Alhambra 8P 1250€ is it worth?

[Beqa]

Is it worth to pay 1250€ for Alhambra 8P or there are better ones for this price? Feel free to recomend but please based on your experience

http://www.alhambrasl.com/en/guitars...cal/9/8-p.html

[dosland]

I played this and the 7P back in 2009 and absolutely loved both, but I didn't have that kind of money, and it was quite a bit lower priced then. I don't know the current price list, but my impression has always been that you face a pretty stiff markup for anything that crosses the Channel. That said, I don't know what else you could get for that kind of money - do you have other options? Can you play this or anything else before you buy? Sorry I can't be more helpful, and good luck!

[Beqa]

Originally Posted by dosland

I played this and the 7P back in 2009 and absolutely loved both, but I didn't have that kind of money, and it was quite a bit lower priced then. I don't know the current price list, but my impression has always been that you face a pretty stiff markup for anything that crosses the Channel. That said, I don't know what else you could get for that kind of money - do you have other options? Can you play this or anything else before you buy? Sorry I can't be more helpful, and good luck!

I can't play in my region there are not official and authorized guitar stores that why i'm posting, someone says that there is a huge improvement from 7P to 8P what can you say about that?

[dosland]

If I remember correctly, the 7 series is all made in the main factory workshop and the 8 series (and above) is all built by the master craftsmen in a smaller shop - not quite luthier made, but a much more intimate building environment. The main differences when I checked out these guitars were obvious physical differences - the 7 has a spruce top option and different body depth (I think) with a poly finish, instead of the cedar top on the 8 (I don't know if they make a spruce version) and a nitro finish. The 7P was probably 40% more than the 7C that I bought, and the 8 was even further outside my reach, so I don't remember investing much energy in comparing the two. I think I paid 380eu for the 7C, the 7P was 540eu, and the 8 was 780 or so. If I had those prices in front of me now, I'd be all over the 8P. But back in those days I was very very broke. And now that I'm thinking about it, my prices were all on the down low, because the guy who ran the shop had a very special discount for some reason. Carlinos would be so disappointed if I forgot about that!

On a side note, somehow I read your original post as £1250, which seems a lot more painful somehow than €1250. Any chance you can buy from one of these online outlets with a 5-day free return or something? You'd only be risking the cost of return shipping then. In a similar price category a lot of people around here are really into the Cordoba line, but I've never played anything above the 5 series and that was a great guitar for the price, but not in the same class as the Alhambra 6-7-8 series guitars that I test drove. I've been out of the hunt for too long to recommend anything else based on personal experience, unfortunately.

[Beqa]

Originally Posted by dosland

If I remember correctly, the 7 series is all made in the main factory workshop and the 8 series (and above) is all built by the master craftsmen in a smaller shop - not quite luthier made, but a much more intimate building environment. The main differences when I checked out these guitars were obvious physical differences - the 7 has a spruce top option and different body depth (I think) with a poly finish, instead of the cedar top on the 8 (I don't know if they make a spruce version) and a nitro finish. The 7P was probably 40% more than the 7C that I bought, and the 8 was even further outside my reach, so I don't remember investing much energy in comparing the two. I think I paid 380eu for the 7C, the 7P was 540eu, and the 8 was 780 or so. If I had those prices in front of me now, I'd be all over the 8P. But back in those days I was very very broke. And now that I'm thinking about it, my prices were all on the down low, because the guy who ran the shop had a very special discount for some reason. Carlinos would be so disappointed if I forgot about that!



On a side note, somehow I read your original post as £1250, which seems a lot more painful somehow than €1250. Any chance you can buy from one of these online outlets with a 5-day free return or something? You'd only be risking the cost of return shipping then. In a similar price category a lot of people around here are really into the Cordoba line, but I've never played anything above the 5 series and that was a great guitar for the price, but not in the same class as the Alhambra 6-7-8 series guitars that I test drove. I've been out of the hunt for too long to recommend anything else based on personal experience, unfortunately.

Thank you so much for your engagement, yes 8P and above are made by small more pro group of Alhambra, i know there is 7PA version which is spruce and have little bit more depth (106 - 100)mm this depth starts from 9P and above 8P has (102 - 95)mm i am looking for cedar top i like warmer and richer tone this is one of the reason why i wanna go to 8P instead of 7PA but want to be sure if price difference is warth pay, also i seriously was thinking about Cordoba C10 but fact that it is made in China stops me, i am very skeptical about that becouse guitars have a soul and thay are not piece of tech to don't worry about where it assembled, then i've read some posts that Cordoba C10 is not at the same level as Alhambra 7P, 8P glad to read the similar thing from you, i wanna to buy guitar and never sell which will be great at any stage beginner or professional, 8P for 1250 euro sounds goot to me in US it costs almost 4000$

[dosland]

I wouldn't let the fact that the C10 is made in China put you off, they seem to have a really good system at the Cordoba factory, and by all accounts they're making very nice guitars. My only experience is with the Cordoba 5 series, which is more an entry level guitar, and that's why I say it's not in the same class as the Alhambra 6 and above. It's not supposed to be, and it is way cheaper (with laminate back and sides, etc.). This makes it an awesome well made budget instrument, but not really a student/conservatory instrument the way Alhambra 7 and 8 are targeted (and priced). But if it's impossible to get your hands on anything before you buy, you can be pretty confident that the Alhambra 8 will be a really good instrument. I'd still want a 100% painless return policy, but I'd want that with any guitar in any price range!