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  #1  
Old 02-22-2014, 09:37 PM
0shanec0 0shanec0 is offline
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Default kimbara 170n - bargain find!?! but abit of a mystery

First of all, hi people! Im new to the forum!

Abit about me, iv been playin around 10 years now and i now teach,
i started off playing metal when i was younger then got into acoustic and fingerstyle and thats been my chosen style until now! Iv got the classical bug and im loving playing it, it is so rewarding.

I usually play on a crafter tm035n which has a wider neck than the usual acoustic.

But i decided id pick up a classical and saw this kimbara on ebay, i got it for £8 and £15 p&p
I expected the worst but thought it was worth a punt.

I put a set of augustine classic blues on it and i have to say im very impressed, it has a great sound and a lovely sustain. Overall i think it is a bargain, i am however abit confused because after some research i found out abit about kimbara and that they went to korea in the late 80s, however mine was made in korea but on the brace at the back od the soundhole it is clearly stamped 1980!

I know it is a budget guitar, it is a solid top but clearly laminate back and sides.
But it just got me thinking, i know there is some mystery about kimbara and where certain models were made,so i thought id just throw a spanner in the works!

Here are some photos from when i striped it down, cleaned it up and restrung it.

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  #2  
Old 02-22-2014, 09:38 PM
0shanec0 0shanec0 is offline
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http://s907.photobucket.com/user/sha...bile%20Uploads

Oops sorry here is the link to the photos
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  #3  
Old 02-23-2014, 02:16 PM
Garthman Garthman is offline
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"Kimbara" was the brand name of a range of guitars commissioned by UK music company "FCN Music".

They first appeared in the late 60's and were originally made in Japan. I believe production subsequently switched to Korea, then China.

I own one (a 12 string acoustic) and have played a few other models including a couple of classicals. They usually have solid tops and laminate back and sides and are generally good quality guitars.

Congratulations - you got that one for a very good price
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Old 02-23-2014, 02:53 PM
0shanec0 0shanec0 is offline
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Thanks!
Yes i am very happy with it for the price.
I will put a video up in youtube at some point, im currently working on 'in the hall of the mountain king' when im happy with it il record and post it so people can hear what its like.
Although my recording quality wont be great unless i pick a decent mic up in the meantime, but itl give an idea anyway

The only thing i might do is lower the action by lowering the saddle slightly, it is still nice to play but id just like it a touch lower.
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Old 03-01-2014, 06:22 PM
0shanec0 0shanec0 is offline
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I fitted a piezo pickup and eq to it today, and sorted out the action by lowering the saddle at the same time ( which i had to do to fit the pickup anyway)
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Old 03-01-2014, 08:45 PM
Dave T Dave T is offline
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I don't mean this as snarky as it sounds but why go to the bother of getting a classical guitar, even a cheep one, then electrify it? That's not what classical music, or in this case classical guitar music, is about. At least not to most of the people I know.

Of course your free to do what ever you want, but really!

Dave
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Old 03-02-2014, 09:20 AM
0shanec0 0shanec0 is offline
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I see where you are coming from, but i just did it because i dont have a decent mic for recording so this way i can get better quality recordings and when im not recording i can still play it normally, it doesnt seem to have affected the sound in any way, atleast not noticable to me.
If i had an expensive top quality guitar then it would be different and id never dream of doing it.

But it works well for my needs.
Im also starting to record some pieces i have made with film and television in mind (as a past film and television production student i know how hard it can be to find good music for projects without paying a fortune in royalties)
So my pieces will go up on my website at reasonable prices for students to use in there work, and if any companies bigger than that are interested at all then all the better
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Old 03-02-2014, 11:15 AM
Dave T Dave T is offline
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Like said, no offense intended. You have a legitimate argument/justification so more power to you!

Dave
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Old 03-02-2014, 11:46 AM
0shanec0 0shanec0 is offline
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Its ok no offence taken
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Old 03-03-2014, 02:34 PM
brucefulton brucefulton is offline
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Default pickup

I've put pickup systems in all my guitars including my 1970s Manuel Contreras handmade concert model. Yep, drilled it out. Just a bit. Doesn't hurt the acoustic sound at all, and makes it much more versatile for concerts, recordings and studio. I also play pieces written for the classical guitar on electric-acoustic steel string guitars, and they sound nice that way. Fingerstylist John Renbourne recorded several renaissance and baroque pieces on the steel string.

Here's a quote from a recent piece on National Public Radio:

"Electric Guitars Amp Up New Classical Music: "Going on a century ago, classical composers signaled modernity — and, frequently, their own American identity (either native-born or adopted) — by interweaving the sounds of jazz into their own work. Just think of 's 1924 Rhapsody in Blue, or 's Threepenny Opera from 1928 or 's Piano Concerto from 1931. Those sounds were strikingly new and perhaps even impudent — just the way the electric guitar began affecting the classical environment in the middle of the last century....a real marker of modernity, and American ingenuity, in classical music was the use of electric guitar (which, after all, was an American invention ). If that happens, here are a few candidates for inclusion in the canon."

The article includes a list of classical works written with/for electric guitar.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptiveca...lassical-music
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  #11  
Old 03-08-2014, 02:33 PM
Garthman Garthman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brucefulton View Post
I've put pickup systems in all my guitars . . .
Me too. What's not to like about having the ability to play through an amp?
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  #12  
Old 03-11-2014, 08:18 AM
scottishrogue scottishrogue is offline
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Cool Classical guitars with pickups???

I like being able to play my nylon string guitars through my amps! Even though I have a spare Martin Thinline 332 piezo pickup tucked away in my suitcase of extra parts, I want to see how it will sound before drilling the hole for the jack.

What I found to accomplish this is an external transducer mic that you can attach to your favorite guitar. And, it doesn't cost an arm & leg, either...I bought 3 units for under $15!

Glen

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Old 03-16-2014, 12:31 PM
creamburmese creamburmese is offline
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I recently went to a performance by Ben Verdehy (chairs the guitar dept at Yale) - he not only had his guitar plugged in, but was also using echoing and loops…..
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Taylor 712, a couple of nice classicals
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Old 03-16-2014, 02:20 PM
jimmy bookout jimmy bookout is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave T View Post
I don't mean this as snarky as it sounds but why go to the bother of getting a classical guitar, even a cheep one, then electrify it? That's not what classical music, or in this case classical guitar music, is about. At least not to most of the people I know.

Of course your free to do what ever you want, but really!

Dave
Ummm....maybe he's not playing "classical" music?
BTW, many of today's foremost classical players (who play "classical" repertoire) are using some sort of on board amplification.

Jimmy
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