Art & Lutherie Ami Classical

Solid cedar top. Laminated cherry back and sides. The company says it has three layers of cherry. Maple neck. Gold tuners of soom kind. Not much of a finish on the top. Binding on the top only. Parlour size and shape. 1" 13/16 nut. 25" 9/16 scale length. 2 3/16 string spacing at the saddle. Feels like more. It has a truss rod. Neck is slim and very comfortable to play. No electronics. There is a stap button on the lower bout. I bought this in the summer of 2007 and it was new. So it was probably made in the same year. I cant see this guitar hanging on rack for any length of time. It also came with gig bag with shoulder straps. The front pocket is only good for papers. A book wont fit in it. Made in Canada.

The sound is surprisingly pleasing. It doesn't have the sound of Spanish made classical. It sounds like a nylon string guitar. The sound is balanced. I get good basses, midrange and clear trebles. It is by no means a loud guitar but loud enough for my needs. I have had this guitar for about 6 months now and I can't wait to get a few years use to hear what it will produce in sound. It sounds good strummed. It doesn't get overwelmed with sound. With its small size I have problems getting it to "talk" to me if you know what I mean. I play a Martin steel string most of the time and it does what I want it too. I attribute this to size and quality. What do you expect for $225. Ok it could be my lack of nylon string ability.

The factory action and setup were really good. The action was set up very low. Same as I like my Martin. The finish is very light almost not there. It doesn't take much to get a finger nail scratch. The top is bookmatched almost perfectly. Same with the back. The stain is a dark brownish/redish. Very nice. Intonation is just about perfect. The neck is incredibly comfortable. With the truss rod they could slim down the neck. It is easy to play on the whole neck. This guitar is very comfortable all around. I bought this guitar on a whim. I have been looking for a parlour guitar and saw this one hanging in the classical department. Spent an hour with it and I bought it on the spot. Being mainly a steel string player the nut width was a blessing. The frets are very clean and dressed. No sharp edges. With playing this guitar I found the steel string parlour I was looking for. I bought the Seagull Grande. Same guitar but with more thrills. There are plenty of reviews on that guitar.

I think this guitar is very durable, except for the tops finish. It scratches really easy and that bugs me big time. Other than that it feels like it can take a beating. I take this guitar with me to the beach all the time. Actually goes with me lots of places. It is that kind of guitar. Very portable. Not sure about the tuning machines. It goes out of tune everyday. It could be the nylon strings. The strap button is a nice bonus. Over all this guitar is a workhorse. Very dependable. For the price if you break it you can go get another one. I dont think it is loud enough to play live without a pickup but that isn't my thing.

Great company. Send them an email and you will get one back within a day or two. not sure what the warranty is. I didn't check. I don't know how helpfull they are if one of their guitars needed repair.

Overall this is a good guitar for people who like a smaller guitar. A person who likes nylon strings but standard classical nuts are too wide. Someone who likes to sit on the couch and play. A really good finger style guitar. A great crossover for a steel string player on a budget. Very portable as said before. I have been playing for about four years. I have taken all the pop and jazz classes in the community college where I live. Private lessons too. Have had many guitars looking for what I like. This one is a keeper for all the reasons stated. I have a Martin Om, Epiphone Dot, Seagull Grande, an old Westbrook classical (just recently acquired. It was sitting in the sun at a garage sell and just had to save it.) I am looking for a really nice classical guitar. They seem to be harder to find than a steel string. I can't buy mail order. Need to touch and feel. I have been playing classical piano for 35 years so I have a ton of music to draw from.
I am not sure if I would buy this guitar again. Don't get me wrong this is a really good guitar. Very comfotable. Like I said it is a keeper and I highly recommend this guitar. My Martin is a keeper too but I wouldn't buy that model again. I would buy Santa Cruz OM. My Seagull Grande is a keeper too but they raised the price of that one $100 this year so that puts it in the not replaced category. I wouldn't replace my Epiphone Dot either. It is just the say I am.
For the price, features and quality you can't go wrong. Just remember it doesn't sound like a full sized spanish made cedar guitar. If you want the romance and full depth of sound keep, looking and save your bucks till you find what you REALLY want.

Cherry back and sides, solid cedar top, gold tuners, vintage style Parlor body. Mostly a plain Jane guitar.

The sound of this guitar is absolutely incredible in tone and volume. Full spectrum of tonal colors. I can say without exaggeration that it would be hard to find a guitar in this category that sounds this good. In fact, I feel this guitar could go toe to toe with some of the best guitars on the market when it comes to sound. Martin watch out.

I did have to have the guitar "set up" after I bought it by the dealer (truss rod adjustment, yes this classical has a truss rod for adjustments). Once done it has played flawlessly. In the fit and finish department it is very well made. You would expect to pay at least $1000 or more for an instrument of this quality.

The guitar has a thin satin finish for maximum volume. It is not a beater but a fine instrument and if cared for as such should last many years. It is very tight and well made. I would say even with abuse it should hold up quite well.

Have not dealt with the company. Have not needed to.

In sum, I have heard many styles of guitar and feel I have a very critical ear. This guitar is unreal for what you get for the price and should be able to compete with the best of them. It's ease of playing is like a hot knife through butter and the sound is great. I feel one would be pleasantly surprised by this guitar.

My Art & Lutherie Ami Classical was made in 1999 in Quebec, Canada by the folks at La Si Do who also make Seagull, Godin, Simon & Patrick, and La Patrie guitars. This Classical, nylon string guitar has a unique design. It combines a full size classical guitar fretboard and neck with a parlor guitar size body. It has 12 frets to body, and 19 frets total. It has a solid cedar top. The neck is made from maple, with a walnut fretboard and bridge. The body is laminated cherry, using three layers of solid wild cherry. No tropical rain forest woods are used, only North American wood. The neck and body are stained a rich brown burgundy color, and the medium brown of the cedar top and walnut fretboard have been left natural. A very thin, essentially invisible, flat gloss lacquer was used for the final finishing. The body is similar to the parlor size body La Si Do uses for the Ami Parlor and the Seagull Grand, and La Patrie Motif. The walnut bridge is designed nylon strings, and the saddle is thick and beefy with the appearance of natural bone. The saddle is off-set for better intonation, but does not have the individual string setbacks used for compensation on La Si Do's Micarta saddles. The tuners are the traditional classical style, three on a mount gold finished open-tuners, with translucent ivory toned buttons. The guitar uses the traditional classical neck and traditional 25 5/8 inch scale, the nut is 1 13/16 wide, slighter narrower than most classical guitars and the fretboard widens from 1 3/4 inch at the first fret to 2 1/4 inches at the 12th fret. The neck has the increased depth of classical guitars, with medium depth at the first fret, getting deeper down to the 10th fret. The design of the neck limits confortable chording to the first 10 frets, typical of classical necks. The neck has the size and feel of good classical guitars, which will make it feel large and awkward (at first) to someone who has played only electric guitars. The feature score is relative only to classical guitars.

I have very basic guitar playing skills. Today, I will be strumming chords to an old Bob Dylan song. The Ami classical has a very soft, sweet, warm tone, perfect for stumming chords behind a singer (Too bad I can't sing). With my current strings, the treble is too soft when playing finger style, but louder with pick. (Hey, I said I have basic skills, so I am allowed a pick). It sounds good at two levels, soft, and softer. The small parlor body makes this a guitar for personal use, unless a pickup or microphone is used. It lacks the deep, loud bass of an expensive, large classical guitar, and also the bright, ringing treble some guitars have. Its tone is compressed into the midrange, so chords sound integrated into a single sound, and not six individual tones. This soft, midrange sound is great for simple chording, but would be disappointing to someone playing actual classical music and wanting strong individual notes from the bottom to the top.

The workmanship is perfect. The guitar has the attention to details of a $2,000 guitar. La Si Do makes plain, nice sounding guitars and puts the money into better sound. Although very simple looking, the combination of the burgundy body and neck, cedar top, and gold-toned tuners is very attractive. The thin lacquer finish is invisible on the top of the guitar. This will allow the sound of the cedar to come through, but will not protect the top as well as the six ounces of poly coat that Asian factories pour on their guitars. The action is perfect for a classical guitar, which means it is a bit higher than most acoustic guitars. Since I am just a strummer, I may sand down the saddle for a slighter lower action.

It is built exactly like a fine classical guitar. That means it will last a hundred years if treated like a delicate musical instrument, and about a week if treated like Fender Bass guitar. There are no strap buttons. The finish is very thin, and requires caution. I use eyeglass cleaning spray, and eyeglass cloth on the body and neck, not abrasive guitar polish. The top is wiped only with a damp cloth. The better sound of a fine finish requires better care.

La Si Do has a fine reputation for customer support. When needed a new saddle for my steel string Ami, they mailed one out immediately, no charge. E-mail to Lasido.com is answered with personal replies. The guitar is in great shape, if it ever needs work, it will be because I did something stupid, and will not be a warranty issue.

I wanted a guitar for strumming chords that was comfortable on my lap. My Ami steel string parlor is great, but the nylon classical is easier on my fingers and has its own sweet soft personality. It is a great second guitar for people who already have a steel string acoustic, and like the confort of playing a small body parlor guitar. There is no nylon string guitar under $400 that can match the workmanship of the Ami.