Which classical?

Lood · 2009-03-18T13:21:55+00:00

I'm in the market for a classical guitar and have narrowed my search down to a Cort CEC7 or a Yamaha APX 5NA. I tend to lean more towards a spruce top but mo...

Which classical?

Lood

I might be in Johannesburg this Saturday. I know it is not recommended at all, but unfortunately, I'm not gonna have a lot of time on hand to go shop crawling.
I need the names and addresses of the few best shops dealing and specialising in guitars in J'burg/ Pretoria.
I'm looking for shops that stock quite a variety of classical guitars, that will be able to assist me in my choice and setup and that is also competent in their pricing.
I would really appreciate any further input and advice ?

Keira-WitherKay

are you seeking just a classical or one with a pick up.... cos marshall music (woodmead) has one gem...an aria spanish built flamenco guitar .... i have eyed this one for myself..... it has a nice tone.... quite expensive for R8000 but with cash you can get it reduced to about R5000 or even a hint less ... and use any extra cash to get a pickup fitted.... cos this guitar has no pickup..... if you interested in this... contact me cos i send all my students there and i get an added discount at marshall...since i send them mass biz.... and i could swing a nice deal for you on a guitar from there....if you interested in the guitar though.... other than that marshall only has one R25000 spanish built classical (not flamenco) which is great ..... and a whole range of entry level student classicals....which i doubt you want

music store wise... you know whats at Marshall now.... music connection should have a few... and andy mc gibbons too

i suggest you call them before you go shopping and find out what they have in your price range and ask what discounts they offer.... that way you know what they have in stock before going to shops.... and all the highways are being worked on in jhb last weekend the traffic was hectic.... as they closed lanes... so if time is limited.... phpne rather than drive... and then drive to see the ones that interest you ...

have fun....

peace and light
Keira

Wizard

Spent more time playing with classical guitars ... ranging from the bottom end Yamaha c40 to their best Guild.
I'm happy to report that I can definitely tell the difference now.
Although ... they didn't seem to improve incrementally with price.
There suddenly came a point with two or three models where they had quite a different sound. A much longer sustain on the notes and an active, projected, 'live' sound rather than a muffled box sound.
Needless to say the 'pleasure point' kicked in far above the 'wallet point' ... so turned out to be a fun learning excursion rather than an expensive one

Lood

Well, I made it to no less than 3 shops in JHB on Saturday but unfortunately came away empty handed ☹
Apparently I missed the Aria at Marshall's and the other 2 were not really what I was looking for. Other than those, no-one really had a big variety of classicals so I suppose they are probably not that much in demand. There were some excellent ones at Music Connection but they were substancially more expensive than what I'm prepared to pay at this stage.
So the search continues - I'll give the Bloemfontein shops a visit during the next 2 weeks and see whats up there.
Thanks to all for the info provided ?

Keira-WitherKay

hello Lood, yeah pity you missed the aria it was a nice one.... but also keep looking 2nd hand cos nylons sometimes get sold 2nd hand for a fraction of the price..... and yeah snap up the guitar on the spot if you play something you like.... cos with nylons even the same make and model number with supposedly the same specs to my ear can sound dramatically different....

good hunting ...it's exciting to be hunting out that gem.... enjoy

peace and light
Keira

Wizard

What budget are you working to Lood?

Lood

I must admit that although I failed to get something on Saturday, it was quite a bit of fun shopping around. I never knew that such big instrument shops existed :-[ I was also amazed at the other people hanging around there - most of them trying out the different instruments seemed to be pro musicians because they sounded real good.
I did replace the strings and tuning machines on my old no-name which I am using for the time being and it really sounds quite awesome now.

Wizard, I'm looking at spending around R4-5k - you got any ideas? I would like to get a solid spruce top - if possible in any way for that price, otherwise I'll keep loking at the secondhand market or untill I find something that sounds right.

Wizard

I'm asking for subversive reasons ... because I'm also in the market and am watching the conversations with great interest ... ?

AlanRatcliffe

BTW guys: http://www.saguitars.co.za/

I know Marc Rontsch, who seems to be connected with them and is a serious classical player studying at UCT (last I heard). They have a few models listed under "Classical Guitar Range", from R1,350 to over R10K (both retail, discounts mentioned, but not specified).

They are based in Cape Town, but have an online store of sorts.

Wizard

Thanks Alan - have mailed him

Wizard

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: BTW guys: http://www.saguitars.co.za/

For the record ... I mailed Marc and tried to phone him, but with no luck.
Perhaps he's out of town.

AlanRatcliffe

He hasn't responded to my email either. I have another email addy for him - I'll mail him about it sometime.

Lood

He did respond to my e-mail saying he's currently in London and he forwarded my mail on to his someone else at the shop. I haven't heard from this other guy yet.