Almansa 457 Classical

Standard features. Cedar top, rosewood back and sides.

Very good for the money. Full yet articulate. Only complaint would be that I am able to find notes that don't have the same timbre and sustain as other places on the neck. This is very subtle however and not noticable while playing normally. I had to try hard to find this minor nit. Great sounding overall, especially for the price.

Fit and finish is top-notch. No complaints whatsoever.

Still running fine!

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I played several guitars before buying this one sight unseen (based on reviews) and would put this guitar near the top of it's class for price/performance. Highly recommended for someone looking for a mid-priced classical guitar.

Full-sized Classical Guitar made in Almansa, Spain, 2002. All solid wood construction. Twelve frets to the body, nineteen frets total, nylon strings (of course). Solid cedar top with nice straight, tight grain; nicely colored solid rosewood back and sides, honduran mahogany neck with ebony reinforcing strip, ebony fingerboard, rosewood bridge. High gloss finish. Rosewood purfling, body binding alternates between rosewood, a lighter wood--perhaps maple or sycamore, and a red stripe which sets off the red in the rosette. Rosette is wood mosaic in yellow, red, green, light and dark natural woods, and has shapes like butterflies and flowers. Neck is 52mm at nut. 650mm scale. Body is 95mm deep at neck joint and 102mm deep at the butt joint. Mother of pearl tuners which I understand are Fusteros, but I don't know that for sure. Simple but elegant in its appearance. Came with arched wooden/tolex hardshell case.

You can see it and read about it in any of four different languages at "www.guitarrasalmansa.es" . Look under conservatory models.

It is well-suited to classical playing. Don't kow about jazz and other styles frequently played on classical guitar. Does very well as a lead guitar on soft rock and folk songs, too. Tone is rich, response is excellent. Has nice clear highs and mids which are softened just enough by the cedar top. Good growl in the bottom end. Well-balanced.

At 95mm-102mm, it is about 5mm more shallow than many other classicals on the market, even in the Almansa line. Because of this, you do give up just a bit in terms of projection and fullness, but you gain so much in clarity, separation, and a real sweetness in the tone. Sustain is excellent. Has a wonderful musical quality, especially with Galli strings or Savarez. I recommend the Savarez 500PR set with Corum basses and rectified but not polished trebles--sweet! I have tried many different strings--D'Addario, Augustine, Hannabach and others, but to my ear the Gallis and the Savarez are the best fit for this guitar (and even the third strings are musical in these sets--not just a thud with pitch).

Action was excellent. Guitar is very well made with quality materials. Properly bookmatched. Only flaw I have found in the year I have had the guitar is a tiny lacquer drip along the fretboard. The finish appears to be a bit thick if you judge by the thickness of laquer in the corners where the fretboard joins the body, but it conforms so well to the grain of the wood over the rest of the body that I don't believe its finish is too thick.

I noticed that someone reviewing another Almansa model stated that the nut was misaligned on his guitar. When I got mine, I thought it was misaligned, too. It wasn't. It simply is not glued in place. You align it whenever you change strings.

The guitar will definitely withstand live playing and it should hold up very well when properly cared for. It is reliable, though I would always want a back-up when playing classical guitar. Too easy to break a string and they take a while to stretch and settle in when new.

Comes with one-year warranty. I've had no occasion to deal with the company.

I have been playing for nearly thirty years. My other guitars (currently) are an Alvarez Yairi CY116 classical and a Gibson J-50 (for which I sold every other steel-string I had including a Martin and a Larrivee and have had no regrets, but then I'm not reviewing the J-50 here.) I played every other classical guitar in this price range that I could get my hands on and asked a lot of questions before taking a chance on ordering this guitar. I have been most pleased with it. If it were lost or stolen, I'd certainly consider replacing it with another of its kind, or something else from Almansa. I believe the value of these guitars is very good when compared with the competition.

My guitar was purchased in early 2002, so it was more than likely constructed in 2001. These guitars are made in Almansa, Spain - hence the name. This must be a fairly new company, as they offer a superior instrument for a very reasonable price. This is a very conventional classical guitar, with a solid cedar top, solid Indian rosewood sides and back, cedar neck with ebony fretboard, and a dark rodewood bridge. It's a very good looking guitar, with detailed binding/purfling and an attractive inlaid rosette. Lacquer finish on all surfaces. The tuners are good quality with gold plating - Fusteros, maybe? It came with a very nice TKL hardhsell case.

I still prefer the sound of this 457 to any acoustic I've owned, present or past. Very Ramirez-like! Strong basses with clear trebles. Lots of volume. A bold, robust tone that works as well for flamenco as it does for Tarrega. To my ear, it sounds best with Savarez Corum bass strings and Hannbach Carbon treble strings.

No flaws in the construction whatsoever. All I've done over the past year is change strings occasionally. The action is very comfortable and somewhat low at 3mm on the low E at the 12th fret.

Very well built. It's advisable to use a humidifier, particularly in a dry climate like mine (southwestern USA), to minimize the potential for cracking due to rapid/excess moisture loss.

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This is my best-ever clasical guitar. I've owned Raimundo, Alvarez-Yairi, and Takamine instruments and this Almansa is far better than nay of them. In terms of tone, volume, and playability I'd be surprised if anything in it's price range could compare. An excellent guitar. I recommend it with no reservations.

Classical guitars don't vary in their features much from one model to the next, or even from one manufacturer to next. All acoustic classical pretty much follow the same recipe and have the same dimensions. What sets one apart from another will be 1) the quality of materials and 2) the skill of the builders. In the case of the Almansa 457, both of these factors are excelent. This guitar is made of all solid wood. The top is fine-grained red cedar. The back and sides are Indian rosewood. The neck is mahogany with an ebony fretboard. Obviously, all of the woods used in this instrument are selected for their beauty and resonance. This is a very good looking guitar with outstanding construction and attention to detail. It came with a heavy-duty hardshell case.

The 457 produces a rich, full tone with an impressive amount of volume. I've had a slight preference for spruce tops of classicals, but I can now say that I'm a confirmed believer in the beauty of red cedar. This guitar is by far the best sounding of any that I've owned. It responds well to nuances in technique, making it easy to achieve those subtle variances in some passages. To my ear, it sounds best with D'Addario Pro Arte and Savarez Alliance strings. I have yet to try Hannabachs, but I'm sure they'd be excellent, too.

The luthiers at Almansa who build the 457 are obviously some of their more skilled craftsmen. The quality of construction is outstanding. I can find no flaws. The action is very comfortable and ammenable to quick playing.

It comes with a one year warranty. I've owned it for a couple of months and I think that any problems would have surfaced by now. But I haven't had it long enough to form an opinion on its durability. However, with reasonable care I would expect it to last a lifetime.

I haven't dealt with Almansa nor can I envision a circumstance where I'd need to.

In short, this guitar is similar in quality and performance to top of the line classicals. It's not inexpensive, but it delivers an impressive level of performance at a reasonable price. It's probably the last guitar I'll purchase. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another ASAP.

This is a new guitar #2558. These are handmade within the factory in Almansa Spain. This is the solid body model. Cedar top, Solid Indian Rosewood sides and back. Hondurian cedar neck, with ebony reinforcement. Ebony fretboard. Heavy duty gold tuners. Absolutely flawless. A young compnay of only ~11 yrs...WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON THEY SELL FOR THIS PRICE.
Purchased for $1000. But they range at around $1200-1500 new. Worth 3 times this....

The sound is outstanding. TRULY. I have read comments here and elsewhere from seemingly inexperienced people here. For those of you unfamiliar, as most are with this company allow me to elaborate. I have tried EVERY fine classical guitar produced from a factory. From Manuel Rodriguez, to Jose Ramirez, to Alhambra to Raimundo...This guitar is better than all of them in all respects. Truly. This guitar plays loud with sustain like a churchbell..in fact it is still ringing now!! If you have the opportunity to play one, I strongly suggest it.

The trebles and basses both are fantastic...Play Barrios Mangore's Cathedral, and you will see.The "pulse" inherent in solid body guitars just belts out the sound...incredible..

Flawless. The most beautiful instrument.Just beautiful. Highest quality materials used...The action is a bit high as it is a conservatory guitar..tried lowering it but the sound just wasnt as perfect as before...
This is of course standard on classical guitars, be they from a luthier, etc...I always tend to mess with things...

Very solid with proper weight and balance. The ebony reinforced neck eases my worries of warping, and I kow this guitar will outlast me, which is important to me...flawless finish

In a word, outstanding. I did want it to be perfect for me personalizing it to a degree..Following playing with the action I contacted the factory in Almansa Spain...They sent me new saddles and nuts at no cost, and were very supportive..
This is a young factory in terms of Spanish guitars..VERY YOUNG. The only reason they do not sell for 3x this is their lack of history, and competition .... they use finest materials..and unlike Ramirez and Rodriguez, THEIR GUITARS ARE MADE IN THEIR SMALL FACTORY, not to outsiders in Toledo or elsewhere to make for them....Very important.

I never do this, writing on the web my opinion, but I felt I had to as many of the info here I felt helped me regarding other classical guitar mfrs. and I SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME TRYING, TESTING, and RESEARCHING...to find the very best....and I truly did..

There are a couple things that I would be aware of when purchasing..The Almansa only achille's heal are the tuning machines. Although heavy duty gold on mine, they grind a bit and are not smooth on some and should be replaced with Fustero to make perfect...

I highly recommend these guitars...and no have no affiliation with them...these guitars cannot be beaten by any other than a handcrafted luthier model..

I would have paid 3xthis for this guitar...it is worth that much...I am staying with these guys throughout my studies and progression...I never do thisbutas I had spent so much time researching and trying many different models, I would like to help others where I SO desperately needed it...If you need thoughts, email me below.