Alhambra 7P

Update to prior interview new and improved with actual ratings!!!

Solid Indian rosewood back and sides, solid german spruce top, ebony fretboard.

Solid ingredients=solid tone.

After playing it for a few I think it could be louder but it still sounds great.

Very Expressive, can go from sweet soft tones to loud brash sounds all depending on where and how you play it. Seems to handle louder playing without breaking up pretty well.

One problem, well two.. The nut and bridge saddles just fall off if you don't have strings on. The bridge saddle I don't think is a big deal, but the nut shouldn't in my opinion fall off. Needed to add lube to the nut as the strings were binding and the guitar would not stay in tune.

After doing this the guitar keeps tune. Will add a compensated bridge and fix the nut.

The craftsmanship on the rest of the guitar seems to be quite solid.

Seems like a well built guitar, but all classicals (good ones) that I've seen tend to be light and delicate. Wouldn't want to get to rough with this one.

NA

Been playing ~15yrs.

Overall for the money I'm pretty satisfied. If lost/stolen I would probably try a different solid wood classical though, but that's because I like to try different guitars.

Quality solid wood construction. Love the neck profile and string spacing. Can't see any excess glue on the inside etc, fretboard isn't dyed (which I like). Grain on top is nice and tight, beautiful on the back and sides.

Very Expressive, can go from sweet soft tones to loud brash sounds all depending on where and how you play it. Seems to handle louder playing without breaking up pretty well.

Oddly enough I find myself playing fast flamenco style music on this guit.

All seems well, want to try a new set of strings on it to see if it sounds the same etc. The strings that are on it look as though they've been on it for awhile.

Love the feel/shape of the neck and the string spacing on this guitar, makes some of the more challenging pieces I play alot easier.

Seems like a well built guitar, but all classicals (good ones) that I've seen tend to be light and delicate. Wouldn't want to get to rough with this one.

NA

Been playing for over 15yrs. Don't play classical too much but just started getting into it again with other fingerstyle music as well and needed something more than my plywood yamaho to express myself on.

This is a lovely guitar. Made in Spain, though I don't know when was it made. It's beautiful. I boughted three days ago and I've been so happy like i'm now.
It's the first solid wood guitar of Alhambra. The top is made out of Solid German Spruce. The sides and back are made of Solid Indian Rosewood. The neck is made with Spanish Cedar. The fingerboard is made out with Ebony. Its has 19 frets. The machine heads are very precise.
It came with both bone saddle and nut.
It came with a hard shell case. It also came with D'Addario Pro Arte (normal tension) strings.

This is classical guitar. I don't use any amp and the sound of the guitar is HUGE! I've a friend that has the Alhambra 11p and she says that when she bought it (in 2004) it didn't have the sound thar my 7p has. The sound is sweet and warm, although cedar-top guitars are better in sweets/warm sounds.
This guitar is wonderful for pp and ff! And for harmonics too!
In a few months/years the wood will 'open-up' and the sound will be even larger/bigger and better. This is because of the wood. Spruce tops do this.

The finish of this guitar is quite good. It doesn't have any bad things.
The guitar is wonderfull. It's beatiful and it has great details.
I don't have anything to appoint.

If you take care of your guitar, it will last for years!!! I don't have humidity in my bedroom, so i don't have problems.
If you guitar touches on something hard, there will be a scratch, at least, the 11p is like this.

The warranty of the guitar is 3 years, so I think I can count on Alhambra's Support

I've been playing for 2 years and I have a Valencia CG-180, a classical guitar too.
This guitar is very similar (physically)to 11p - with spruce-top. I love its color. I would never sell this guitar. It's very special for me.

As far as features go, a classical guitar just doesn't have that many, to be honest. Classicals are built to a traditional design and don't vary much. The materials and the skill of the luthiers are what set a good classical apart from the mediocre. The Alhambra 7P is definitely a quality instrument. Alhambra guitars come from a shop in Muro de Alcoy, Spain and are built by skilled luthiers. The 7P is made of all solid woods. The top is German spruce while the sides and back are Indian rosewood. The neck is Honduran cedar with an ebony fretboard. The bridge and headstock are rosewood. The gold colored tuners are smooth and accurate. The finish is gloss lacquer. A hardshell case was included.

I love the tone and volume of this guitar. I've owned other Spanish classicals with cedar tops, but this is my first spruce. It's true that it takes some time for the spruce to season and "open up". But this guitar is now two years old and it has a very clear, lively, ringing tone. The volume is sufficient for performance as a solo or in concert with others. There is no real coloration to the sound. Trebles are not favored over bass notes. This guitar truly sounds "accurate", for lack of a better term.

The action was a bit too high as it came from the factory. After a trip to the luthier for a professional setup, it's now very comfortable to play. The finish is very attractive and the level of craftsmanship in the construction of this guitar is quite good.

This is a well built instrument. All acoustic guitars need some care, though. If kept in a humidity controlled environment, the 7P should last indefinitely. I play this almost daily and it shows no signs of wear after two years.

So far I have not needed any support from Alhambra.

I've played the guitar in various forms since 1982. Only 7 years on classical, though. And although I'm not actually a "professional" musician, I have earned money from performing. This is a high quality instrument that I'd replace in a heartbeat if it were lost or stolen. I love the looks, the tone, the playablility. You probably know what I mean when I say that this guitar is "the one." In the past I've had Alvarez and Cordoba classical guitars. This Alhambra is definitely in a higher class. If you're serious about classical, this is a guitar that you should seriously consider.

This is a conventional classical guitar, with 19 frets, the neck joining the body at the 12th fret. The top is solid spruce, while the back and sides are solid Indian rosewood. It has nicely detailed binding and purfling on the front, back, and sides. The cedar neck has an ebony fretboard and the headstock has a two-layer overlay with darkrosewood on the surface. The rosette is inalid marquetry in a geometric pattern. Nice quality tuners. Mine has a bone saddle fitted, although think the standard saddle is high density plastic, as is the nut. 650 mm scale length with 52 mm width at the nut. Came with an arched top hardshell case. I purchased this guitar used from the original owner. I believe it's a 2001 model.

The sound is wonderful. Very articulate single notes and powerful chords. Balanced bass and treble with good string to string definition. The volume is surprisingly good, making this guitar suitable for small/medium performances. Very resonant with good sustain.

The string height on the low E at the 12th fret measures 3.5 mm, which is very comfortable for me. Nice action up and down the neck. This is a very well made instrument with quality craftsmanship throughout. Lacquer finish on all surfaces.

This guitar will definitely withstand live playing and it works well for that application. I know because I've used it for some coffee house performances in duo with another guitarist. With normal care, this should last a lifetime.

N/A - purchased used.

I can't rate this as anything less than a 10. A well crafted guitar with excellent tone and volume at a very reasonable price. It's also a great looking instrument that invites playing. I also own a Raimundo classical and a Gibson ES-335 electric as well as a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. I'm very satisfied with this guitar and recommend it without reservations.

Don't need an amplifier !

Easy to play (Easy to tune by ear)

It seems like a proffessional instrument !

Where I purchased it - I was promised a money back (with in a month)
(and it take approx. 1 year to play it to the top ! )

I have been playing for 4 years. My guitars are Yamaha (cg-170), Alhambra 5P and now Alhambra 7P (the only one I use now)

2000 Model, made in Spain. Has 18 frets, solid Spruce Top, Solid Rosewood Back and sides. Has ebony fretboard, and Pearl Tuners. An absolutely beautiful guitar!

The sound is wonderful. I played Yamahas, Alvarez, Rodriguez, Asturias, and many other guitars in this range, and the Alhambra was the best. It has a deep rich sound, and sounds like a much more expensive guitar.

The guitar is built very well. There are no flaws, and the wood is very solid.

This guitar will last for as long as I live, and it will keep sounding better and better.

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I have been playing classical guitar for 3 years. My teacher (who is a college classical guitar proffesor) has been playing for 30 years, and he agrees that this guitar is very high quality. The only other guitar in the price range that I would like to try is a Ramirez. I could not find one, but my teacher said they are very similar. I love pretty much everything about this guitar, I have no dislikes.