Anyone have a classical guitar?

DOSW · March 2007

My mother has a mid-90's Alvarez classical guitar that she bought for around $400 at the time... solid spruce top, looks like rosewood back and sides. It's just been sitting around in her room, with a few broken strings, for the longest time. So yesterday I received Martin nylon strings I ordered a few days earlier, and I put them on today.

I'm really not impressed though. It just doesn't fit my style. The nylon strings sound very... well, plastic. Imagine that. I couldn't believe how different it sounded from an acoustic guitar the first time I strummed a chord on it... it's incredibly mellow. I guess it would sound a lot better if I played it like an actual classical guitar instead of a steel-string acoustic, but oh well. I'll probably just keep it in my room for those times when I think up a real mellow song or something.

Anyone have an opinion on classical guitars?

who's_pearljam? · March 2007

Playing a classical guitar properly is a whole art unto itself!
Just strumming pearljam chords with a pick on a classical guitar would be like Mike McCready playing an evenflow solo in concert on a bassoon! They're meant for different situations.
Although that might sound kind of cool, come to think of it.

I love listening to great classical guitarists. The great players are ones who devote their whole lives to it. The masters who teach Flamenco style demand that their students play nothing else.
It's all about how the fingers touch the strings to get the exact tone you want out of the note.

If you want to expand your horizons, check out Segovia, who is probably the most famous classical guitarist, but there are also a lot of other great ones.
I actually think Sharon Isbin is one of my favorite classical guitarists ever. I met her at a function in Philly once, and she is like five feet tall, with tiny hands, and disproves all theories about needing large hands to play a guitar!

Novawind · March 2007

My first guitar was a classical with really high action, redwood neck and body. It was pretty hard to play and of course it didn't sound like rock and roll, so I wasn't that motivated to play it. I tried putting some nickel strings on it for a more acoustic sound and that just wound up bowing the neck after a couple years of leaving those on. Eventually i gave up on it, Still have it, I just bought a friend's old Hohner acoustic for $60 and that works well enough for me.

ianvomsaal · March 2007

I have 5 Classicals . . . you name 'em I've had 'em at one time or another.
Surprisingly my favorite is an old Fernandez that was handmade in Japan years and years ago before the company got sold.
It's got Solid Brazillian Rosewood Back and Sides, and it has the best tone of any classical I've played.
I just found out that it's worth many many $$$$$$$

Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

lucylespian · March 2007

Classical guitars need to be played fingerstyle. Check out Rodrigo y Gabriele for some inspiration. They are a couple of Mexican kids who have made a name playing allsorts of stuff including ametallica and Zep on classical gits., and are really very good. Just strumming chords is gonna be boring. I used to have one, but it got old and tired.

goldstar · March 2007

DOSW wrote:

My mother has a mid-90's Alvarez classical guitar that she bought for around $400 at the time... solid spruce top, looks like rosewood back and sides. It's just been sitting around in her room, with a few broken strings, for the longest time. So yesterday I received Martin nylon strings I ordered a few days earlier, and I put them on today.

I'm really not impressed though. It just doesn't fit my style. The nylon strings sound very... well, plastic. Imagine that. I couldn't believe how different it sounded from an acoustic guitar the first time I strummed a chord on it... it's incredibly mellow. I guess it would sound a lot better if I played it like an actual classical guitar instead of a steel-string acoustic, but oh well. I'll probably just keep it in my room for those times when I think up a real mellow song or something.

Anyone have an opinion on classical guitars?

first off, if it's been sitting around for a long time, new strings are not enough.
it needs a bit more attention and up-keeping.
i actually love classical guitars, simply for the fact that each one has a personality of its own, and that you choose one totally based on its sound.

ledhed43 · March 2007

my first guitar was my mom's classical i pulled out of the attic. i had to change the tuning machines and the strings of course. that was the guitar i learned my first chords and scales on. there aren't many songs that sound good on it, but every now and then i write some that doesnt sound right on anything else.

DOSW · March 2007

who's_pearljam? wrote:

Playing a classical guitar properly is a whole art unto itself!
Just strumming pearljam chords with a pick on a classical guitar would be like Mike McCready playing an evenflow solo in concert on a bassoon! They're meant for different situations.
Although that might sound kind of cool, come to think of it.

I love listening to great classical guitarists. The great players are ones who devote their whole lives to it. The masters who teach Flamenco style demand that their students play nothing else.
It's all about how the fingers touch the strings to get the exact tone you want out of the note.

If you want to expand your horizons, check out Segovia, who is probably the most famous classical guitarist, but there are also a lot of other great ones.
I actually think Sharon Isbin is one of my favorite classical guitarists ever. I met her at a function in Philly once, and she is like five feet tall, with tiny hands, and disproves all theories about needing large hands to play a guitar!

Hmm... interesting. I figured it was a lot different from a steel-string from the moment I played my first chord on it, but I didn't realize it was THAT different. I'm not terribly interested in learning it though- I have enough on my hands learning the electric and acoustic as it is. I might sell it, I don't know. I could probably get a few hundred out of it.

who's_pearljam? · March 2007

DOSW wrote:

Hmm... interesting. I figured it was a lot different from a steel-string from the moment I played my first chord on it, but I didn't realize it was THAT different. I'm not terribly interested in learning it though- I have enough on my hands learning the electric and acoustic as it is. I might sell it, I don't know. I could probably get a few hundred out of it.

It is a different animal. If it's a solid top you may want to get that thing into a gig bag or a case, with a humidifier, too. They are REALLY sensitive to humidity. And before you make any judgements on the action and playability, they have to be about 40% or above humidity. Just so you know.

I actually don't have a classical! I should! Mine got stolen a few years back. Hmmmm

Meanwhile, here're are a few people that can make me feel like I suck on guitar.
Segovia's concentration and attention to each note is incredible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9efHwnFAkuA

And Sharon Isbin. Her parents moved to Italy so she could study with Segovia at the age of 9. A sweet person, and so passionate about her music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d-5gCGlYg

DOSW · March 2007

who's_pearljam? wrote:

Meanwhile, here're are a few people that can make me feel like I suck on guitar.
Segovia's concentration and attention to each note is incredible:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9efHwnFAkuA

And Sharon Isbin. Her parents moved to Italy so she could study with Segovia at the age of 9. A sweet person, and so passionate about her music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8d-5gCGlYg

Yikes. That's so technical it's almost scary. Still, it's just not something I'm terribly interested in beginning to learn.

Your guitar got stolen, huh? Interested in a mid-90's Alvarez?

who's_pearljam? · March 2007

DOSW wrote:

Yikes. That's so technical it's almost scary. Still, it's just not something I'm terribly interested in beginning to learn.

Your guitar got stolen, huh? Interested in a mid-90's Alvarez?

I sort of am!

It's technical, but you have to learn the technical part to be able to express the emotion like that , too. Not for everybody.
The same holds true with electric guitar though, too! It's all about the touch,, with some added amps cranked up to eleven!

casper leblanc · March 2007

I'd love to get me a Spanish guitar! I love that sound. The thing about playing those right, is that your right hand technique is the most important one, instead of the left hand (neck).

I know a huy here who trained with the best in Spain. He's amazing. I'd just like to get me one to play some gipsy-like stuff around the campfire.

lucylespian · March 2007

casper leblanc wrote:

I'd love to get me a Spanish guitar! I love that sound. The thing about playing those right, is that your right hand technique is the most important one, instead of the left hand (neck).

I know a huy here who trained with the best in Spain. He's amazing. I'd just like to get me one to play some gipsy-like stuff around the campfire.

Ah, the right hand is always teh most important one. That's teh one that contains the musci. The dunb hand does the easy job ( fretting), teh smart hand makes teh music !!

Anyone have a classical guitar?

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