I had traded in my Ibanez AEGNT becuase there was some neck problems that the lutheir couldn't get rid of, and since it was less than 3 months old my extended warranty allowed me a 75% trade in of the cost.
I had purchased a Yamaha CG171SF Flamenco Guitar (I thought it was classical), but I don't intend to play flamenco music.
I guess my question is does it matter that it's labled a Flamenco Guitar? Will there be a vastly different sound coming out of it? I tried it next to the Crodoba C5 and it sounded much better so I picked that one since it was in my price range.
Here's a video of how it sounds, no electronics just the camera mic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW4LJXN2OkE
Any help on the Flamenco vs. Classical would be great, I'm trying to decide if I should get another one since I'm not playing that style of music
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
yeah. no matter what you play. it will always sound Flamenco.
the guitar is specially designed that way. so you might as well go get some of those boots. :)
okay, I thought that might be the issue with it. I think I'll do a bit more research tonight on what guitars they have in stock and exchange it tomorrow.
Thanks for the help dog.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
There will be a difference in sound, but it won't be drastic.
Flamenco guitars are basically classical guitars, with a few differences:
- wood: classical guitars usually have back and sides made of rosewood, while flamenco guitars usually use Spanish cypress.
- golpeadores (tap plates) are attached to the top of a flamenco guitar. They have a small effect on the tone. Flamenco style is precussive; a flamenco player taps and slaps against the guitar top as part of the style, and the golpeadores help protect the relatively fragile top wood.
- action. Flamenco guitars generally have a lower action than classicals, sometimes to the point of string buzz. Since the style is so percussive, that's accepted. But action can be adjusted with a little work on the saddle and nut.
- peghead. Classical guitars use a slotted peghead style. So do some flamenco guitars, but others use a traditional peg head, with true pegs (like a violin) rather than tuning machines.
But really, you can play classical pieces on a flamenco guitar, and vice-versa.
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Thanks noteboat.
I noticed a couple of things with it when I got home and in my environment which is why I decided to look it up. One of the things is that I can't get my hands around the neck to form a D/F# chord, so I was wondering if the neck was wider, and there is definitely fret buzz, so that may be the breaking point for me on that one as I don't play percussive. I do enjoy the lower action though.
The other thing I noticed is that the sound doesn't sustain as much as I'd like it to, but I couldn't really tell that in the store because there was alot going on in the acoustic room, but listening back to the video it just doesn't sound as full or bassy(is that a word?) as I'd like it to.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
There is generally less sustain in a flamenco guitar, and that's normally a design feature to allow rasgueados to sound individually and the sound decay quickly. I've tried playing standard classical on flamenco guitars, and found I really had to work hard to get any bass sound out of them at all.
Yes, the neck on a flamenco or classical guitar will be wider, normally just over 2 inches where a Les Paul runs in at about 1 3/4. Getting a full barre sounding decent will take some practise.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
Thanks for that Alan, yeah, I know the classical was wider, but the Flamenco just seemed to be a bit wider. It looks like I'll be making a trip back to the store to get me a good classical.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
Joe, that guitar sounds very good!
Just a couple of comments. It is not very usual to use the thumb over the neck on that guitars, at least I never saw it (and here those guitars are much more usual than the steel strings acoustics).
Sometimes the size of the body is smaller in the flamenco guitars, just a little bit. A couple of links with sizes and photos: Alhambra and RamÃrez.
Well, I decided to just go ahead and replace the flamenco with the classical
http://ibanez.com/AcousticGuitars/model-EWN28KOENT
It's a thinline classical with a smaller neck size, so it's alot easier for my small hands. It doesn't have a ton of projection unplugged, but that's okay, when I play I don't want to wake the household up, I saw a demo of it plugged in and wow, it's amazing plugged in, now I just have to figure out how to get that from my Vox Pathfinder. Has good action, but could use a setup, when mine gets in (I got the one off the shelf, and I've always had a problem with paying full price for something that's been played everyday for some reason) that's the first thing that will happen, a change of strings, and a setup. I'll post something tomorrow with how it sounds.
I like it much better than the Flamenco that's for sure, has just the right sound for me.
In Space, no one can hear me sing!
Looks pretty decent.
Ashdown make good amps for acoustics/ classicals - apparently.
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
