovation or Ibanez. Those two brands definitely surpasses Yamaha-standard guitars, in terms of quality and sound.



If you're gonna spend more,(approx $2500-3000) get a Gibson, preferably a Gibson Hummingbird



However if you want something good under a 1000, get a Ibanez Artwood. I own one of them personally when i was younger, and still do. It's a very good guitar with a clean sound.



As for Cedar vs Spruce, go for Cedar. Cleaner sound is always better for acoustic



And for the best, you might want to try a guitar made out of Rosewood.

Answer 4

Alhambra Guitars Australia

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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