So, you’ve got the hang of the classical guitar basics? Ready to step it up a level?
Now it’s time to move on to your next guitar and a world of bigger sounds, better tone woods and higher quality craftsmanship.
When upgrading your guitar there are still the same basics to consider: size, shape, budget etc, however you’re now an informed musician well on the way to your ultimate guitar, perhaps a handcrafted series A1, A5 or electrified Virtuoso EC, ?
When looking at moving onto your next level guitar it is now even more important to think about the sound you are looking for and the voice you are trying to project as a musician.
Are you looking for something that is dark, rich and warm in tone or are you looking for a bright, sparkly sound? Would you like a solid top instrument or are you happy with laminated wood? Do you want to amplify your nylon string guitar for stage performance, or perhaps just for personal pleasure?
These are important questions to consider that it will greatly influence your decision when upgrading from your first classical guitar.
The strength of Solid wood:
As a rule of thumb, the more solid wood in a guitar, the better. Generally, guitars from the mid-level upwards will all have solid tops with laminated back and sides, with a select few instruments from the higher-end being solid timber all over. However, the most important part is the guitar top – or soundtable – as this part makes the biggest difference to the instrument’s overall tone.
The top of Solid Wood topped guitars will mature over time, gradually improving the tonal characteristics of the instrument, so if it sounded great when you first picked it up, it will only sound better in the future.
Malaga
Admira’s 1908 Malaga Model has long been the starting point for those looking to purchase their first solid top. The guitar’s top is solid cedar and is matched to laminated Sapeli on the back and sides. The difference in tone between the Malaga and the all-laminate Almeria is definitely noticeable.
Admira Guitars manufacture several instruments for players looking to upgrade from their initial foray into Classical Guitar, they also include a wide variety of rich tone woods. For example the Handcrafted A1 Classical Guitar has a Solid Cedar Top, to ensure a great tone both at the time of purchase and in the future once the top has finished maturing. The Solid Cedar top will create a rich, warm tone, and is the wood of choice for most classical, nylon string guitars.
However, as an alternative, there is the Handcrafted F4 Flamenco, a solid spruce topped classical guitar with Flamed Maple back and sides. This tone wood combination would lend itself greatly to someone who looking for a crisp, cutting sound. It is a beautifully crafted instrument, worthy of any stage performance.
1948EC
Amplified Choices:
Maybe you need to simply amplify your guitar, or perhaps you want to experiment with electronic effects.
The entry point to amplified nylon string classical guitars is the far-eastern-made ADM500 Sara EC. This model has a laminated body with a piezo undersaddle pickup, a side mounted preamp and end-mounted output jack.
The next step would be the 1948EC Espana Electro Cutaway. This instrument has a bright-sounding, solid pine top and is equipped with a Fishman pickup system. The tone produced by this model will be superior due whether amplified or not, thanks to both the solid top and the excellent electronic circuitry.
Moving up a little further, the 2147EC Virtuoso EC uses high grade solid Cedar top and beautiful Indian Rosewood for the back and side, so looks stunning and sounds equally so when played. However, the electronics have also been upgraded by way of the Fishman Clasica Blend preamp system.