Prudencio Saez 59

I Purchased this guitar from Jim Holler of trinity guitars back in 2003 / 2004. Jim adjusted the setup and did a fantastic job - he replaced the nut and saddle with bone - the feel is just right. it comes with a Fishman pro set up. You can push this guitar, from soft touches the playability is smooth and if you bang on it it holds up well. It is a very well made guitar and is now my primary giging and recording guitar.

I play jazz / bossa nova and always push my instruments to preform. Here is where alot of experementing with strings comes in. For a thin line body, the sound is punchy with good bass. With the multitude of strings out, there are many options that change the characteristics of the sound. I prefer using high tention savarez strings, I have tried it with many others, the hanaback golds are great at the start but mellow out in brilliance after 10-20 hours of playing - they do last long but simmer down in brilliance. I found that most flamenco strings bring out a nasal sound that I do not like. With this said, strings are very important to any guitar and is a preference in sound for the player. I run this guitar through my shertler David amp and sounds great! My amp brings out the natural sound of this guitar - punchy with warm characteristics.

This guitar is very well made and kudos to Prudencio Saez! I was giging at an out door event and wanted to take my jacket off and left the guitar on top of my case which was over a 4' rail. A gust of wind came and blew my guitar onto the concrete floor. ouch! the guitar bounced and only left a small nick. A very well made solid guitar. This incident could of been the death to it but I was very lucky.
I have played this guitar for over 5 years, you need to check your machine head screws that hold the gears on, they lossen nothing a little phillips screw driver cant fix.

I use this guitar a lot! aside from the drop mentioned above, I have had no issues with this guitar in over 5 years. Reliable partner that I have driven.

never needed it

I have been playing for over 35 years and this guitar has been the BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK! I own many other guitars costing much more. This guitar for everyday play / recording is the one that I use. I have found that the sound is improving as time goes on. When I first bought it, it was very tight and in your face but now the sound has blossomed with more warmth while still having the punch. It would be hard to replace this guitar.

I bought this on eBay, but nearly didn't get it, since the seller had a problem shipping overseas, despite telling me it was OK before I bid for it, and his feedback included a few dissatisfied buyers, so readers take warning! After waiting a fruitless 10 weeks for him to ship it, I arranged for him to ship it to another US seller who shipped it o/seas to me in Australia!

This is an electro-classical model that differs slightly from the orthodox classical design. It was made at the Prudencio Saez plant at Valencia, Spain, not sure when, fairly recently it seems. I have yet to find a serial number.
It has a solid, high grade spruce soundboard, attractive golden flame maple back and sides, a mahogany neck with an ebony reinforcing back strip, an ebony fingerboard, and a rosewood bridge and face-veneer on the head. I'd like to think the saddle and nut are bone, but maybe they're plastic, like the other models? It has a venetian cutaway that extends to the 17th. fret. The fingerboard extends over the soundhole, so there are 19 frets and two extra short frets for the top 2 strings, but there's room for a 22nd. fret! The frets are standard classical size. The soundhole rosette is quite attractive.

The scale length is 65.6 cm, the nut width only 49 mm, the neck is 60 mm wide at the 12th. fret. the lower bout is 37.0 cm wide, and the body is 49.0 cm long and 9.3 cm deep at the top, and 9.8 cm deep at the base. The action is a low 3.5 mm for the 6th string at the 12th fret.
It has gold tuners with pearloid buttons.
It's fitted with an active swing-out Prefix Pro preamp system with a 3 band equaliser, volume, and brilliance controls, that takes a 9-volt battery. I guess the pickup is an under saddle piezo type, I need to check on this.
The heel is low and gently rounded with a gold strap button, and the gold output jack at the bottom doubles as a strap button.
The neck is only (for a classical guitar), 22-23 mm thick.

OK, the departures from the standard classical design would be the cutaway, the extended fingerboard with 21 frets (I plan to fit a 22nd), the slightly narrower fingerboard at 49 and 60 mm at nut and 12th. fret resp., the strap buttons with the low, rounded heel, and the preamp system. Also, the soundhole is oval, 6.0 x 10.0 cm, with the longer axis across the body.

The volume is great, with a bright, rich tone that's a bit like a flamenco, due to the spruce/maple body. The tone is even across the range, with good sustain, although the volume above the 15th fret on the 1st and 2nd strings could be a bit more.
So it contrasts with the dark sounds of my Matsuoka cedar/rosewood classical.
Plugged in to my Kustom acoustic AA65 amp, it sounds lovely, but a bit "nasal", even with the treble reduced and the bass raised.
I'm giving this 9, in view of the usual price for these.

This guitar is quite well made, I've yet to find any flaws. The action it came with is nice and low, it suits me fine.
If I modified it, I might replace the pickup with a higher fidelity one. I shall also add small position markers to the side of the fingerboard.

This guitar seems quite well made, it should last a long time with proper care. I think it's always a good idea, though, to have a backup in case of strings snapping.

I haven't needed to contact them, hopefully never will!

Compared with my K Yairi and Matsuoka classical guitars, which are just acoustics, it's very comparable in every respect, apart for the preamp system. I've been playing for 35 years,and this is my 8th classical so I think I can pick a good guitar by this!
Compared with my La Patrie CW concert classical, it beats it easily for unplugged volume, but it's not so good as the Canadian guitar when plugged in.
Compared with a Yamaha electro-classical I had for a while, one of the better models in cedar/mahogany,(& should have kept), it would be a close call. Fom memory the P Saez may be slightly better unplugged, but the Yamaha may be better amped.
In terms of value for money, this was a bargain!