Looking for decent student guitar in UK

[tuk]

did you try the other brands I mentioned, of course it's all down to personal preference but I would have thought for your price range there are a few better guitars on that list than the alhambra

[ArthurG]

Your description of the 5P makes me doubtful, I think I would look around more. If I were closer to Northants, I would love to go and try out the Paco Castillo guitars there.

[stevec]

I think I've decided to pass on this one. When I make a purchase it will probably be the last one I buy (or rather the last one my wife will let me buy!) so best I'm happy with it. Buy in haste repent at leisure! It would be nice to find an outlet that has a choice of makes as it will be a 300 mile round trip at least for most shops. A long way just to look at one guitar!

[ben etow]

The Kantare range is available at a UK shop, but can't remember which one.
Very homogeneous and singing (on each note). Maybe too brighht for some ears (obviously so with their Savarez HT Classic/Alliance), but I definetly like them, even without considering their relatively low price (between around 300 and 1000 euro).

[tuk]

check your pm's steve...

kent guitars has a good range & Miles is a good guy to deal with, if driving I would guess you could probably take in a half dozen guitar shops along the way ..might be worth hiring a car for the day if you don't have one

[OldPotter]

kantare are availiable from classical guitars plus. I had a 500c, and once I had lowered the action a little, I liked it. The sound was a bit too bright for me, I have thin nails and I sounded ..... thin. It had a very long sustain and a pleasant overall tone, build quality was OK too. Not much variety of tone though.
The 500c is above your price, in fact I should gently suggest that you could spend quite a lot more, perhaps next time.

regards Tim

[ben etow]

kantare are availiable from classical guitars plus. I had a 500c, and once I had lowered the action a little, I liked it. The sound was a bit too bright for me, I have thin nails and I sounded ..... thin. It had a very long sustain and a pleasant overall tone, build quality was OK too. Not much variety of tone though.
The 500c is above your price, in fact I should gently suggest that you could spend quite a lot more, perhaps next time.

regards Tim

Hi Tim,

I tried several items of the whole Kantare range. I bought the lowest priced 100 for one of my kids and use it myself as spare guitar and I must say I enjoy playing it (I raised the action though).

Brightness means IMO the widest tonal palette possible... But you need a RH technique which enables you to get a nice, warm tone too. If you work on that, you can get a wonderful control of your sound making process, which you will be able to use on every future guitar (even much rounder, warmer ones).

Did you try nylon trebles and warm basses like Savarez Corums or Augustine on your 500C?

Ben

[OldPotter]

Hi Ben
I tried a variety of strings on the Kantare, D'addario's just sounded dull to me, Savarez corum alliance a bit too harsh and Hannabach Goldin's a reasonable compromise.
By "bright " I mean too much treble, and when I tried to obtain a warmer tone from the right hand, I could not achieve it. I am comparing the Kantare to a Hirade. Its hard to know if I can do anything to improve the sound from my right hand, but its on my list of things to do next.
I ended up selling my Kantare due to family pressures, I am told that the person who bought it, took out part of the LRS sandwich..... Its such a shame to treat a decent guitar in that way.

Regards Tim

[ben etow]

Hello Tim,

What a surprise the Corums basses sounded bright... I mean I can understand that the blue D sounds a bit agressive because it is much too tensed (with more instant power and less sustain as a result) compared to E and A, but the tone colour is rather warm IMO. I amnot saying the Kantares don't sound bright, they do, but I think one can find a way to get them warmer.
Warm, carbon trebles like Knobloch, Oasis or Dr. Junger aristona (especially the lower tensions) would do a good job with a Kantare, if you don't like the nylon trebles (D'Addario or others). Personally, I don't hesitate and mix many brands and types to get an homogeneous tension and tone on each note (E6 being an exception if I play many works with scordaturas).

Best regards.

And the 500 you had was probably projecting more than many so-called concert guitars...

[OldPotter]

And the 500 you had was probably projecting more than many so-called concert guitars...

At the time I was having lessons in a group class and certainly found it was louder than most others in the group, sometimes it was embarrasing to make a mistake and have everyone hear it. I was not even trying to play loudly!!!!!
Thanks for the suggestions for other strings to try.
I am not certain now if my right hand is at fault and if I can improve my technique. I think it was just the combination of my own thin sound with the Kantare. I have been looking for a warmer sound altogether and with a diffent guitar I have been able to change that a little.


Best wishes

Tim

[guitarseller345645]

I have the cheapest Kantare - it sounds great to me - maybe because I use OEM strings

[stevec]

Update on the hunt. I've made a short list of Paco Castillo, Camps, Prundencio. Also maybe Alhambra but heard they may be made in China now. I spoke to a retailer in Kent who keep three of these. Does anyone know of outlets in London who may stock these. Castillo 203 or possibly 204 if I can clear the funds. Camps M6. Prudencio 16. As you can see I have upped my budget to max of £500.

[ben etow]

And the 500 you had was probably projecting more than many so-called concert guitars...

At the time I was having lessons in a group class and certainly found it was louder than most others in the group, sometimes it was embarrasing to make a mistake and have everyone hear it. I was not even trying to play loudly!!!!!
Thanks for the suggestions for other strings to try.
I am not certain now if my right hand is at fault and if I can improve my technique. I think it was just the combination of my own thin sound with the Kantare. I have been looking for a warmer sound altogether and with a diffent guitar I have been able to change that a little.


Best wishes

Tim

Hi Tim,

I amnot surprised by its ^"loudness" in the group.

I did improve my RH technique/sound very much because I had a very bright guitar (a great Ana Espinosa Rodríguez spruce from Granada, which I changed for a at least as bright Paco Santiago Marín from the same school, more extreme though) with bright trebles (Savarez Alliance). And after that, I could produce a warm sound on any guitar... But this can mean a lot of work for beginners who already have to struggle with many other problems. But adequate strings can help for sure.

Best regards.

Ben

[OldPotter]

And after that, I could produce a warm sound on any guitar... But this can mean a lot of work for beginners who already have to struggle with many other problems. But adequate strings can help for sure.

Hi Ben
thats very encouraging. BTW I am not a beginner, but like many others, a returning player who has taken up the guitar again after many years absence. None the less, its my sound which bothers me now.


Hi stevec
I don't know of any other dealers holding PC guitars, the Sevenoaks shop has a very good reputation. Its still a relativly new name.

Regards Tim

[ben etow]

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Hi Ben
thats very encouraging. BTW I am not a beginner, but like many others, a returning player who has taken up the guitar again after many years absence. None the less, its my sound which bothers me now.

Regards Tim

Hi Tim,

If you want to improve your sound, you need to make sure you have the same (preferably good) posture eauch time you practice. Then find a way to shape your nails (can be with filing "paper"on each string) as if you were playing chords, then each string with each finger (each finger producing a nice tone as the others stay on the strings). But you need to maintain te same posture all the time (Check Sott rtennant's Pumping Nylon for guidance on the posture - I'm not that happy with his sound and nail shaping proposals).

Best regards.