Alhambra 9C Classical Guitar Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsPurchased this unit from www.classicalguitarshop.com for (get this) $750! It was a "scratch & dent" item. This guitar retails for about $1700. The reasons for wanting a good classical guitar are obvious. I bought this guitar online from classicalguitarshop.com without ever having played it. I don't recommend this practice in general. But I got such a great deal on this guitar that I threw caution to the wind...and I'm so glad I did. But, seriously, if at all possible, play a guitar before you buy it! I happen to live in the extremely rural mountains of eastern Kentucky where classical guitar retailers simply don't exist.
This thing sounds great. After having played a Sigma CS-1, for which I paid $250, for 10 years, this was nothing short of a revelation. The Alhambra 9C has a solid cedar top, solid Indian rosewood back and sides, Spanish cedar neck with ebony reinforcement and ebony fretboard. The guitar has an incredibly "solid" feel. The setup was great (thanks to Tony at classicalguitarshop.com). Its a lot easier to play than the Sigma, naturally. But the sound is just beautiful. Its very full and rich with a slightly dark texture that cedar produces so wonderfully. It has very good sustain with plenty of rich and ringing overtones. It generally takes a solid cedar top about 1 year of moderate playing to really "open up". I simply can't wait for that to happen with this instrument.
This instrument is beautiful to look at too. I have found no flaws in the workmanship.
My Alhambra came with about 10 tiny dimples on the top in the lower bout area and a scratch on the lower side of the lower bout. It's not that I don't like this about the guitar. In fact, these imperfections saved me about $1000! So, I guess I'm thankful they were there. And they didn't affect the tone at all.
Really, all I can say about the guitar in a negative light (and this is a small point overall) is the plastic heads on the tuning machines. The tuners seem to work well though.
Very solid. Good construction of top-quality materials. This guitar even SMELLS divine!
The Alhambra 9C is a great instrument and I dare say that you'd be hard pressed to find a better built, better sounding production guitar on Earth. I've played the Ramirez 4E (another production guitar) that costs twice as much, and the Alhambra is every bit as good...if not better. Honestly, short of taking out a mortgage on a 100% hand-built guitar, you won't find a better guitar than the Alhambra. But I haven't played every guitar out there... I've been playing classical guitar for 10 years now and I consider myself to be a serious student of the instrument. I know a good guitar when I hear it. I highly recommend the Alhambra 9C and I highly recommend classicalguitarshop.com. They don't sell junk and they will stand behind their products.
Andy M. rated this unit
on
2004-07-03.
