Alhambra 9P Reviewed in Acoustic Guitar January 2010
6. $2,000–$2,499 Alhambra 9P
SPECS: Solid cedar top. Solid Indian rosewood back and sides. 21/32-inch nut width. 25/8-inch string spacing at saddle. Made in Spain. PRICE: $2,358 list/$2,004 street. CONTACT: Alhambra USA: (828) 254-3380; alhambrausa.com.
Of the many traditional Spanish guitar makers, Alhambra—which was founded in 1965—is among the newer companies. A manufacturer of a full line of stringed instruments (including steel-string guitars and traditional Spanish instruments such as the multicourse bandurria and laud), Alhambra has become a major player in the classical guitar market.
With a lower bout that measures nearly 15 inches, the Alhambra 9P is almost an inch wider than most classical guitars, and its entire body is proportionally enlarged. As such, the instrument is a descendant of the Madrid school of building a powerful guitar, but with a standard 650-mm scale. A look inside the body reveals thin, tall back braces and traditional top fan bracing augmented by a “floating” cross brace that touches the top at just a few points. The 9P’s neck is constructed with an ebony reinforcement strip, and the headstock is home to a set of smoothly operating, Alhambra-branded tuners with ebony buttons. Our review guitar has an attractive, narrow-grained, and evenly colored cedar top, and the instrument’s Indian rosewood back and sides have a particularly nice striping pattern with light to dark brown hues. The back’s book-matching creates a slightly parabolic pattern, giving the guitar a sophisticated air.
As you’d expect of a guitar of this size, the Alhambra 9P is a handful to play, but its sound is a force to be reckoned with. Not only does the body feel larger than most when resting in the lap, it also has a big, slightly boxy neck. But tonally, it has a fat bass that really growls, especially when picked close to the bridge, balanced by round-toned trebles and excellent sustain, although notes seemed to decay faster as I moved farther up the neck. Players who want a powerful Spanish sound, and don’t mind working a little to get it, will take real delight in this instrument.
OTHER $2,000–$2,499 CLASSICALS
* José Ramírez 125 Años, $2,199 * Cervantes Fleta Concert, $2,350 * Asturias Prelude, $2,375 * German Vazquez Rubio Estudio, $2,450Credit Seven Classical Guitars Reviewed
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