Alhambra 6P

Classical acoustic built at the Alhambra artisan factory (Spain)in early 1999. It has a solid cedar top, laminated Indian Rosewood sides, solid Indian Rosewood back (mistake was made at the factory as this model normally comes with laminated back and sides). Ebony fretboard. Mahogany neck and looks to be cedar headstock with rosewood overlay. The factory supplied tuners are not that great and I would consider upgrading to something better such as Schallers.

This is a great guitar for the beginning/intermediate classical student. Nice warm, rounded tones as you would expect from a cedar guitar and certainly loud enough for casual playing. Good projection and sustain. My classical teacher has been a guitarist for some 30 years (and has played some of the great instruments such as Ramirez 1A and Fleta)and he was quite impressed with the sound for a guitar in this price range.

The action is a bit high from the factory so the playability is not as comfortable as the other more expensive classicals that I own. No flaws found. Very high quality construction. Cedar top is bookmatched. Rosewood back is bookmatched as well.

I hauled this instrument all over Europe in a soft (foam padded) case and it didn't get a scratch. I use it as my travel guitar as it is exremely durable. Heavy duty lacquer finish doesn't scatch or dent.

I have corresponded with the Alhambra factory several times by email and they have always been very helpful. Mr. Jorge Julia is a good contact there. There is a factory website.

Have been playing actively for two years or so. I also own a 6 string classical by luthier German Vasquez Rubio, a 10 string classical, and a Alhambra model 10F flamenco. What impresses me about Alhambra 6P classical is the great quality for a relatively low price. I bought it off the rack at a small shop in Granada and it had the best tone/volume for the money compared to others. There are some good bargains to be had in Spain (because of the $ vs. peseta).