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#1
04-23-2018, 08:12 PM
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Juan Estruch Guitar (2)
Hi everybody, I've tried posting my question in the "classical" forum without much success, some views but no reply. That's why I'm posting it here at the General Discussion, maybe I could get some help - any will be welcome! Here's my original post:
"Hi there! I'd like your help about this guitar, I've done some research but couldn't find much more info about it. This guy offered me "a guitar", he got it as a present but knows nothing about it. In his own words, "once I got it in tune, but could never play it". The price is a bargain, here in Brazil it is R$100 which would be, converting to dollars, around US$30. But when he showed me the photo of the label inside the guitar, I almost gave up, never heard of that brand before and thinking it would probably be a chinese guiitar using a "Spanish Name" for sales. Then I actually found this and other guitars from the same brand, it's actually a Spanish Guitar "from Spain" and I can only wonder how did this guitar end up here in Brazil! What I got is this: Juan Estruch Barcelona Trovador Mod 100 Made in Spain Does anyone have any information about this guitar? I mean, playability, sound, size (I think it's a bit smaller than a standard classical). I got the photo in Google Drive only, here are the links: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZB...brVfMmVSalnc_T https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VF...EuULTXFziYQEQz https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Wb...T8t2vOw5i_Oq5a https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YB...Pvv1mPa7j60KVy https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yo...EJa4__H6VzEkZY I guess a working guitar for 30 bucks is a deal anyway. Just wondering if this is a kind of "once in a lifetime"deal or if the Juan Estruch Trovador is actually a common guitar. Appreciate any kind of help and input, thanks!" 
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#2
04-23-2018, 08:47 PM
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Rod, about thirty years ago now I came across a Guitarras Estruch classical guitar at a garage sale a block away from my house in Anchorage, Alaska. It was all solid wood: spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides. The fret ends were kind of rough, and the overall workmanship, while perfectly functional, was a bit less tidy than what we're used to these days.
The guy selling the guitar had a price tag of $25 on it. I checked my wallet, and found that I had $17 on me. I was about to go back to my house to get the full amount when the guy asked me how much I had. "Seventeen dollars," I said. "Sold!" he replied. I went home and picked up the phone to call my friend John Pearse, who was from the UK but had spent a lot of time all over Western Europe. He told me that the guitars had been made in Spain and exported in great numbers during the early- to mid-1960's, as part of the worldwide demand for guitars at that time. He said they were good intermediate grade instruments, which I would agree with based on the one I had. I'm not a classical guitarist, and am much more oriented towards steel string instruments. But the Guitarras Estruch guitar I owned for a few years before selling it off was a nice-sounding guitar. Short version: they were a decent brand of guitars. I had the fret ends smoothed off on mine, and would recommend doing the same if the guitar you've been offered has the same problem. That was the only repair or setup work that the guitar ever required. By the way, I couldn't get your photo links to work, so I haven't seen the pictures. The one I owned looked a lot like the guitars in this photo:  As for how the guitar might have arrived in Brazil, presumably it got there the same way the one I owned reached North America. There was a big boom in acoustic guitars and folk music in the Western world at the time, and this company in Spain made instruments in bulk that were pretty good quality and reasonably priced. The chances are that musical instrument distributors in both our countries obtained them and sold them to music stores, who in term sold them to their customers. Hope that makes sense. If you do figure out how to put up some links to the photos, I would like to see the instrument under consideration. Anyway, for the equivalent of $30 USD, you should definitely buy the guitar before somebody else does. They can be very sweet-sounding guitars. Hope this helps. Wade Hampton Miller
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#3
04-23-2018, 09:52 PM
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It does help, a lot actually! Wow Wade, thanks for writing such a detailed reply!
The guitar you showed looks nice and more like a professional model I guess. The one I'm looking at is a "Trovador" model, looks like a student model, a bit smaller, I'm guessing a 3/4 size or something like it. I talked to a friend of mine who's a luthier and he said the exact same thing you did  buy it now before anybody does. While I figure out a way to post the pics of the guitar, I managed to find the same model at this Spanish site: https://www.milanuncios.com/guitarra...-232381887.htm At the same time it would feel like having a "one of a kind" guitar (at least around here...), I've just got a good offer for a Yamaha c45 for US$60. I've got mixed feelings because the Yamaha, as gar as I've heard, is a reliable guitar. But I want to know everything about the Estruch before making a decision. Ps.: Yes, I've considered buying both
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#4
04-23-2018, 10:18 PM
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Ok, let's see if I managed to post the pics of the guitar in discussion. Sorry if it doesn't work and comes up as a bunch of codes
As I said, it looks a bit smaller than a standard classical guitar, I guess that's what they mean by "Trovador" model. Of course, troubadour being the person who wanders around playing songs for money - a smaller and lighter guitar would come handy! Wade, what happened to your Estruch guitar? You said you sold it, but what's the story behind that?      
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#5
04-23-2018, 11:30 PM
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Well, the story behind how I came to sell it isn’t particularly interesting or epic - I was trying to raise funds to pay for the balance due on a custom made guitar that I had ordered, made by a builder named Scott Baxendale. (As it happens, I still own and still love that custom guitar, and still gig out with it.) Anyway, even though I liked the Estruch guitar I wasn’t using it much - as I mentioned, I’m more of a steel string guitar kind of guy.
So what I did to raise money for the Triple O guitar Scott was building for me was sell off the instruments I wasn’t using much. I put a classified ad in the newspaper and described it as an all-solid wood Spanish-made classical guitar, and asked $300 for it. The guy who came by to look at it was a surveyor who was about to begin a season of field work out in the Alaska Bush, far from any towns or villages. He wanted a decent-sounding but inexpensive guitar to take along with him, and the Guitarras Estruch fit the bill. I let him talk me down to $285 for it and we were both happy. I’m pretty sure I’d gotten an inexpensive gigbag for it that he took the guitar away in, but I kept the ratty, disreputable-looking hardshell case it came with because it was an excellent fit for a Martin 00-21 I’d acquired that didn’t have its own case, and I was gigging out with that guitar. There’s kind of a funny story about that: about a year later I got a job as the “host-guide” on the Princess Tours scenic dome cars on the Alaska Railroad. Basically we got a lot of tourists up to view the scenic wonders of Alaska, and my job was to point out sites of interest along the way up to Denali (Mt. McKinley.) About a half hour before we’d get to the station I’d pull out my guitar and sing a few Alaskan songs, which really boosted my tips as they detrained a little while later. So the first two day run we made I brought along the Mossman dreadnought I was using onstage at the time, but it was cramped quarters in the train car so the next run I brought along the 00-21, which was more compact. The case I’d saved from the Guitarras Estruch was really ugly and beat up, but I applied some duct tape to some of its edges and it was functional. Okay, so I did my usual routine of pulling the guitar out of its case and singing some songs, but this time as the passengers were getting off the train one of them came up to me and said: “I enjoyed your music, son, but you really need to buy yourself a better guitar case!” And then he handed me a twenty dollar bill as a contribution to the cause... Understand that most of the tips we got were one dollar bills, not twenties. I smiled and said: “Thank you, sir, I sure will!” And as soon as I got home I got out the roll of duct tape and just SLATHERED it on that case! I had good-hearted people tipping me extra because of that sad-looking case through the rest of the tourist season, bless their hearts. I’ve had some musical instruments that have been good little moneymakers for me, but I’ve never had another guitar CASE that was such a prodigious profit-generator for me, before or since! Thanks you, Guitarras Estruch, for providing such an ugly case!! Anyway, once that summer ended I never chose to work on the train after that, so that ratty old case never served as tip bait again. But it was great while it lasted. Wade Hampton Miller
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#6
04-23-2018, 11:38 PM
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Quote:
Please don't mind my asking, could you see the pictures of the Estruch Trovador? What are your thoughts about it? Thanks! Love to hear guitar stories.
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#7
04-24-2018, 02:57 AM
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Well, me selling the Estruch wasn’t very interesting. Its case being unexpectedly useful in attracting tips from kind-hearted gringo tourists is another matter entirely!
Anyway, yes, I could see the photos this time. The tuners alone are probably worth the $30, so, yes, grab it while it’s still available. whm
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#8
04-25-2018, 08:56 AM
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Quote:
Still couldn't find info about the guitar nor the maker. I managed to find a website which is probably what's left from the original store / manufacturer. I'm waiting for an answer. Found some people selling this model and others online. Mostly from Spain (obviously), followed by other European countries. Quite a good number of these guitars in England. Managed to find people here in South America who own a Juan Estruch, Venezuela and Argentina. Here in Brazil just one or two people, not including the guy I'm buying from. Hopefully I'll get it this weekend so I'll post some more about it. Apparently, like any other guitar manufacturer, their models vary from entry level to professional handcrafted ones.
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#9
04-25-2018, 10:21 AM
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Well, mine was made of all solid woods, but was a bit rough in terms of its workmanship, as I mentioned. The one I owned was probably their middle of the line.
whm
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#10
04-25-2018, 10:35 AM
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A classical guitar made in Spain, at the right price, would be nice to have.
If it can be tuned and sounds at all decent, for $30.00 you should buy it and learn all about it later. (They are asking 400 Euros for the one on the website that you posted)
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#11
04-25-2018, 10:40 AM
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Quote:
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#12
04-26-2018, 08:06 PM
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A quick update. I messaged Estruch Luthiers but haven't got an answer yet. I've been searching around online and most information I can get is repetitive. from Wikipedia.
I'm no expert but I'm guessing that the woods used in this particular guitar are: Cedar Top Mahogany Back and Sides Rosewood fingerboard and bridge If the top is solid or not, I'll find out when I get the guitar. Hopefully, this Saturday.
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#13
04-30-2018, 10:45 PM
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So, I finally got my hands on the Juan Estruch. I haven't measured it yet but it seems like a standard classical size.
I don't know much about the woods and the construction of the guitar. I'll later try the Build and Repair section for more specific information. It has never been played! At least properly. The guy told me his uncle had bought it as a piece of decoration, then gave it to him. He never got interested in guitar and was now moving, that's why the ridiculously low price. I took the strings off, but before that I messed a bit with them. The guitar plays beautifully, I bet it has a solid top from what I could tell. My wife actually asked me if it was a steel string guitar! Soundwise, it's great. The notes seem much cleaner than any other guitar I've had. The tone (hard to explain but I'll try) sound kind of "dry" or "boxy". Sort of a ukulele but with much more projection and bass. Nut and saddle are plastic, the first fell apart as soon as I removed the strings. I'll measure it later and post it here. But, so far, I can say it's a keeper. Some pics: Btw, can you tell from the pic of the top is solid or not?         
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#14
05-01-2018, 03:35 AM
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Yes, it has a solid top. The way you can tell is to look at the grain of the wood at the edge of the soundhole. The grain lines run all the way through the wood. If it was laminated you would see a layer of core wood between the top and bottom layers.
whm
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| classical, juan estruch, trovador |
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