Pavan TP30-64 Short Scale Classical

Year: 2005
Torres Classical Style
Solid Cedar Top with Rosewood Sides and Ebony Fretboard
String Scale is 640 mm with a nut of 50 mm Nut and Saddle are bone
The guitar is built in a factory in Spain to Tom Prisloe's specifications

For the price, this has a nice set of features; in particular, it has good woods.

The guitar has opened up quickly. It has good bell tone. Notes have good separation. It has also did not buzz when I attempted to see how well it stood up to being played with a rubber pick instead of my fingers. It did very well indeed.

Prisloe did an excellent job setting up the guitar, as other buyers have noted. This is one of the best benefits of getting a Pavan. The back of the guitar had a "scratch" that was detecable only with effort. The finish on the guitar was excellent. It is a pleasure to play,m though I'd have liiked a somewhat flatter neck.

I expect to enjoy playing this guitar for many years. Everything about the guitar makes me believe it will be reliable. Also I trust Mr. Prisloe to stand by his merchandise.

Mr. Prisloe was a pleasure to deal with, and did everything he said he would do. I would not hesitate to buy from him or to recommend his guitars to other people. I also bought a very nice case that goes with this guitar at a very fair price. Again, he made the buying experience a good one, and was prompt and thorough in answering my questions.

In additional to the Pavan, I own a old Guild x-50, a Martin HD-28 LSV, a Go nylon travel guitar, a Tacoma EF-21C, and a Parker Nite-Fly. If I were looking for another classical guitar in the $1000 price range, I'd would buy another to replace it if it were lost. I think the chief obvious competitor for this guitar is a Lucida Artista model, which is a less expensive guitar than the Pavan. However, if you buy it, you'd not have the pleasure of dealing with Mr. Prisloe. Finally, I think of myself as a tough grader.

Spanish-made solid Indian rosewood/cedar classical imported under contract with luthier Tom Prisloe, this is a 640 mm scale instrument. I got mine with the more usual 52 mm nut width (instead of the 50mm standard on the TP-30-64). This change, incidentally, cost nothing, nada, zip. Bone bridge and nut, with what appears to be a thin lacquer finish overall. Again, I got a thin (less deep) neck without charge, and Schaller tuners as a $15 option. I also bought the $115 TKL case that Tom Prisloe sells with the guitar, and it fits like a glove. You would have to destroy the double-arched hard case to put a mark on the guitar inside. Because I have always used them, I asked for (and got for $0) side dots at 5, 7 and 9. I definitely have to give an unqualified 10 for features, because as you can read just above, I got an instrument customized to my preferences (pretty much as if I were paying for a luthier-constructed guitar) for pocket change added to the usual cost.

In the past few months, I've been looking - I've played about 25 factory-constructed instruments from famous German, Spanish, Mexican and Japanese makers. These were listed for $750-$2500 street price, for which you get solid woods and a carefully finished axe. Just for fun, I've also played about 10 luthier-constructed guitars in the $2750-$4500 range by visiting shops and going to guitar shows. This little honey is among the best I've heard. The Pavan TP-30 very quickly plays in (don't listen too hard until you have played it for 4 - 6 hours). A harmonic sheen develops on the firm, well-defined basses (no whump!, instead you get a real note), and the treble steadily comes forward into balance and begins to ring. Furthermore, this is an expressive instrument that tells people what the player is doing. For standard classical repertoire, this sound is just a flat-out bargain, as good as all but the best hand-made instruments, and better (yes, it's just the truth) than all other factory guitars I played, no matter how famous the name on their name tags. For a "studio" instrument, the Pavan is a 10 in the context of other (much more expensive) sounds.

Tom Prisloe's action adjustment was fine; perhaps a bit high for me, but it is easy (and cheap) to have it adjusted here when the guitar has settled in. The wood is just beautiful; a clear, handsome red cedar top, and Indian r/w that looks like the definition picture from the dictionary, all beautifully book-matched. The finish is almost Japanese, if you know what I mean, above the usual standard for factory guitars from Spain. There are no glue globs, runs, or other significant defects in woodwork at any stage. This is one beautiful piece, that anyone could be proud to play. And it feels friendly to the left hand, with just the right relief built into the neck profile. The lacquer seems to be thin enough to avoid quenching the sound as well. In view of the competition, I can't give less than a 10,

All signs are positive, the guitar feels quite solid when you pick it up. But I don't have enough experience with the TP-30 to know, so I'm not going to mark an opinion here.

No repairs (!), but Tom Prisloe is a fine person to deal with. "Incredibly kind and helpful" as the tag says below. Got to be a 10, maybe with an asterisk because I haven't tried to do something hard, like get a repair.

This is my fourth guitar presently, and my main practice friend. I played classical guitar long ago, and have recently taken it up seriously again. If the TP-30-64 were lost, I'd definitely order another one. It is simply a full-tilt bargain at its price, and will blow the doors off some hand-made custom instruments that sell for several TIMES its reasonable price. Everybody has their preferences, so it may pay you to look at a lot of instruments (it's fun, anyway) but you could do much worse than to just let Tom Prisloe send you one of these truly excellent items, sight unseen. Believe it.

Pavan TP30-64 (short scale classical), made in Spain in 2004 or 2005, directly imported by Thomas Prisloe (www.pavanguitars.com), professional luthier. This all solid-woods guitar has a cedar top, rosewood back/sides, ebony fretboard, bone saddle and nut.

It has a 640 mm scale (650 is standard) and a slightly smaller body (in the Torres style) as well as a 50mm nut (versus 52). Gloss finish and good tuners.

I went for a VERY nice TKL arched top hard case with very handsome wine-red crushed velvet interior and 4 latches, soft 'loop' handle.

The build quality and finishing inside and out is impressive, especially at this price point. I have owned 2 Vicente Carrillos (a flamenca negra and a blanca, about $2500). And I have played a Ramirez 1A, a Marin-Montero and have been lucky enough to play several guitars owned by professional classical guitarists. So my point of reference for classical guitars is more strict than for most buyers. I know what a really good guitar sounds and feels like. And the Pavan is a really nice guitar and the equal of some I've played that cost more than twice as much. The Pavan name represents the build quality and woods specified by a skilled luthier. The setup is done by the Prisloe himself, who is also a long-time classical guitarist. That's the guy I want to set up my classical guitar: a luthier/guitarist!

Because these guitars are brought into the US directly by the seller, they don't carry the extra cost layer of secondary dealers. These are very well made guitars, essentially perfect cosmetically, and finished flawlessly. They are not machine-sprayed, apparently. They fill the market for a well priced, quality guitar that sounds and plays VERY GOOD. For a student (right into college level), these guitars are entirely adequate and affordable.
They are way beyond what you find in guitar stores unless you get into the $2500-3000 range. I've played them, including Ramirez and Martin (steelstrings) and the name is a name. Remember: "the hit's in the grooves". You CAN buy a classical guitar, professionally set up, that sounds REALLY good, and it's built in Spain by skilled guys for about a grand. That is a deal!

This TP30-64 is brand new and unplayed, so here is how it sounds at its WORST....
Good volume, well balanced. The bass is firm and resonant and the trebles are clear and 'modern', but it has a Spanish sound that is characeristic of the Torres size guitars built with traditional bracing. Absolutely no rattles or buzzes anywhere on the fretboard (I haev a fairly firm nail attack).

The quality of the sound is difficult to describe and is affected by string choice, nail attack and playing style. But there is no mistake that this guitar is a quite good sounding guitar. It is NOT like the guitars you find in GC, SA, and other large 'box' stores. This is a real Spanish guitar built by real luthiers, likely in teams, in a modern factory and using the heritage of skill and 'feel' that is part of Spanish life. Building and playing classicals and flamencos is what these guys 'do'; it's what they are about, historically!

We all know that a classical guitar takes some time to 'open up' and becomes louder and better sounding. I asked a guitar studies professor ( a Segovia student in his youth) about it and he said: "... the more you play it, all over the fretboard, every day, and keep it humidified, the better it will get. It can take a year or so to really open up for some guitars".

This guiutar and all guitars sold by Tom Prisloe are set up to the buyer's specifications (I prefer 1/8" and 3/32 at fret 12 on the bass and treble 'E' strings, respectively). Tom is a professional luthier who builds his own top quality line of guitars (www.classicalguitarbuilder.com), so the Pavan guitars are set up for the buyer by a classical guitar luthier.

The Pavan line is an excellent choice in the $1,000 and under range. It's commonly assumed that a classical guitar of quality has to cost $2,000 minimum. It's not true.

The TP-30/64 has a finish that reveals the grain in the top and a hint of the wood pores on the back. That is the sort of finish that a knowledgeable buyer looks for: it allows the guitar to 'breathe' and move to produce a better tone. Real classical guitars are thinly finished to let the guitar vibrate, often in a French Polish, but nowadays in laquers.

There is little doubt this guitar will last for a lifetime if properly cared for. There is nothing that wears out on a classical guitar except the tuners (replaced easily by the player for $50-$100 for a very good set from Gotoh or Schaller). So all you have to do is protext it from abuse and KEEP IT HUMIDIFIED. Dryness is the enemy of your guitar. I keep a moist 'cube' of sponge in my case between the G and B strings. You can buy 1 sponge and keep all your acoustic guitars humidified and save that money for strings! Plus, when the 'cube' gets dry, you immediately know it and are reminded to refresh it.

I'd rate a '10' here because I find no fault with this guitar and I am picky about quality and sound. Sound, build quality, setup, and cosmetics are the things I look for.

Tom Prisloe called me after he selected this guitar from a group of 5-7. He was double checking to make sure that the action at fret 12 was 1/8" and 3/32" at fret 12 for the bass and treble 'E's !
What that tells me is that the guy wants every guitar he sends out to be right and that he is meticulous (my guitar was spotless, strings properly attached with tension slacked off a bit. The case was in a plastic sleeve, in the original case box, and stabilized with crushed paper to keep it from moving around! In a word: Impressive.

You will not find a nicer fellow to buy from and he's the ideal supplier for a classical guitar in this price range: A knowledgeable
luthier, a guitarist, and prompt in delivery. Tom Prisloe is one of the best kept secrets out there as a contact for getting a high-quality guitar and case at a VERY attractive price point.

I've played classical for 12 years and steel strings since I was kid. I have good gear because I am a 'tone freak'. So it's nice to find a really good guitar, brand new, that you can be proud to play and show other careful players who know what they are looking at.

If you don't recognize the value in the TP30 or the TP30/64 at about $1,000 you are a) too picky b) ignorant of how few really good guitars are available in the $1000-1500 range. This guitar is one of those "oh, baby" guitars when you open the case! Check it out...