Alhambra 5P

Made in Muro de Alcoy, Spain. Standard size classical guitar with 52 mm neck width at nut, 102 mm body depth (slightly thinner than the more expensive 6P and 7P). Purhcased in Barcelona, Spain.
Solid red cedar top and laminated Indian rosewood back and sides. Polished gloss finish and nice but discreet binding and purfling on front, back and sides.
Solid black ebony fretboard, gloss-finished neck made from Spanish cedar with ebony reinforcement. Rosewood bridge and headstock overlay.
Very nice green inlaid rosette - nicer than on the more expensive Alhambra models in my opinion.
D'Addario Pro Arte extra high tension strings.
Carved headstock with gold plated tuners, pearloid plastic knobs.
No electronics, no case.

I use this guitar for simple folk and traditional songs, playing accompaniment in the traditional Scandinavian style. Compared to my first classical guitar (a Ritmo 200), the 5P has a much louder, fuller and better balanced sound. The bass is deep, warm and strong, the trebles bright and clear. The only slight backdraw is in the middle register, which is well balanced and clear but ultimately lacks the character and warmth found in more expensive guitars.

I also had a serious problem with an annoying rattling sound that has now finally been solved. There was a rattling sound when playing the open G string, particularly together with the open A string (e.g. chords A or A7). I spent months getting increasingly annoyed by this until I found the cause: a slightly loose plastic knob on one of the tuners, which vibrated in near perfect resonance with the open G string. After this was fixed, the sound is fine (reservations above excepted).

There have not been any problems with the action. The guitar does not seem extremely sensitive to humidity or lack thereof. The high gloss finish was perfect except for a couple of tiny scratches on the side near the heel of the guitar, for which I got a free (but slightly too large) good quality hardcase as a compensation.

The loose tuner knob was a serious and annoying problem. This shouldn't happen to a guitar in this price range.

The guitar itself seems very well made. However, the gloss finish seems to get small scratches fairly easily. Also, the tuners feel a bit flimsy and may not last forever despite their gorgeous looks. I consider replacing them with more expensive and precise ones.

I have not dealt directly with the company, but they have an excellent web site with a good FAQ page. Since I bought the guitar in a foreign country, I had to fix the problem I had with the tuner knobs without going to the shop where I bought it.

I have been playing for between 1 and 2 years and also own a Furch steel-string acoustic. I have also owned a couple of cheaper guitars that I sold.

The dealer nicely gave me a free hard case because the guitar had a tiny finish flaw, so I would not have hesitated to buy another guitar from him.

If it were stolen or lost, I would consider a somewhat more expensive (solid back and sides) but otherwise similar guitar (e.g. an Alhambra 7P or Esteve GR09) to get a sound with more character, something I could not afford when I bought this one. If I couldn't afford that, I'd be happy to by a 5P again.

What I like most about the guitar is the looks (particularly the rosewood back, the lovely soundhole rosette and the gold tuners) and the powerful, warm bass. What I like least is the somewhat soulless midrange sound and the now solved rattling problem.

Made in Muro de Alcoy Spain in 2001. This is a good quality classical guitar, featuring a solid red cedar top with laminated Indian rosewood sides/back, ebony fretboard, and rosewood bridge. The rosette is inlaid marquetry. Gold colored tuning machines with plastic pearloid buttons. The neck is made of Honduran cedar, with an ebony insert. Nicely done binding/purfling on the front and back of the body. The headstock is handsomely carved and has a rosewood overlay. A high quality hardshell case was included.

The sound can best be described as clear, well-balanced, and resonant. It sustains well and resonds nicely to nuances in technique. The bass is powerful without being boomy. The trebles are bright and pleasing - not 'plinky'. Single notes sound very articulate, while chords are full and strong.

This instrument was crafted with great skill. There are no flaws in the fit and finish. The beauty of the rosewood is remarkable. The action is very comfortable, with a string height of 3.5mm at the 12th fret on the low E string. No buzzing anywhere on the neck. The bookmatching is perfect on both the front and back, with the front seam being nearly invisible. The fretwork is as good as I've seen.

Classical guitars aren't robust instruments like a sold body electric. But with reasonable care, this should last a lifetime. The fine craftsmanship inspires a lot of confidence.

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You're not likely to find a better value at this price. It's the perfect intermediate level instrument. The 5P is a beautiful guitar that pleases the eye as well as the ear and fingertips. If disaster occurred, I'd definitely replace it with another. I comparison shopped Cordoba, Yamaha, Alvarez, and Aparicio guitars before buying the Alhambra. These were all good quality student level guitars, but the 5P stood out in terms of quality of construction and playability.

Made in Muro de Alcoy (Spain), 2002. 18 frets. Solid red cedar (top), laminated roswood (back and sides), cedar from Honduras (neck), ebony (fingerboard). Gold plated machine heads. Factory equiped with DiMarzio nylon strings (nice touch).

I use this guitar for Bossa Nova and Flamenco. Very well balanced and with great dynamics. Although it is not a Flamenco guitar, you can try many licks and actually is pretty good for Soleas and Bulerias. Playing Bossa Nova or Jazz-Nylon-oriented you have a full and rich sound. The overall construction of the guitars creates a solid sound with excellent projection and tons of wonderful harmonics.

The action is really nice, you can play many Flamenco licks and feels very comfortable for leading. Fit and finish are amazing. The guitar looks absolutely beatiful. Many small details let you know that the guitar is a prime quality instrument. I couldn't find any finish flaw.

This guitars looks so gorgeous, that you will take care of the instrument for shure. Everything looks pretty solid, but probably the gold plated machines won't last for too many years. You can change them anyway.

Pretty helpful people. The company website has a forum that provides prompt response to questions.

I've played for 15 years. I have another Alhambra (4P), a Giannini (brazilian classical guitar), Yamaha nylon electroacustic, a Giuseppe Carugno classical guitar (Italy) among many other electric. This guitar is a great buy, for less than $400USD you obtain a truly magnificent instrument. The kind of quality that you find in this Alhambra is available in the USA at a much higher price. If stolen or lost I'd run for another. I love the looks of this guitar, but the sound is much better than the looks.

I choose this guitar due to my previous positive experience with Alhambra, but also because it sounded fantastic when I tried it at the store.

I'd like a better machine-heads, but for the price they're pretty good.

I think that Alhambra is a guitar manufacturer that's been improving through the years and that eventually will have the recognition they deserve. The only problem is that they are not easy to find in the USA. If by any chance you travel to Spain be sure to find an El Corte Ingles Store (there are a lot in Spain!) and look for the Musical Instruments. Buy the best Alhambra guitar you can pay. If you find a 5P, I believe that you'll be pretty amazed with a price tag under $400USD for a guitar that offers an unbelievable bang-for-the-buck ratio.