Nonmusician looking for help on finding a guitar for both jazz and classical.

[dontknowmuch]

Hello,

Thank you for reading and your thoughts on this search. I am looking to buy a guitar as a belated college graduation surprise gift for my son. The big problem is I don’t know how to play guitar. But I have deduced the following criteria :

- For use to play a mix of jazz and classical, jazz a bit more often.
- A cross over nylon string guitar with built-in electronic, none dreadnought body.
- 48mm nut width. Bone nut and saddle preferred.
- Radius fret board.
- Slim neck, cut-away preferred.
- 14 frets to the body preferred, 12 is ok.
- Very low action, low string tension (if possible).
- Sound great both non plug-in and plugged-in.
- A warm rich sound, not muted but not too metallic, flamenco influence is fine.

Not sure if this is reasonable, the budget is $500. I believe a guitar that meets above spec would cost at least $1000 new, so the only way is to find a used one. Cosmetically imperfect is all right.

From reading lots of threads, it seems the Cordoba Fusion 14 Rose, Takamine P3FCN meet this spec, but I am sure there are more, which would make it easier to find a used one. Please recommend them.

Thanks so much for your help!

Warm regard.

[RustyAxe]

Talk to your son. Really. He’ll be thrilled, and letting him find what is “right” for himself will be part of his pleasure. Guitars are very personal things.

[Misifus]

Not trying to cast a shadow on your parade, while it’s a good thought, classical and jazz are usually played on rather different guitars (pace Charlie Byrd), all the more important then to get your son’s input on this.

[pjmacd]

First of all, welcome to the forum. I hope you will find lots of useful information and advice. Second, I'm not a nylon string player, so take what I say with a large grain of salt. Third, if you are comfortable with giving us a general indication of where you live, local AGF members may be able to point you to what you are looking for in your location.

If I understand you correctly, you are looking for a SURPRISE gift for your son. Another member has suggested that you talk to your son about what he wants, and I would second the advice, but -- it may be negated by the fact that this has to be a surprise. On another issue, it has been mentioned that jazz and classical guitar music are often played on very different instruments. While that is true, and many jazz players seem to prefer archtop steel string guitars, some jazz players such as Charlie Byrd and Earl Klugh play amazing and wonderful music on nylon strings.

As a non-nylon string player, I can't comment specifically on the Cordoba and Takamine models you mentioned in your original post. Both makers often receive high praise on this forum. You might want to consider also guitars made by the Canadian firm of Godin. They make several nylon string models, and some have the potentially added advantage of being able to connect to MIDI processors to allow the guitar to sound like strings, piano, or whatever.

Good luck with your search, and I hope our more knowledgeable members can help you achieve your goal.

[Gordon Currie]

I have a Cordoba Fusion 14 RS. I purchased it so I would have a playable nylon string guitar around.

It has a decent tone and is very easy to play. That said, after years of being away from nylon strings, I forgot how low sustaining they are compared to steel strings. So I don't play it as much as I originally intended.

It has a serviceable pickup system and appears well-built. I think it sounds better non-amplified, as I find nylon string guitars difficult to amplify without spending a good deal of money.

Godin makes great acoustic/electric 'crossover' nylon guitars, but even used it will be hard to hit your price point.