Guitar Information, Exam Booking
&
A Guide on Buying Guitars
Choosing a guitar
Buying an instrument can be confusing but here are some tips for choosing the best guitar for you.
Check-list
If you do decide to go to any music shop to buy an instrument then follow these steps when trying out an instrument. This check list is aimed at beginners.
- Make sure it is a nylon strung classical guitar. Ideally a standard shape with no fancy colours or frills, no c cuts. It should be made out of wood.
- Play a single note on all frets and listen for buzzing or non guitar sounds.
- Check the width of finger board feels good for your hand.
- Inspect for physical damage, dents, scratches etc. Make sure the neck is straight and the tuning pegs work easily and have no screws loose.
- It should come with a case and no extras. It shouldn't be able to have a strap at all.
- Players aged 11 and above will require a full sized guitar.
Models
Jose Ferrer
(£65)
4/4 size (smaller sizes available)
The cheapest and most basic option is the Jose Ferrer. Available basically anywhere online or any shop. It's a trusty box that gets the job done (just about). Note that it doesn't sound great and will limit the development of tone production with nails.
Yamaha C40 (£115)
C40 full size (smaller sizes available)
As an alternative to that the next cheapest is the Yamaha C40. It's not amazing but is a small step up from the Jose Ferrer. Again, available almost anywhere!
Admira
I have used an Admira made guitar when I studied up to grade 8 and many of most of these that I have seen and played have been good. I used an Admira Malaga (£230). Very good all rounder for sound and playability.
Altamira:
I found out about these from Paul Gregory who runs the guitar shop
Maestoso Music
in Brighton. As a player himself he has a unique insight into what makes a guitar great and he stocks a very good selection of student guitars made by the famous Altamira.
Allhambra
The best you can buy with a price range from £250 - £1000. The student model guitars are all excellent and built to the highest quality. The 5p Cedar is especially good for around £500-£600. The London Guitar Studio stock the entire range which you can try before you buy!
Where to buy?
All these instruments are available on Amazon
or on Chamberlain Music's website
so take a look for up to date pricing!
The best thing to do is try before you buy and to find the best selection of instruments you have to head to the London Guitar Studio at Bond Street. Best for beginner - professional players.
You can guarantee that anything you buy from here will be high quality and come with a reliable service that lasts a lifetime.
Paul sells the student line and professional concert guitar. You can benefit from his player based knowledge and personal touch when buying a guitar with confidence from a trusted seller with an excellent reputation.
There are lots of choices with strings so to keep it simple here are a few options that will work for most students. Just watch out for counterfeit strings, almost all of my exprience of these is from Amazon and they can be of extremely poor quality. I like to buy from
London Guitar Studio or
Strings Direct or
Maestoso Music
Daddario Normal tension EJ45 (Pro Arte) Nylon Strings (£12-15): A really good all rounder for almost every classical guitar and proabaly the most popular brand in use at the moment. I find the tone a little bit 'plasticky' but they have good warmth, projection and are easy to use. Each pack comes with a code to check whether it's counterfeit and this is a great choice for students of all levels.
Augustine Classica Red's (£11): A very good nylon string with a very warm sound and almost always the cheapest option. I have a slight preference for these in this price range, very warm and good projection. Very good for students, especially younger pupils without nails.
p.s I sell these for £10.
Royal Classics Sonata Strings(£15):
This spansih make of strings is very high quality, the trebles are very clear and crystal sounding and is great in both normal and hard tension. I found that my trebles got scratched a little quickly.
Savarez Strings(£15):
Savarez strings are very similar to Royal Classics in sound, French made and very popular with concert artists. They have a very wide range and my experience is with their corum crystal line and normal tension nylon.
Knobloch Strings (£20):
These are becoming very popular with professional players, especially in the carbon variety but also in nylon. Their nylon string is my new favourtie of the moment, amazong volume and much longer lasting with a really rich and warm sound. A fantastic string and maybe the best I have ever used. I am not a fan of the carbon sound, it's very thin but the strings have excellent clarity, longevity and projection. They last a really long time but cost £20 a set. I currently have some you can grab...
Daddario XT (£20):
Daddario's response to Knoblochs longer lasting string is their own string touting a prolomged life-span. I am currently testing these out so will update this once I have pushed the strings further. (25/04/23). They have a good sound, clearer and less warm than the Knobloch nylons.