Alhambra 9P Classical Señorita Guitar 7/8 short-scale, How small is that?

[Burstbucker]

Hi guys,

I play a lot of fingerstyle on steel string acoustic guitars and a little bit of classical. Way back in 1983-84 I bought a new Yamaha G-255S II nylon string guitar, which was top of my budget at the time. It still sounds pretty good IMHO but the neck has drifted a bit and makes the action a bit high so it got me thinking of buying something a bit better.

I stopped at my local music store a couple of days ago and tried out a few classical guitars, I was hoping that they might have a couple of decent Yamahas there but oddly enough they didn't have any on hand.

But I spotted a brand that I had no idea existed, I'm primarily an electric player so please excuse my ignorance. This brand was Alhambra, they had a student model with hardly any finish but it sounded quite nice and then the other one was twice the price and was infact a flamenco guitar but boy did that thing sound good.

So my thoughts have been trying to find a good classical for me but not super expensive at the same time.

I spotted a used Alhambra guitar locally for $1500.00 Canadian, about $2000.00 less than retail. That really perked my interest but then I figured out that it was a 7/8 short-scale guitar. Alhambra Senorita 9P to be exact.

I know that the 9P models are quite high-end for this company's line-up but I'm not sure what to make of the 7/8 short-scale part of it.

My hands aren't HUGE but maybe a bit larger than a lot of guys, I'm wondering if this model would still be a contender considering that it's a 7/8 short-scale model.

And what about the effect on tone and projection? Maybe not that big of a difference from the non-Senorita 9P model? Maybe just a slightly shorter neck with tighter spacing between frets?

Here are the specs btw:

Description
The Alhambra 9P Classical Señorita Guitar is an all-solid "short scale" handmade all-solid classical guitar with a beautifully intimate and refined sound. It features very well-balanced projection of treble and bass strings, and is also designed for comfort and optimal playability. Handmade in Spain,

Top: Solid Red Cedar
Back/Sides: Solid Rosewood
Neck: Spanish Cedar with Ebony Reinforcement
Fingerboard: Ebony
Scale Length: 636mm
Nut Width: 50mm
Saddle & Nut: Bone (Extra saddle included)
Finish (top): Nitrocellulose Lacquer (gives the top improved resonance)
Finish (back & sides): Polyurethane (provides improved durability)

Hardshell Case Included
Made in Spain

Measurements:

String Spacing at Nut: 41mm
String Spacing at Saddle: 53mm
Lower Bout Width: 355mm (14")
Upper Bout Width: 262mm (10 5/16")
Length from bottom of guitar to end of headstock: 38.75" (Standard size length is 39.75")
Length from bottom of guitar to nut: 31.25" (Standard size length is 32.25")

Hardshell Alhambra Señorita Case
(New Retail price is $3,500.00 CAD)

[Gitfiddlemann]

Although I've never played one, this looks like a good deal to me.
Made in Spain, all solid woods. cedar/rosewood.
From what I can tell, the "7/8" refers to the shorter scale length only. 636mm should make for an easier playing guitar without sacrificing much of anything else.
Seems like a very good price if it doesn't have any major issues.
I'd give it a good look!

[Burstbucker]

That is very helpful, thank you Gitfiddlemann !

[Carey]

Those dimensions and scale length sound good- the body is actually about the size of many later Torres guitars, and of Segovia's first SH Ramirez. The 41mm string spacing at the nut would likely be very comfortable, unless you have massive hands. Give it a try!