Aria AC-50

Japanese company. AC series are made in Spain.

Solid spruce top.
Solid Indian rosewood back.
Laminated Indian rosewood sides.
Mahogany neck & head, with rosewood veneer.
Rosewood fingerboard.
Rosewood bridge with inlay.
Plastic nut & saddle.
Gloss lacquered finished appears to be brushed which gives it a lovely charm.
Standard tuners.
Has everything its meant to have...

I'm only beginning but can write with confidence the following.

This guitar has a lovely tone. The trebles have a crisp snap to them and surprisingly good sustain at the upper frets. Bass notes are full and well defined, definition between notes is why I went for the spruce top over the other branded cedar models - and this AC-50 over other spruce models. Volume is substantial though not as 'loud' as its bigger brother, the AC-80. Overtones are very even.

Other manufacturers that were compared (single session): Alhambra (2C, 3C - cedar), Admira (Artista, Malaga - cedar), Alvarez (? comparable price - spruce), Hofner (HF15 - spruce & HZ25 - cedar), Yamaha (CG151c - cedar. 171s - spruce), Esteve (6PS - cedar). Even the La Patrie Hybrid couldn't compare though to be fair it's really designed to be plugged in.

Compared to similarly priced instruments it gets a 10.

Action: The action compared to the others above was somewhere in between, some were higher, some lower. It was one of the easiest to play though so regards to the higher than some action this didn't mean it was harder to play. On the contrary, it was easier than most.

Finish: Rosette and purfling are excellent as is the internal bracing that is visible. The low E string 'roller' is mis-aligned to the high E string roller. The cut-out for the treble rollers could have been neater near the top. Radius on fingerboard to suit sound-hole could have been cleaned up better. However, it has a certain appeal that CNC routed parts do not have.

Alignment and joinery of timber components is excellent. The timbers themselves are excellent too. Spruce is closely grained and even with no defects. Book-matching on back is very good. Neck is straight with no bowing or twisting and the mahogany is a beautiful rich and deep colour. Fingerboard is evenly coloured.

The way classical guitars are made is very much like an airframe. Used in the correct fashion they're almost indestructible but treat them poorly and they will suffer for it.

This was the lightest guitar that was auditioned though feels incredibly solid.

Playing for 2 weeks so my opinion may not count for much to most though my hobbies are stereo amplifier and speaker construction. My hearing has been slowly but steadily trained to pick-up small nuances in tones and timing etc. I feel this is why I could flesh out the good from the also-rans.

I absolutely love this guitar for its tones and looks. The primary goal was an instrument that made me continue to pick it up and learn, which fortunately I found. At its price point its a great guitar.

Standard classical guitar, with very nice solid cedar top, laminated Indian Rosewood back 'n' sides, cedar neck, rosewood fingerboard, and gold tuners. I especially liked the rosette design around the soundhole, some can be plain or even gawdy looking, but this one is one of the better ones I have seen on a classical.

Surprisingly loud, bold tone for a new instrument in this price range. Very well defined trebles, basses are fairly deep & resonant, but not as much as the all solid wood AC-80 model. Great instrument for the serious student, though I would have preferred and would have been willing to pay a little more for an ebony fingerboard. The tuners are golden, but not as solid or smooth as the ones found on the AC-80 model, though still functional.

Action came a little high as expected for a standard classical, which I don't mind as I can't stand an instrument that buszzes when you try to play a little more aggressively. I believe this guitar came with "Augustine Blue" high-tension basses (card was attached to the headstock), I changed the strings for lower tension but found a little buzz in places, so I replaced them for higher tension which it seems to be happier with. The lacquer finish is very nice, very immaculate appearance, seems like it will last.

This guitar appears to be solidly built for a classical and if taken care of should provide years of reliable service. I have only had it for a couple months, the only thing I believe could need replacing would be the very basic-grade tuning machines it comes with, which is easy & fairly cheap to do.

Have not yet dealt with Aria.

I have been playing classical guitar off & on for about 20 years. For someone on a budget I find the Aria AC-series guitars are fantastic value and seem to possess the volume and bold tone of the more expensive instruments (maybe it has to do with their specially designed one-piece tops?) The Yamahas & Takamines and other makes around the same price don't seem to come into the same league of sound quality. I reckon Aria ACs are a godsend for those who are serious about their music but don't have the big bucks to spend. I first bought an AC-25 two years ago with the solid cedar top and mahogany back 'n' sides, the tone was a little on the thin side at first , but within several months the sound really opened up and just blew me away what I was able to get out of the guitar. As you can tell, I'm very happy with my choice and the recent upgrade to a better model.