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  #1  
Old 05-11-2016, 06:24 PM
Gypsy77 Gypsy77 is offline
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Default Help With Buying a Flamenco Guitar

I guess I should start by giving you some background on why somebody who doesn't play guitar is looking for advice on buying a flamenco guitar.

There's a homeless man that plays flamenco and classical guitar in the subways in my home city. (I also believe that he likely has a mild case of autism, as I work with autistic students for a living and his behavior shows some signs that would stand out to people who work with the autistic community). He is an amazing musician, and he and I can go on forever talking to each other about music, as we're both music nuts (we'll talk about Paco de Lucia, Sabicas, Julian Bream, Django Reinhardt, John Williams, Ana Vidovic, Grisha Goryachev, etc. for hours on end).

I always found him to be in a very good mood, until one day a while back when I found him sitting at one of the stops he usually plays at, but without his guitar. He looked very depressed, and I asked him what was going on. He told me that a man had stolen his new flamenco guitar that had cost around $900 (I don't know if he bought the instrument new or if he got it used, as he had it stolen almost right after he had bought it). My heart just broke for him. He has since been able to get an old, beaten up acoustic, but he told me about the troubles of trying to play the styles he plays on a guitar that is not designed for flamenco and classical pieces.

So, my question is, are there any brands/models of flamenco guitars that are good quality, but not insanely expensive? I'd love to be able to surprise him with a flamenco guitar that's at least decent quality. I was hoping for something no higher than $1000, and it doesn't have to be new. I have no problem buying used.

I have no idea how guitar prices work, especially flamenco guitars. I'm a musician, but I play saxophone. I can give people good advice on how to get a good, solid saxophone for a good price, but when it comes to guitars I'm not familiar with brands/models and their quality or pricing. I know that when looking for an instrument that it's best to ask the musicians for advice, and this forum seemed like a good place to ask. I know I could have easily gotten ripped off when I first started playing, so I know that jumping in and spending money on something with which you don't have a lot of knowledge is not a good choice. I just want to get him a good, solid instrument that won't fall apart. What brands/models would you recommend, and are there specific shops/websites you would recommend buying from?

Any help is greatly appreciated.
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  #2  
Old 05-11-2016, 06:59 PM
earri earri is offline
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I have a guitar made my Manuel Delgado. It's a steel string guitar. However, he (in Nashville - http://www.delgadoguitars.com/x/) and his brother (in CA - http://www.candelas.com/history.php) typically make traditional spanish type guitars in the tradition of their grandfather and father. Look them up, and tell them your story. They may have something lying around that fits your bill. or at the least be able to better direct you somewhere that does.

Best of luck; that something really nice you are doing and I commend you.
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Old 05-11-2016, 07:13 PM
dneal dneal is offline
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Look on www.reverb.com for an Alvarez Yairi classical (the "Yairi" part is important).

They're hand made in Japan, very good quality, and don't hold their value at all. New, they're $1500 and up. Used, they're usually in the $650 range.
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Old 05-11-2016, 07:15 PM
Gypsy77 Gypsy77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by earri View Post
I have a guitar made my Manuel Delgado. It's a steel string guitar. However, he (in Nashville - http://www.delgadoguitars.com/x/) and his brother (in CA - http://www.candelas.com/history.php) typically make traditional spanish type guitars in the tradition of their grandfather and father. Look them up, and tell them your story. They may have something lying around that fits your bill. or at the least be able to better direct you somewhere that does.

Best of luck; that something really nice you are doing and I commend you.
Thanks so much for your help! I will contact them and see what they recommend.
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Old 05-11-2016, 07:17 PM
Gypsy77 Gypsy77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dneal View Post
Look on www.reverb.com for an Alvarez Yairi classical (the "Yairi" part is important).

They're hand made in Japan, very good quality, and don't hold their value at all. New, they're $1500 and up. Used, they're usually in the $650 range.
Thanks, dneal!
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Old 05-11-2016, 07:46 PM
dneal dneal is offline
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Quote:
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Thanks, dneal!
You're welcome. HERE is a thread with pics and a mediocre sound clip of mine.
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Old 05-11-2016, 08:45 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is offline
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Default flamenco

I don't play flamenco but do know they are not built the same way as a normal classical guitar, even through they may look similar. A flamenco player does a lot of percussive "beating" on his guitar and a lightly-built classical may not stand up to that. Hopefully, someone who knows something about the two can shine a brighter light on this.

I really applaud your quest and your extraordinary generosity, but you want to make sure it will work for him properly before you spend that kind of money.
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Old 05-12-2016, 05:21 AM
dneal dneal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks View Post
I don't play flamenco but do know they are not built the same way as a normal classical guitar, even through they may look similar. A flamenco player does a lot of percussive "beating" on his guitar and a lightly-built classical may not stand up to that. Hopefully, someone who knows something about the two can shine a brighter light on this.

I really applaud your quest and your extraordinary generosity, but you want to make sure it will work for him properly before you spend that kind of money.
The only significant differences are body depth, wood choices, and neck angle (a flamenco is built for lower action). They're both fan braced, and a classical usually has more radius to the top.

A homeless guy "that plays flamenco and classical" would be fine with a free example of either, and classicals will be much more abundant in the used market. The issue is steel vs nylon strings, not flamenco vs classical.
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Old 05-12-2016, 08:41 AM
redir redir is offline
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I have a used flamenco guitar that I could sell in that price range for this cause. It is a Marcelo Barbero copy, blanca, with mechanical pegs. It is a handmade guitar and all solid wood construction however and probably not well suited to living on the streets. But if you are interested then PM me and I'll send you pictures and provide you with more information. I have to agree with others that it's probably a bit much to spend when the money may be better spent on getting him off the streets but I also understand the connection that music has to people and that the loss of his guitar was devastating. But if he is truly talented then he can probably make any well set up cheaper guitar sound great and maybe even make money doing it. None the less if you are interested let me know.
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Old 05-12-2016, 08:56 AM
zhunter zhunter is offline
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Find a used Yamaha CG171SF or CG172SF. Not a brilliant flamenco guitar but not bad and typically very playable. New in the $300 range with no case or bag. I'd expect used to be in the $200 range depending on case and all.

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  #11  
Old 05-12-2016, 10:47 AM
Gypsy77 Gypsy77 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redir View Post
I have a used flamenco guitar that I could sell in that price range for this cause. It is a Marcelo Barbero copy, blanca, with mechanical pegs. It is a handmade guitar and all solid wood construction however and probably not well suited to living on the streets. But if you are interested then PM me and I'll send you pictures and provide you with more information. I have to agree with others that it's probably a bit much to spend when the money may be better spent on getting him off the streets but I also understand the connection that music has to people and that the loss of his guitar was devastating. But if he is truly talented then he can probably make any well set up cheaper guitar sound great and maybe even make money doing it. None the less if you are interested let me know.
I know that the ideal thing would be to get him off the street, and trust me I have thought about it, but it is far easier said than done. He is most likely around 40 years old, and that is really before most people became very aware of autism. Many high functioning autistic people slipped through the cracks because they were never diagnosed. It wasn't until the movie Rain Man came out that autism awareness made its way into the conciousness of the public, and even then, people tended to believe that every person with autism was like Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie (in other words, somebody with an obvious disability). They still weren't very aware of how incredibly large the autism spectrum is. If I bring up the autism thing, he could get hurt by it and take it as me saying there's something wrong with him. I really can't bring myself to do that.

Then there's the problem of finding steady employment. I've known him at least five years now, and he's never mentioned any past jobs. It's hard enough getting a job in general, but with little to zero employment history, it's only going to be 1000 times harder. It seems that his only interest is playing music every minute of the day, and in all honesty, who am I to tell him he shouldn't be doing that? He's a grown man who is allowed to live his life any way he wants, and if that's what makes him happy, then so be it. It's not my place to tell him "You need to conform to society's expextations and stop playing guitar all day and get a job." He's a good person, and that's all that really matters to me.

I'm not saying this with any kind of anger, and I really do appreciate the concern, and your offer. My wife and I agreed that we first need to get our medical bills paid off before I do this, and hopefully that can be done within the next year. I just wanted to get some info and recommendations ahead of time so I would know what to look for when the time came when I would have the money.
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Old 05-12-2016, 02:59 PM
Carl000s Carl000s is offline
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Alhambra guitars (spanish brand). Alhambra 7fc or 8fp are great flamenco guitars within your budget
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Old 05-12-2016, 04:09 PM
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JP McD JP McD is offline
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Cordoba makes a terrific flamenco guitar at under $700 that is readily available at Guitar Center.

Cordoba GK Studio Negra

I have one of these and it is has the characteristics you want in a flamenco guitar -- lively, loud, perscussive, and responsive.
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Old 05-13-2016, 07:58 AM
HOOKshoTT HOOKshoTT is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JP McD View Post
Cordoba makes a terrific flamenco guitar at under $700 that is readily available at Guitar Center.

Cordoba GK Studio Negra

I have one of these and it is has the characteristics you want in a flamenco guitar -- lively, loud, perscussive, and responsive.
I second JP, I also have the Cordoba studio GK Negra although I use it primarily for classical (wish I had someone to teach me more flamenco) sounds wonderful, feels great. Cordoba makes very quality classical, flamenco, and hybrid guitars especially for being a mass producer, and at good prices. Definitely worth looking at!
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Old 05-13-2016, 08:08 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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I have nothing to offer help wise, just wanted to say this is a very cool thing you're doing. May karma be real.
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