What Guitar do you play?
What is the instrument of your choice?
I play a Paco Santiago Marin - XXX Anniversario! This guitar has been with me all my university years, and I have learned so much on this instrument! It has a lot of marks, so I intend to have my top redone within the following years, but I am still in love with the sound of this instrument! But it also has its shortcomings. It’s not very easy to play, guitars with a more modern approach require much less effort!
Feel free to share a picture of your beauty!
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As a kid, I started decades ago with some guitar from Yamaha (don't know the model now and I do not own the guitar anymore). That was at the late 70s. Then, after it was clear that I would love to proceed with playing concert guitar I played an Alhambra 11C (Cedar) built in 1982, bought directly in Spain by my teacher. I still have it and play on it, but meanwhile, since 2019, I play mostly on my new Hopf Gran Concierto Centurio-Nuevo (Spruce). Beautiful tone colors, beautiful sound, and I should have bought such kind of guitar many many years earlier (but I do not want to say that the Alhambra is poor or something like that; it was and still is a nice instrument, which I do not want to give away - but the Hopf is a large step forward or up, somehow).
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I now play an Alhambra Villaplana which I bought about 10 years ago. At the time Villaplana was making 12 of these guitars each year and I was fortunate to meet him on a visit to London. I also still have several older guitars including my very first one, an Aria - a student guitar but made before the days of mass production - which only cost £25!
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I feel privileged to own a handmade guitar by Manuel Velasquez, whom many consider to be one of the top old-school guitar makers of the 20th century. I bought it new in 1979.
The bottom of the front is rather badly scratched up due to years of my sloppy play, but she still sounds as full and mellow as ever.
Here is a sweet brief video about Velasquez that some of you might enjoy. It really conveys his love for the instrument and his dedication to the craft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAbvClxqbfo
Carl Jossem
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I play a Yamaha grat concert N. 6 of 1979 that I play since 1979 and a Hanika made in 1990 with cut for the band and a tierra negra built in 2003 that is very easy to play, top is Zypresse, its like drinking wine so strong is the smell, I bought it 2003 but the basses are not so intense. Its ok to accompaign or play in the band. I played a Ramirez built in 1973 but it is very hard to play, now I did not touch since I bouhgt a Karl-Heinz and Falco Roemmich built in 2021 that I own since February 2021 and which I play every day- I am adicted to it- its my first spruce-top and that is the sound I love
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Well, a bit late to the thread, nevertheless, I thought I would join the discussion and introduce everyone to the late great American luthier, Anthony Gaillard Murray. Tony was a dear friend of mine and one of the finest American luthiers building guitars and lutes in 1970s. I first met Tony when he had his shop on Bush Street in San Francisco in 1971. It was quite the place to hang out for young guitarists and not unusual to run into guitarists such as Michael Lorimer in his shop during that time. In the mid 1970s, Tony moved to Virgina Beach where he lived until his death in 2005. I previously owned two of his early made guitars, one built in 1970 and another built in 1978. Currently, I own one built in 1982 and another built in 1999. Tony's guitars were built with German Spruce Tops with French polish and Brazilian Rosewood backs.
Attached is an article on Anthony Murray.
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I play a 1981 Guild. It's definitely NOT a concert guitar, but I won't be able to afford one of those for the foreseeable future so this is what I'm putting in the work on. Kind of an interesting classical and not horrible sounding. The neck is a little thin for me. It was given to me by my aunt when I was 18 so it's sentimental and gets the job done.