wow did i make a discovery today !!!!!!!

Keira-WitherKay

i have for ages loved the pre Torres nylon (or gut in the day) 19th century style guitars they had small bodies only a 630 mm scale and sounded more balanced than a modern classical which is designed to be bass heavy...
i been chatting to luthiers trying to convince one to build me one at a fair price of course.... and i want to put a pick up in it..since i wanna use it live...... i have studied them for ages and even had my fav design ....

low and behold i go to marshall music and see they have a spanish built Aria there ...which sounds good way good....and i get model number to do the old research.... ....my amazement on the aria site there is the guitar that i wanted the luthiers to build.... a 19th century pre torres guitar ..... well i'm now waiting for a price or i see it's between 630pounds and 700pounds on UK sites....

well hows that for a luck.......... i now doubt this would be imported just for a chance sale to SA but i wanna try do a deal with Aria importers to bring one in.... it's way too much to just buy it and hate the sound.... or feel.... i'll gladly pay a returnable deposit or even the full amount if they willing to refund it if it sucks ....

but now all you strat and les paul fans...... heheheheh bet this does absolutely NOTHING for you ... but this is heavan to me ......

check out the guitar at the link ....

http://www.ariausa.com/guitars/a19c200n.html

peace and light
Keira

Werner-Carstens

Hi Keira, although I am a Les Paul and Strat guy it does not mean that I cannot appreciate classical guitar playing. In actual fact, I stand in awe. It does not look like a Strat, but that is still one fine looking guitar!!

Ray

I think this guitar looks great. I think all guitars look great as long as they arent greater than or less than symbols. Since I've been messing about with my el cheepo nylon I am also quite keen to get some better model. Are you going to be able to get this modded to what you need? ie. pickup

AlanRatcliffe

I'm a big fan of the Matsumoku made Arias Keira - In fact, I used to collect the electrics. Bothners have a nylon I've been trying to get them to sell me for years, but it's part of their collection and not for sale.

The AC19 looks amazing! Quite honestly, If the price isn't too steep, I wouldn't mind getting myself one. Nice to see that Aria is finally making something interesting (and presumably good) again. They used to do great stuff in the '70s and '80s, but went to the dogs in the '90s.

Tradelius in KZN are the local distributors - let me know if you want contact details. I doubt they'll have stock (although you never know).

inflames

What a stunning guitar.

I got my first acoustic guitar in 1999. It's an Arai, don't know the model. Great guitar, I have never changed machine heads or anything else.
The guitar still plays perfectly, and I take it everywhere.

People used to laugh when they hear the word Arai, I think different now! 10 years old and play better than most of my friends Ebanez acoustics.

Bob-Dubery

Keira WitherKay wrote
but now all you strat and les paul fans...... heheheheh bet this does absolutely NOTHING for you ... but this is heavan to me ......

check out the guitar at the link ....

http://www.ariausa.com/guitars/a19c200n.html

Way cool. And it looks kind of part retro and part 21st century to me. Check that bridge.

Then check out some uber-retro instruments at http://www.vihuelademano.com/

Keira-WitherKay

yeah hoping for a good price, but wow i would like to hear it 1st heheheh ... thats exactly what i want .... just add a dual action pick up... so i can get the top active so i can abuse it with my percussive style.... hehehhe

the strangest thing is the guitar i have worn and battered though it may be give me a great natural nylon sound.... so this guitar is not cos i'm chasing some sound defiency in mine.........
but just cos i think these are the coolest guitars on the planet hehhehehe since i discovered what they call "romantica guitar" music and it's awesome....

the look of those guitars is just my cuppa tea hehehe especially the original 18 40's panorma's and how odd... that aria have copied the panorma...... the headstock and everything body contours too....since even then every luthier had their own design.... and shape ..........

ramirez also make a romantica guitar which i looked at but it's in a different proportioned shape.... well they copied another luthier.... but this ione is the biz....looks wise....

lets see how it plays....

oh and Alan i have asked marshall music to look into it.... and if i get no joy i will contact the importers direct
so i might hassle you for their details... but lets see if my man wynand at Marshall can weave his magic...

peace and light
keira

ps BOB i love those old instruments although this romantica guitar is the only one i could play as this was the earliest guitar to have 6 strings and no course of doubled strings .....
and i'm way too old to learn a new instrument ..... took me long enough to get pleasing sounds outa the guitar hehehehhe

Explorerlover

Wowzers!!!! Their [Aria] solid bodies are not bad looking either...

AlanRatcliffe

They also have a Maccaferri copy, if anyone is into Django: http://www.ariausa.com/guitars/mm10.html

Explorerlover wrote Wowzers!!!! Their [Aria] solid bodies are not bad looking either...

I was looking at the www/ariaguitars.com site last night and it looks like they have reissued a lot of the classic late '70s, early '80s models - the PE range, The TA range and the wonderful SB1000 bass. It really looks like they have stepped up their quality again.

I'd love to see them reissue the RS range through necks which were based on the Alembic guitars. I've been watching an RS800 on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320351743913 (Nice pics, BTW) which was put in at $99, but it's already up to $750 and I'd rather have an RS600 anyway.

I used to have the RS600H, and the pride and joy of my collection was an ST1512 that was destroyed by a Dunlop strap lock:

Squonk

@ Keira

You say you played it at the shop. What does it sound like? Do the bass strings still sound good with such a small body. I must admit it is a thing of beauty, or in modern terms, darn right sexy ?

Explorerlover

"I used to have the RS600H, and the pride and joy of my collection was an ST1512 that was destroyed by a Dunlop strap lock"

Good thing I refrained from buying the Dunlops and rather went for the Sperzel's over the weekend.

Heath

Keira , that is one awesome looking guitar , let me know what they going for , i am also interested in maybe getting one

AlanRatcliffe

Tail0n wrote Keira , that is one awesome looking guitar , let me know what they going for , i am also interested in maybe getting one

Hey - If there are enough of us interested in getting them, maybe I can swing a deal with Tradelius and get some wholesale. With guitars there is usually six to a carton, so if we can guarantee them four or five together as one sale (If there are enough interested here, they'll probably be willing to take a couple for wholesale stock or their retail outlet).

Hmm GBP699 = R 9,547.47 - with discount, we should be able to get them under R6K each (Then a couple of hundred shipping).

AlanRatcliffe

Explorerlover wrote Good thing I refrained from buying the Dunlops and rather went for the Sperzel's over the weekend.

Absolutely! When the Dunlop fails, it fails in the open position. Even if the lock in a Schaller were to fail (though I've never known it happen), the way they work, the guitar would not come loose.

Explorerlover

Alan Ratcliffe wrote
Explorerlover wrote Good thing I refrained from buying the Dunlops and rather went for the Sperzel's over the weekend.
Absolutely! When the Dulop fails, it fails in the open position. Even if the lock in a Schaller were to fail (though I've never known it happen), the way they work, the guitar would not come loose.

I'll cry if I had to drop my ESP. I also like the look of the sperzels over the dunlop ones...

Keira-WitherKay

Squonk wrote @ Keira

You say you played it at the shop. What does it sound like? Do the bass strings still sound good with such a small body. I must admit it is a thing of beauty, or in modern terms, darn right sexy ?

NO I HAVE NOT heard it yet..... but don't expect it to be as bass heavey as a normal classical, all the reviews i have read and the video i have seen (type "romantic gutars" into you Tube search and quite a lot of examples of new rebuilds and even original instruments can be found.....)

here is one

these guitars have a more even sound....in that the bass string and the top E will be much the same volume.....
IT IS A DIFFERENT SOUND .....lol like the difference betwwen a harpsichord and piano.......this guitar will not be fat and warm but bright and clear...and for classical music you will have each note being more audible ...
so i think just a warning to those thinking this is just a cool look acoustic nylon...it is a specialised beast...

also don't forget it has a short scale only 630 mmm normal classicals have about 650 to 660 on the classical concert models.... so shorter scale and small body you can't expect a fat bass tone... but that why i want this it is a different sound but still similar

peace and light Keira

AlanRatcliffe

I've been thinking on this a bit more. While the smaller box will decrease the bass, the shorter scale length is going to make for lower tension and a slower attack that will "soften" the tone somewhat, and cut the percussiveness. And I'm not sure that's what you as a player want. We percussive types tend to go for higher tension, rather than lower.

Honestly, your description of the tone you want (coupled with a bit of filling in the details on my part) - low bass, strong mids, bright trebles, fast attack and percussive - would end up with me pushing you in the direction of a flamenca negra, rather than a short-scale romantic-era guitar. In short, you seem to be putting playability before tone. Hmm?

Still a nice instrument to have around for the variety, but somehow I don't think it will become your main squeeze.

BTW: I'm busy falling in love with a certain Yamaha I currently have in my possession. The 30 year old Epiphone has a lot going for it too, but I want to fix the popped brace and set the action before I comment on the tone.

Gearhead

Methinks when Keira speaks of percussive playing she's actually not thinking about hitting any strings. The top has to take these knocks....

Keira-WitherKay

hello Alan .... well even on my nylon at moment.... i have done the thing of detuning to Eb and placing capo on 1st fret and found a capo that works heheheh the cheap R60 jim dunlop since i can adjust tension by shortening the strap ... i have it just enough to not buzz but i can tune through it successfuly and so i am playing a guitar with shortened scale and low tension ,,, i HATE high tension...

and gearhead is right , i use the body of the guitar percussively almost as a djembe .... and use the flamenco strumming techniques to play percussion while i chord and solo .... and i have never said i want a fat bass..... heheh i like a clear midrange sound.... anyway i'm convinced that with a pickup ...the right one i will get better tone than the acoustic sound from small body...a great example of this is the yamaha silent guitar which sounds great ..... and it has no body .........which i need for the percussion hehheheh oh well one day we'll meet and you'll see i have quite a unique style at the moment and i think this guitar will do it for me ...least i hope so ...can only say after i hear it.... and compact makes the dear old travelling issue easier....

but if not i am actually very happy with my current yamaha.... and it travels well this one has seen a few countries and is holding up well.... just the attraction is the shorter scale and lower tension and compact size and i also think it looks way cool ...

peace and light
Keira

Bob-Dubery

Well if you have 64 000 dollars to spare....
http://www.dreamguitars.com/new/boaz/boaz_baroque/boaz_baroque_1995.php