Used classical guitar shop in Spain?

hieu · #1 09-15-2014, 09:14 AM

Hi,

I will be travelling Spain in the next week - Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Cordoba, Granada.

Would like to know if anyone recommend a place to buy used Spanish guitar over there. Would it be cheaper than getting used classical guitars in the US?

Thanks very much

dosland · #2 09-15-2014, 02:07 PM

From what I saw back in 2008-2009, a new Spanish guitar is far cheaper at the right shops in Spain, while used shops tended to cater to people like you, looking to score a deal from overseas, and so had much higher prices than I would have expected. I suppose part of that has to do with what we mean by "used", I.e, a beater vs. a collector concert instrument. Depending on your price range, there are also some craigslist style sites in Spain that offer an outlet for those people who bought a solid instrument and then never played it. Big cities have far more inventory than places where I lived, so this option never worked out for me. I'm sure other people around here will have some really good suggestions for you, I know where some shops are, but no idea what the names are or whether they're quality shops, as they're near tourist attractions and I just happened across them while wandering about.

Good luck! Sounds like a fantastic trip even if you don't wind up buying a guitar.

smwink · #3 09-15-2014, 04:32 PM

There was a nice thread on the delcamp forum about this topic recently. One of the members detailed his experience traveling to Spain over the summer to purchase a guitar:
http://www.classicalguitardelcamp.co...?f=107&t=87711

I think there is a lot of romance in the idea of buying a classical guitar in Spain, but it's a mixed bag. There are certainly plenty of opportunities to purchase a great Spanish classical inside the US, and you can avoid all the tax issues. Depending on the sound you're looking for, you may also find that you can get something from a domestic builder at a comparable cost.

FWIW, you can get a good deal on a 1972 Spanish luthier-built guitar right here on AGF (wink,wink).

hieu · #4 09-18-2014, 03:39 AM

Thanks for the response.

I saw the link, very interesting, but the price point is way too high 3-6k EUR. I'm just planning to get a used factory guitar like Cordoba, Alhambra, etc... My budget might be around 1k.

I'm living in Asia, so I understand that buying in US used market might be good , but I also incur ~200 USD to get it to my door, excluding the Con-US shipping + Paypal yet. All in maybe ~350USD, quite expensive for a guitar around 1k USD. That's why I'm considering hand-carry route.

dosland · #5 09-18-2014, 04:23 AM

For 1K you could probably find something pretty awesome in the Alhambra line new, if you happen across the right shop. If you contact them (Alhambra) directly through their forum, they'll send you a current price list and they'll be able to tell you which stores have which instruments in stock along your route. Then I'd contact the shops ahead of time by telephone and find out what they actually have in stock. You'll want to play before you make any decisions, obviously, but it's not worth stopping by a store that has to order the model you want. How's your Spanish?

hieu · #6 09-25-2014, 03:20 PM

I just toured some Granada guitar shops and found quite an interesting small shop in Granada by a luthier name Francisco Manuel Diaz. I didn't know who he was as I walked in his shop. He showed me a real nice used flamenco guitar from an unknown luthier for EUR1.6k. I have never tried a flamenco guitar but I felt right the moment i put it in my lap. Perfect playability and all the treble notes just blossom out. The only thing puts me away is 2 cracks: 1 at the back and 1 at the seam under the bridge. Both seems stable, but couple with the unknown luthier name, might put people off if I may try to sell it later. That's why I had to pass it on ... but I kept thinking about it for days even until now.

I later tried a used Ramirez 1A in his shop for 4k EUR. Overall the sound is more commanding and more solid, especially on the bass side. However, the treble is not as blossoming and intimate as the other one.

Later on I had a chance to mingle with musicians on the street. Amazing experience. Had them share with me their stories and how they want to learn flamenco and showed me some of their flamenco songs that they composed. I saw they just used a Yamaha guitar but still sounds real nice. Make me re-think about buying expensive guitar with my mediocre skills.

I might explore further on Madrid. Heard that there are quite a lot of shops over there.