I have played guitar for many years, but I think of myself as I am an advance beginner, aspiring to reach intermediate level. I have owned my Spruce top Alhambra 5P A for about 3 months now and I am delighted with it; I found the playing quality and the sound excellent. It is a perfect match for my ability and aspirations.
My old guitar broke and I was “forced” to buy a new guitar in 2020. As we were in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the restrictions limited my options and I had to “risk” buying a guitar on-line. For this reason, I went for a brand that I knew like Alhambra and have a very good reputation. For me the risk is also lowered as there is so many videos on the internet that allow to get a pretty good idea of what you are buying. Surely trying out the actual guitar is better approach, but in my case, I would have to wait for an unknown length of time.
After some research and watching a few videos comparing cedar and spruce tops guitars, I chose a spruce top. Having owned Cedar top guitars in the past, the “brightness” of Spruce top sound appealed to me more on this occasion. My suggestion is to do your own research and if you can try out both on a fair comparison would be best.
I also was considering the Spruce top Alhambra 4P but since this will be probably the last guitar I buy in my life, so I went to the top of my budget. I liked that the 5P has the special reinforced neck meaning that it will stay straighter for longer under the stress of guitar strings, in turn leading to a more consistent playing sound over time. There are many respectable opinions that say that the Alhambra 4P is the best quality/price ratio in the segment, and that the extra €120 (or thereabouts) difference for a 5P is not worth spending. I struggle to understand the idea of quality price ratio when buying a guitar. Add to that my plans to own this guitar for many years, why not own the best you can afford in this case?
Whereas the sound is the most important characteristic when choosing a guitar, aesthetic is also important and the Spruce top Alhambra 5P A is a beautiful guitar that has no imperfections. The colour of the top and the design of the rosette played an important role in choosing this guitar.
The gig bag provided is of excellent quality allowing up to 3 ways of comfortably carrying the guitar around. I come with an additional piece that provides additional support to the neck; there is also plenty of pockets with storage space for books, tuner, spare strings, foot rest…
I am also very happy with the level of support from Thomann staff who answered all our questions on the phone. I would recommend them.
