Takamine

May 2009 Guitarist 103
NYLON-STRING ELECTRO ROUND-UP £440-£1,058
ELECTRO-ACOUSTICS
T
oo long overlooked, the
nylon-strung ‘classical’
instrument seems set to
make a comeback, due in no
small way to the current
popularity of world, latin and
jazz. With its mellow tones and
lyrical voice, it offers an
intimate, quieter, more
reflective sonic character, in
contrast to the wild, musical
mood swings of its steel-string
acoustic and electric
counterpart.
Although the classical guitar
as we know it is said to have
started life as the ‘guitarra
latina’ with the Italian luthiers
of the 16th century, today’s
instruments are clearly
Looking for a new slant on your playing? Four electro-
classicals line up for inspection… by David Gallant
Nylon-string electro
round-up
£440-£1,058
PHOTOG RAPH Y BY J OBY SES SION S
modelled on the mid 19th
century Spanish ‘Torres’ form,
built by luthier Antonio Torres,
with its larger body and more
simplified styling. This was not
the only school of guitar
making in 19th century Europe,
however. Lacote, a highly
respected French luthier, was
producing lavishly decorated
instruments out of his Parisian
atelier and there was also a
thriving group of luthiers in
greater Germany, most of
whom had migrated north from
their Italian homeland to
service a vibrant musical scene
in the city of Vienna. The most
notable of the city’s luthiers was
Johan Staufer with his unique
‘persian slipper’ headstock, and
these instruments with a
harmonic bar rather than the
accepted fan bracing, were to
sound very different to their
Spanish counterparts, having a
more rapid attack and a treble
or mid-range dominance. Later
developments in Germany by
the Hauser lutherie would see
the adoption of fan bracing as
standard. However, the tonal
and timbral characteristics
were still subtly different to the
Spanish model, this is a point
which was not lost on the great
classical guitarist Segovia, who
at one point in his career
favoured a Hauser above all
other models.
Today, most quality nylon-
strung classical instruments are
made in Spain, with names such
as Conde Hermanos,
Rodriguez, Ramirez and
Contreras heading the frame.
But there are also the highly
sought after Hauser and Hanika
instruments from Germany and
a small clutch of quality
Japanese manufacturers such
as Yairi, Asturias and Matsuoka.
The variety of instruments,
especially electros, is wider
than ever before, from the
standard classical shape to the
‘cutaway’ with cedar or spruce
tops matched to rosewood or
mahogany back and sides.
Undersaddle pickups and
preamps have become so highly
developed over recent years
that it is now perfectly possible
to use a nylon-strung acoustic
on the bigger stage, without
facing feedback problems.
We’ve sampled a cross section
of what is available to the
serious player in the lower to
middle price range and come up
with four current electros: two
full-bodied and two cutaways.
GIT315.rev_roundup 103 24/3/09 2:59:25 pm