Almansa 413 Flamenca

Spanish made entry level Flamenco guitar. Body dimensions slightly thinner and smaller than a standard Classical guitar. 52mm nut width. 650mm scale length. Solid Spruce top with laminated Sycamore back & sides. Sapele neck with Rosewood headstock veneer. Nickel finished tuners (Gold plated specified in catalog). Traditional Spanish neck joint construction (Heel/Foot). Rosewood fingerboard and bridge with a tasteful wood bound tieblock. Rosewood binding with single purfling top and back. Mosaic rosette. Lacquer finish. Very lightly built and somewhat fragile. I compared it directly with the Yamaha CG171SF (laminated Cypress) at 50 dollars cheaper, which appeared overbuilt and sounded dull, although it had excellent build quality for the price, I still feel the Yamaha was inferior in tone and volume (that's what really counts). I also tried the Manuel Rodriguez C3F, which was on the same page structurally, albeit 150 dollars more and certainly had no better build quality, sound or playability, if anything, duller and quieter. The Almansa vibrates and rings out with authority and

I must stress the 413 is an entry level Flamenco guitar at under $500. The sound is quite remarkable. Crisp and punchy with piano like basses and tight sparkling highs. I always coveted fine Classical guitars for their full, sweet lyrical tone. The Almansa is almost overpowering and mean sounding if really hit hard. It's not a sweetheart at all, it's a beast. This guitar sounds open and airy with great response and attack. Not as brisk, quick and sharp as a professional quality Flamenco guitar, but for the price, it certainly hints at what an 'in your face' sounding powerhouse a true Flamenco can be. That being said, it can play quietly and conservatively with ease and maintains a very beautiful tone. Very pleasing and open sound.

The action is fairly high, especially for a Flamenco, which are supposed to be low. This does not bother me as the factory setup is still quite playable, and contributes to the amazing tone and volume. Some people will bitch though. Fingerboard is true and the frets are well seated and finished. The entire build of this guitar is light and thin. It has an almost eggshell quality to it. Interior workmanship is clean and spartan, with thin, delicate bracing. There are some sanding marks on the neck and uneven spots here and there that just smack of human contact. Appears more like a handmade instrument than a mass produced factory piece. Light easily passes through the back when held up to a bright bulb. Nice unblemished woods throughout. The Spruce top is especially even coloured and tight grained. The lacquer finish is perfectly glossy and flawlessly applied, no hazing or bubbling, although somewhat thick in certain areas like the bridge and heel. It certainly does not appear to hinder the sound. Very good for the price.

The crux of this guitar's amazing performance has to be the Spanish neck joint. The Yamaha had a square neckblock like a steel string. This contributed to it's lack of response and tone in my opinion. Now that my eyes have been opened, a Classical guitar with anything other than a Spanish neck joint just doesn't cut it. However, this provides built in problems. No adjustable truss rod and the fact that the neck cannot be reset means you are stuck with the neck profile you are given, so choose wisely. The only way to lower the action is to lower the saddle, once that's bottomed out, you are out of luck. If the guitar is of sound build quality and you don't use extra hard tension strings, this should not be an issue. If you are looking for an entry level Classical, do yourself a favour and buy a Spanish guitar. You will not regret it. I have not had this guitar long enough to have an opinion on reliability. I'm not seeing any major problems in the forseeable future. Bear in mind this guitar is quite a bit more fragile than a dime store nylon stringer. So far, so good.

Almansas come with a three year warranty. The Yamaha comes with a lifetime warranty. The only reason Yamaha can offer that kind of coverage at this price point is their guitars are built like a ****brickhouse. Not necessarily a good thing, but a reliable thing. With proper care, I'm confident the 413 will last a good long time.

Sometimes I just feel like putting down the Les Paul and this guitar makes me want to explore other avenues of music. It's a joy to listen to and fairly easy to play. Boy, I'd like to upgrade to a higher end Almansa someday. But for today, I'm gonna enjoy this guitar.

For many years I've played bonehead rock with an array of heavy Mahogany behemoths and loud amplification that have no bearing on this review.

If you are in the market for a great value in a nylon string guitar. Please try out an example from any Spanish maker, but Almansa has earned my full marks.