Hello im trying to date an old takamine guitar I picked up a few years ago. Any info is appreciated! i emailed the company when I picked it up and all they said was that it is one of their guitars but dont know the date.

It feels like a whole other instrument compared with electric i dont even know how to hold something so light

Hello everyone I am quite confused between Yamaha C40 and C80, can anyone please help me to decide which one to go for?

Hello dear guitarists
I made an improvisation yesterday that I wanted to share with you

I am an upcoming musician from Greece
I record sound using iPhone microphone

Hope you enjoy!! Waiting your comments!!!

I recorded a new guitar while breaking it in over 15 months to hear how it opened up over time. Much better to hear on speakers or headphones, but you can even hear the differences on a phone speaker.

Hey there, my wife's bday is coming up and her beginner classical guitar (no one knows where it came from, way back) is messed up in the neck to the point that shops told her it's time to get a new one. I want it to be a substantial upgrade, but though I dabble in guitar a little, I know nothing about the gear. My budget is ~$1,000 CAD (I live in BC). She's only been playing about a year, but she practices pretty diligently (until her guitar broke).

I went to a local (non-chain) shop and they were very helpful, let me check out a few of the ones they had on offer. The best options seem to be an Alvarez AC70HCe w/ a pickup and the cutout for reaching the higher notes (Don't know what this is called) for a "deal" at CA$1050 w/ a soft case, or a Cordoba C7, no pickup or cutout, for CA$900. She plays pretty traditional classical stuff (for now) and she's never mentioned plugging in, but I could see her wanting to eventually.

There was also this beautiful Spanish-made guitar for $900, but I didn't have much concrete info on it (Kind of forgot to record the info about it).

The guitars are all in pristine shape. Right now I'm leaning toward the Alvarez, since it seems the most "future-proof" for now. Are these decent deals? Should I pull the trigger?

i have been happily playing an alhambra 7Fp for the last 10+years. I still sometimes have the temptation to try and buy another guitar.

i’d like to experiment different woods and build to grow my own understanding and taste.

But i can’t find a shop with quality classical guitars nearby… and I live in a (the) european capital, Brussels.

How did you explore the different options that classical guitars offer ?

Hello, I am beginning to look around for a professional level classical guitar. My budget is ~$6,000 max. I currently play a Cordoba C7 CE. I am not planning on buying for another 6 months.

I am currently trying to play as many different guitars as possible to see what I like and don't like. I've learned that I don't have a preference for round shaped or flat necks, I can adapt to either. I prefer a 52mm nut and would prefer to stick to a 650mm scale.

I've found that most of the guitars in the $1,000-$2,500 range don't seem to have enough of an improvement over the C7 to be worth it. I do love the character of the sound from the Cordoba C12 but would prefer more projection and sustain.

The most noteable guitar I played recently was a 2015 Yulong Guo Chamber Concert with double top and braceless violin back and fell in love with it. The projection and clarity were insane, and it turns out I really like the sound port because I only play for myself.

My problem is I live in Alaska and there are no guitars of that caliber here. What are some of the best Classical Guitar stores on the west coast that would have a good enough selection? I may have to fly out to multiple shops to play them in person.

Any suggestions for luthiers making double top guitars in that price range to look at? Any luthiers to avoid?

Thank you!

The crime scene

Found this thing at a Salvation Army bazaar in Japan, marked down to ¥400 (~$2.46 USD, or “less than a vending machine coffee”). It’s a Sepia Crue C-140/N, a budget Chinese-made 4/4 classical from Kurosawa Gakki’s house brand, which is a nice way of saying “the guitar equivalent of a store-brand cereal.” Structurally it was fine, no cracks, straight neck, bridge intact, but everything else about it looked like it had survived a small war:

• One tuner missing its gear entirely, just gone
• All six strings dead and corroded, one of them literally snapped
• Fretboard finish worn through to bare wood in patches, RIP decades of some stranger’s practice sessions
• Something had genuinely been growing on it at some point. Botanical evidence. On a guitar.

Even a fully intact junker like this books for ¥1,000+ used, so ¥400 was already a steal before I did anything except stare at it and think “yeah, this is going to become a problem.”

The problem escalating

I told myself I was just going to restring it. That lasted about four days.

Tuners: ripped out and replaced with Gotoh 35G-620EWX (1:14 geared, gold, actually good hardware). The roller holes were 0.5mm too small for modern rollers, so I hand-reamed six holes with sandpaper like a person with a healthy relationship to their free time

Nut & saddle: Musiclily bone DJ-03 nut & saddle, hand-fit, then polished through Japanese waterstones up to 8k grit and finished on a leather strop. I gave a $2.50 guitar a nut with a better shave routine than most straight razors get

Strings: D’Addario EJ45-3D, 3-pack, because apparently one set of strings for a ¥400 guitar wasn’t enough commitment

Bridge: Going to use metal Alba beads instead of tying knots like a caveman

Finish: back and sides refinished to a deep gloss black. Top left alone because even I have limits

Strap situation: LEKATO strap plus locks, GUITTO stand, so this thing now has better standing furniture than some of my other hobbies

Letting the finish cure a full week before restringing, because after all this I was not about to dent it with string tension on day one like a clown.

The math (the part where I confront my choices)

Guitar (bazaar find) - ¥400

Gotoh 35G-620EWX tuners - ¥5,980 (~$38 US retail)

Musiclily bone nut, DJ-03 (2-pack) - ¥1,000 (~$9 to 10 US retail)

Musiclily bone saddle, DJ-02 (2-pack) - ¥1,000 (~$9 to 10 US retail)

D’Addario EJ45-3D strings (3-pack) - ¥4,273 ($32.99 US retail)

GUITTO guitar stand - ¥1,980 (~$18 to 20 US retail)

LEKATO strap + picks + strap locks - ¥2,680 (~$15 to 18 US retail)

Grand Total: ¥17,313 (~$106.53 at today’s rate, ~$123 to 129 if bought at US retail prices)

Cheapest comparable new guitar (Amazon JP): ¥15,000 (~$92)

So yes. I spent about ¥2,300 (~$14) more than a brand new one costs, all with me laughing while my wallet cried, to fix up a guitar that somehow ended up outside and ending life as compost. If you buy the same parts at US retail instead of Amazon Japan, I look even worse. In exchange I got real Gotoh tuners instead of whatever’s stapled onto a stock budget guitar, actual bone instead of plastic at the nut and saddle, a three-year supply of good strings, and a stand and strap thrown in. So: technically a financial loss, emotionally a complete win.

Not a bargain. A better guitar than ¥15,000 buys new, wearing a ¥400 body like a costume.

And before someone in the comments does the math for me: yes, a used step-up guitar (Yamaha CG-series territory, solid top, real bracing) for similar money would sound better than this ever will. That’s just physics and ain't nobody got time for that. If you’re optimizing for tone-per-dollar, this was the wrong move from step one. I wasn’t optimizing for that. I was optimizing for “can I make a dead ¥400 guitar respectable using nothing but sandpaper, spite, and a credit card,” and on that metric I’d call it a resounding success.

Before / after
Full body, tuner mechanism, and nut/fretboard comparison attached, same guitar, two weeks apart. The tuner shot is the one I’m most proud of: the empty socket where a gear used to be, sitting right next to the Gotoh that replaced it, like a mugshot next to a LinkedIn photo.

Learned a stupid amount about nut geometry, tuner roller tolerances, and why you should never glue a nut in before checking string clearance twice. Still haven't learned how to control my finances 10/10 impulse buy, 0/10 impulse budgeting, 11/10 would do it again immediately.

Has anyone added small protective bumpers to their classical guitar to help prevent minor dings from accidentally bumping into furniture or walls?

I'm thinking of using those small clear silicone/rubber cabinet door bumpers (or 3M Bumpons) in a couple of non-critical spots, but I'm wondering if the adhesive could damage the finish over time or if the added mass could noticeably affect the sound.

Has anyone tried something like this? If so, what did you use, where did you place them, and would you recommend it?

I'll start by saying that I'm not a guitar expert and usually I'm more of a drums guy. I was recently given this classical guitar and it's a brand I've never heard of. It says it's made in Argentina and I looked up the term "luthier" and found out that this guitar was handmade. It's smaller than a traditional acoustic guitar and is about 40.5 inches from top to bottom. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it other than change the strings out for classical guitar nylon strings. Is this from a maker anyone has heard of? Is it particularly valuable? Did I get a good deal by being given it? I just want to know any more info on it since I couldn't find much online. I was hoping someone here might have some experience with it. It's definitely used, but decent condition. The tuners are a little dirty, the nut has a chip in it, and the body is splitting a little bit on the back towards the bottom. I'm assuming that last point has something to do with humidity changes.

Hi,

I was looking into getting a second classical guitar after the first one I had turned out to have some issues which need to be fixed - I prefer to get a new one given the cost to repair. I have been learning for a few months and I have grown really passionate about the hobby.

I have two options:

1. ​2008 Yamaha GC-31C for 900 USD
2. 1989 Masaru Kohno Concert for 2150 USD

Yes, I know the price discrepancy is significant but I wanted to ask if the Kohno is "worth it". I usually like to buy things that will last me a lifetime. With the Kohno, am I paying significantly more for the name or is the Yamaha a safer choice? The Kohno is the concert model (Indian Rosewood back/sides), not the professional one.

Of course the tone is everything but both of these are quite far from me so I want to get some opinions before I make the trek.

Should I splurge the extra thousand dollars and just get the Kohno?

Thanks so much.

The crime scene

Found this thing at a Salvation Army bazaar in Japan, marked down to ¥400 (~$2.46 USD, or “less than a vending machine coffee”). It’s a Sepia Crue C-140/N, a budget Chinese-made 4/4 classical from Kurosawa Gakki’s house brand, which is a nice way of saying “the guitar equivalent of a store-brand cereal.” Structurally it was fine, no cracks, straight neck, bridge intact, but everything else about it looked like it had survived a small war:

• One tuner missing its gear entirely, just gone
• All six strings dead and corroded, one of them literally snapped
• Fretboard finish worn through to bare wood in patches, RIP decades of some stranger’s practice sessions
• Something had genuinely been growing on it at some point. Botanical evidence. On a guitar.

Even a fully intact junker like this books for ¥1,000+ used, so ¥400 was already a steal before I did anything except stare at it and think “yeah, this is going to become a problem.”

The problem escalating

I told myself I was just going to restring it. That lasted about four days.

Tuners: ripped out and replaced with Gotoh 35G-620EWX (1:14 geared, gold, actually good hardware). The roller holes were 0.5mm too small for modern rollers, so I hand-reamed six holes with sandpaper like a person with a healthy relationship to their free time

Nut & saddle: Musiclily bone DJ-03 nut & saddle, hand-fit, then polished through Japanese waterstones up to 8k grit and finished on a leather strop. I gave a $2.50 guitar a nut with a better shave routine than most straight razors get

Strings: D’Addario EJ45-3D, 3-pack, because apparently one set of strings for a ¥400 guitar wasn’t enough commitment

Bridge: Going to use metal Alba beads instead of tying knots like a caveman

Finish: back and sides refinished to a deep gloss black. Top left alone because even I have limits

Strap situation: LEKATO strap plus locks, GUITTO stand, so this thing now has better standing furniture than some of my other hobbies

Letting the finish cure a full week before restringing, because after all this I was not about to dent it with string tension on day one like a clown.

The math (the part where I confront my choices)

Guitar (bazaar find) - ¥400

Gotoh 35G-620EWX tuners - ¥5,980 (~$38 US retail)

Musiclily bone nut, DJ-03 (2-pack) - ¥1,000 (~$9 to 10 US retail)

Musiclily bone saddle, DJ-02 (2-pack) - ¥1,000 (~$9 to 10 US retail)

D’Addario EJ45-3D strings (3-pack) - ¥4,273 ($32.99 US retail)

GUITTO guitar stand - ¥1,980 (~$18 to 20 US retail)

LEKATO strap + picks + strap locks - ¥2,680 (~$15 to 18 US retail)

Grand Total: ¥17,313 (~$106.53 at today’s rate, ~$123 to 129 if bought at US retail prices)

Cheapest comparable new guitar (Amazon JP): ¥15,000 (~$92)

So yes. I spent about ¥2,300 (~$14) more than a brand new one costs, all with me laughing while my wallet cried, to fix up a guitar that somehow ended up outside and ending life as compost. If you buy the same parts at US retail instead of Amazon Japan, I look even worse. In exchange I got real Gotoh tuners instead of whatever’s stapled onto a stock budget guitar, actual bone instead of plastic at the nut and saddle, a three-year supply of good strings, and a stand and strap thrown in. So: technically a financial loss, emotionally a complete win.

Not a bargain. A better guitar than ¥15,000 buys new, wearing a ¥400 body like a costume.

And before someone in the comments does the math for me: yes, a used step-up guitar (Yamaha CG-series territory, solid top, real bracing) for similar money would sound better than this ever will. That’s just physics and ain't nobody got time for that. If you’re optimizing for tone-per-dollar, this was the wrong move from step one. I wasn’t optimizing for that. I was optimizing for “can I make a dead ¥400 guitar respectable using nothing but sandpaper, spite, and a credit card,” and on that metric I’d call it a resounding success.

Before / after
Full body, tuner mechanism, and nut/fretboard comparison attached, same guitar, two weeks apart. The tuner shot is the one I’m most proud of: the empty socket where a gear used to be, sitting right next to the Gotoh that replaced it, like a mugshot next to a LinkedIn photo.

Learned a stupid amount about nut geometry, tuner roller tolerances, and why you should never glue a nut in before checking string clearance twice. Still haven't learned how to control my finances 10/10 impulse buy, 0/10 impulse budgeting, 11/10 would do it again immediately.

Thinking about getting one of these supports. What is your experience with them? I had the opportunity to try both and I found Le support to be more comfortable. However my friend had the really expensive one made out of wood and I don’t want to drop like $600 for a support. I am curious how the acrylic one holds up to the guitar lift. Also has any one had issues using these with a French polished guitar? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Background:

I've been casually playing the guitar for years, but only as rythm guitar. Recently, I got interested in playing "melodies" (not sure if thats the right word in English but basically anything that is not just strumming chords).

I chose my classical guitar because I like it's sound the most when playing notes.

My problem:

When I'm practicing scales, I'm trying to play the nicest I can and with open ears (I heard this advice from a musician). What I can hear is whenever I lift my finger from a string, I accidentally pick it while releasing the string, quietely ringing the root note of the string. Needless to say, it sounds horrible, most of these notes not belonging to the scale I'm playing.

High action?

The action feels high for me, but I think it is normal for a classical guitar (5 mm at 12th fret, including pic JIC). How to improve my technique? Both written advices and video material on yt are welcome. Thank you!

I’m planning to purchase a classical guitar. How is the Valencia brand? Since my budget is limited, I’d appreciate suggestions from any owners. I am preferring a cutway design and built- in equalizer. TIA

I've included pics, is this right? Every single tutorial I see just confuses me more. The people I bought the guitar from just say "look online"

I've had the ej45 for 11 months now mostly because I fear I might buy a set I hate and I'm poor so.

I've heard the sound comparison on youtube and just by that I prefer the la bella but I'm also concerned with the volume and feel. I'm currently looking for a string set below 11 usd, more apparent trebles, more sustain + ressonance, same/slightly harder tension than the ej45 and a louder sound. Does the La Bella 2001 mt or ht fit that profile or should I get something totally different?

Also Sorry for the midi, I only composed it yesterday and have not had enough time to record it. Anyways this is a guitar duet I composed. What do you think? And sheet music will be provided need be you want to play it. Is it good? I think it is not that good, but still a lovely piece. What do you think? Also in the sheet music you will be able to play the full piece. Tell me what you think.

https://reddit.com/link/1v1nz1v/video/wv0fwrqkfeeh1/player

Sheet music

https://flat.io/score/6a5db4065f9e4c1804367167-guitar-dance-duet?sharingKey=30c19def562254ce53e9dabe0560cc88119672759eb4e9b73e373e338110b25f36bb30785a7bf4af016199f63d962614eaae9bdfbeaf77ce6889bebb83cc7598