Almansa A-400 Classical Guitar - Cedar/Laminated Mahogany, Matte Finish

Went into L&M and spent some time trying out all their classical guitars. Fell in love with this one even though it wasn't the flashy premium version. It's very full with a great resonance, and hits well above its 'entry-level' status. Highly recommend! The associate was great with questions and help with my decision also.

As a teacher, I'm always looking for value-priced guitars for my students. The Almansa A-400 is definitely at the top of my list. This is a Spanish-made, lightly built classical guitar with excellent resonance and volume. Although it is not as sweet sounding as the upper priced offerings from Almansa, for the price you can't go wrong (you can sweeten the tone by stringing it with Aquila Nylgut Alabastro strings). Due to a lightly applied finish, you get rewarded with a sound that is lively. I gave it a feature rating of 4 because it does not have any fretboard position markers or a compensated saddle. When I teach, this is the guitar I use so my students don't get the impression that you need an expensive guitar to sound good. An excellent guitar for students.

I was looking for something that was a bit better than the Yamaha CS-40 and originally opted for a Yamaha CG-122. However, there seemed to be quite a bit of buzz on the CG-122, so I tried to find something in the same price range that didn't buzz, and this is what I found. I'm no guitar expert but my guitar teacher conducted a thorough inspection during a lesson and concluded that this was a very good starter guitar for the price (paid $300).

The spaniards know how to build a classical guitar. this thing has the punch that a classical guitar needs at the low price that you get it at here. I have played yamaha guitars in the thousands that aren't as loud as this. . sure the intonation needs some adjustment. Get a Tusq saddle/bridge and measure it exactly to the same height as the original bridge/saddle. my intonation improved amazingly just by simply sticking the thing in. No visit to a luthier required. My octaves are good all the way up the neck now.

After trying a number of Classical guitars, this one had the best sound and tone. For a $300.00 guitar, that's incredible. the intonation needed adjusting but that's included in the initial set up. I could have spent more on other good guitars in the shop but why? For my playing needs, I don't really need a pickup in the instrument which this guitar does not have. Moreover, I prefer to mike the guitar. Most important, it's fun to play!

Amazing instrument for the money, real Spanish guitar.

It?s crazy what s value this thing is. It is a barebones stripped down classical, but plays and feels like a guitar worth 6x more! There is the odd rough spot on the finish, and the tuners could use some upgrading, but the guitar on a whole is just awesome.