Goya G-10

.Goya G-10 1964
Goya G-10 1963
Original case, price tag, and nothing altered.

I play folk music.
Nice mellow 60's style sound

Goya G-10 1964 set up is a bit too high but I don't play it. It is just part of my collection and mint.

I have owned my two Goya G-10's since they were new. One is in mint condition including the original case and the other one has been played for the past 40 years so it has a few scratches.
There is nothing special about either one. Except they are the true Goyas made in Sweden from the original source. The original price tag is still in the case. I love the wide neck and the true folk sound and that is why I bought my Goyas

there is no label on this goya just the logo on the headstock. it has 18 frets, the finish was cracking pretty badly, so i painted it with psychedelic patterns, the tuners were busted, so i replaced them with cheap electric guitar gotoh style tuners, which work great and keep the guitar in tune. the neck is as described by other people, i looked it up in google and there is a goya website with tons of info on goya guitars so check it out if you want to know more. The woods in the body are quite pretty but dark looking. i modified it slightly by making the sound hole a little big bigger, on to fit a pickup that i wanted at the time, i also drilled a hole in the headstock for an exra string (read further and you will understand why) and i put a home made solid iron tailpiece so the strings resonated throughout the whole body of the guitar

i love the sound of this guitar..now! although it is a nylon style guitar i have strung it with phosphor bronze strings, but the tension was way too high, i have also altered the bridge and put more holes in it! i turned it into a "tres" which is a three course cuban guitar and also as a "armonico", compay segundo's style guitar, i recorded with it and got an incredibly sweet sound out of it. Now its at its playable best, with new machine heads and flat wound strings. I also modified it by putting a metal tailpiece which runs along the "bottom" side of the guitar, behind the bridge so the strings are anchored there and they resonate from there and when they go through the bridge as they normally do. SO it really pings

the neck doesnt have a truss rod and its been warping for a long time, luckily it still plays in tune and there is no string problems with the frets, its very smooth to play, especially the bottom of the neck does not have that "rough" feeling when the fret wire has not been properly finished. I think i might have ruined it with my "artwork" but i dont care, it is now "my" guitar, and to me it looks really cool!

i have had it for 10 years and i inherited it from my wife (she bought it in NY) and she was going to throw it away! I have gigged with this guitar a lot and then it became a home guitar, but im planning to take it with me when i travel round the world this year. we are going to have a lot of fun together! The top is a bit loose where you rest your fingers where you play (in the same spot where WIlli Nelson's guitar has a gaping hole) and it looks like in 5 years of continuous punishment there could be a hole there too!

Maybe if i ring Julie Andrews...Apparently she plays a g10 in the "sound of music", i will check my record cover tonight...

ive been playing for 20 odd years and i love the way my fingers just fly on this guitar, i loveits vintage sound and the fact that i dont kinda care if it gets scratched or anything, but i will sorely miss it if it gets stolen. i got it for free so im not complaining...check out its sound on my album on cdbaby.com, band name is "funkalleros" you can listen to the 20 sec track sample and buy it if you want to or if you like the music. Track number is 5, "Baila el Son". Its my goya tuned like an "armonico", its an cuban style octave guitar with the E A D and double G string octaved and the 1st and the 2nd strings are tuned to standard tuning. Dont try this at home!!

This guitar was my girlfriend's great aunt's guitar, probably purchased for $100 around 1960. It sounds like other reviews have a better idea of what woods it is made from. The tuners do seem cheap, but they do the job. It is a basic model Sweedish made classical guitar.

I actually really like the sound of this guitar, I feel it has aged quite well and compares favorably to other expensive classical type guitars I've played. It's tone quite clear and does record well. Its mellowness allows it to fit with many styles of music, I especially like it for reggae/bossa/latin jazz type songs.

Hahaha, this was very abused when I got a hold of it...it had steel strings on it! Her family had no idea about it. But new (nylon!) strings and a bit of oil for the tuners made it extremely playable. The laminate finish is cracking all over, from what I read this is common.

It's over 40 years old and going strong, for a 60s cheapy I'd say that's pretty damn good!

good luck!

I've been playing about 2 years, I also own a Go Guitar traveler, Washburn OE30, and a Peavey Bass. This guitar is great. It's really goes to show that just because an instrument was "cheap" doesn't mean it won't sound amazing or last longer than the person who bought it. R.I.P. Seriously, if that doesn't say something, I don't know what does...

Despite the earlier post, Goyas have been around since 1955 and the brand was registered in 1952, The 1957 price list did not mention the G10 but the '58 one did and there's evidence that '57 was the first year that they are offered for sale.

All G-10s have figured birch plywood back and sides. The birch is veneered and bookmatched over a solid core. The tops are Alpine spruce (called "Alpspruce" in the brochures). The G-13 is identical except for the striped mahogany (also called Sapelle) plywood back/sides. If you want a solid wood Goya, look for a G-17 or up.

The fretboard and bridge are Brazilian rosewood; the nut and saddle are genuine ivory (boy, was I surprised to see that!).

The neck is a little slimmer than a Spanish classical or even a Martin. It's about on par with the post '63 Gibson and Guild classicals -- very easy to play.

The thin-post tuners are junk unless they have been kept oiled. Fortunately, they have the standard 35mm spacing -- this means that a $10 set of PINGs will fit perfectly and, of course, there are many other options as well from GOHTOH, Schaller etc.

My G-10 (and every other that I have played) has a full, mellow sound. It is a great 'singers' guitar but lacks the volume bright 'ping' that one expects from a concert instrument.

The plywood back makes the basses a little less full than its solid cousins (my G-17 and G-30). For that reason, it records quite well -- any bright condenser mic makes it sound like a much more expensive instrument.

Action, fit and finish on a guitar that hasn't been made for over 25 years? Hmmm....

Unlike most steel-stringed Goyas, the nylon ones rarely need a neck re-set but I did have to lower the bridge a bit. When you figure that all of them are between 27-47 years old, they have settled about as far as they are going to.

One thing to look at is the veneer: it may need to be re-glued at the seams or sometimes it flakes off at the edges. Excess humidity can make this a problem. If the veneer is cracked, a little injection of hide glue seems to take care of it -- very little, if any, effect on the tone.

Otherwise, these are great instruments and, with normal care, seem to hold up.

Martin will not touch and old Goya or Levin -- even if they imported it originally -- unless you are the original owner and are covered under a lifetime warranty.

I have been playing over 40 years. This Goya is fun but not one of my "desert island" guitars. I like to have one around as they record well. I often buy them and re-sell them to my stufents.

1957 Swedish low-end classical/folk guitar. Solid spruce top, solid back and sides (probably birch, though the maker said it was maple.)
It has no "features," it's just a plain ole guitar. Neck is a little narrower than the usually 2" classical. Came with a cardboard case with a nice logo made of metal foil.

Mine appears to have landed on our shores from Sweden the year before the brand officially was available for sale in the U.S. I bought it new in 1958 and although I have many other guitars, banjos and other instruments, this is the one I keep coming back to.

I play folk/elevator a bit of jazz. As the guitar has aged, the "standard" strings began to get a bit muddy. I now use LaBella flamenco strings which are lighter and clearer.

the guitar was perfect on its birthday (4/9/58,) and remains so. the action is low, but not low enough to buzz. Using the proper technique, the thing is loud enough to fill a good sized room. The finish was flawless, it is checking now, but you would be too after all this time.

It has withstood live playing. The hardware has lasted. I depend on it. I gig with it.

not any more.

playing 57 years. other guitars: byrdland, D-15 (sue me, I like low-end stuff,) Gibson L-4 (1929,) Jerry Jones 12 string, Carlo Greco classical, Les Paul Standard, Harmony/Stella 12 string.
Something I wish I had asked before buying this? Sure: "Where can I get a few dozen more?"
If you can find one of these, you will find it the best musical bargain you've ever had. They're around -- not in great numbers. But not at great cost, either.

This guitar belonged to my dad. He purchased it in 1973 while he was dating a woman who played Classical guitar concerts.
Lucky bastard...

I guess she recomended this guitar to him.
I had all of the tags and reciepts for a long time.
But over the years they have disappeared.
I remember that the reciept was from 1973, and that he paid $143.00 for it then.

Here are the features:

Clear Spruce top
Figured Birch back and sides
Rosewood fingerboard and bridge
18 fret classical
nickel plated tuners, plastic knobs

As for wear.... It is worn. The finish is crackling, and there is some very minor bowing in the top from string tension.
One of the tuners has come lose, and stays on by sheer will power.

I love this guitar, and will not part with it ever.

I learned to play on this guitar when I was 12. I am 28 now, and It has been through alot. It is not a fancy guitar, and has no frills.
The only thing about it that is extraordinary is the voice.

It has an amazing voice. Friends of mine who have played it, and heard it say mine is the benchmark for all other classical guitars in the sound dpt.

I must admit, stummed chords do not sound clear. They are very muddy sounding. I am sure this is mostly because of the nylon.

However, any note played individually sounds superb.

The neck, is wide, concave, and thick. It is easy playing, and I still strum around on it even though I have a much more expensive Takamine.

The finish is great. The woods are all very nice, and the frets are very nicely done. I must admit that I have done zero maintainance and the guitar is sill sounding good.

This guitar is always ready. It has stayed in tune for extended periods, and only goes out of tune when I change strings.

As anyone can attest to, breaking in nylon strings sucks. You can forget about staying in tune for about a week.

Defunct. Have to find a Luthier willing to appreciate it and work on it. That is not easy since its looks are so decieving.

I have been playing since I was 12, learned on this guitar matter a factly.
My other gear consists of:
Fender Strat Ultra
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 1x12
RP300 & Boss Metal Zone
Takamine 360SC

All of that stuff could come and go. My Goya is not replaceable. If it were stolen, that person better pray to something that I never find them. If it were taken by an act of nature, or some other terrible cataclsym I may lose my faith.

I love the way it plays, and the voicing of the notes, and the boom of the bass.

My only complaint is that it sounds nasty when strumming.

Every acoustic I play is compared to "The Goya" (as it has been called by countless people who have encountered it).