Help picking a classical guitar

earwighoney

steveh said:

Yes, Stephen Hill is a "big name" in nylon guitars. I've never played one personally but have heard Gary Ryan's several times.

Good to see you on the forum again Steve.

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Stephen Hill is a big name in the world of nylon string guitars, with a number of his ex students/assistants (who made his 2A instruments) have graduated to be fine luthiers themselves like Stephen Eden & Graham Emes. Regarding Stephen Eden, a guy on another forum I used to frequent liked his instrument he made he bought another, there's a video link for the guitar as well. He now seems to count Juan Martin as a customer, so his guitars can't be too bad!

I'm in agreement with Steve about not going for a crossover instrument, not that there isn't a time and place for them but it'd not be my choice for playing classical music.

ToneControl

steveh said:

ToneControl Did you try carbon strings on the Guo? I think they are essential to crispen up the double-top sound

I find the soundport is too large, which is something I have seen on some other guitars, so the mid-bass frequencies are boomy. Guo provide an insert with hole in which tames this

My other proper classical is a Stephen Hill, who builds in the south of Spain, and does lattice bracing as well as fan bracing, I'm very impressed, Have you heard of him?

The Guo was incredibly bright and forceful with nylon: I think fluorocarbon would have sliced my head off. There was nothing "boomy" about it at all, which I agree can be a problem with some doubletops (David Russel's Dammann is perhaps the warmest nylon I've heard; almost sounds lacking in treble live). Given that my Guo combined both lattice and doubletop, to my ears it was far more the former than latter. 

Yes, Stephen Hill is a "big name" in nylon guitars. I've never played one personally but have heard Gary Ryan's several times.

maybe my Guo is made from different woods to the one you had?