Picked up one of these in cherry, near perfect condition this afternoon. Is apparentlya well regarded instrument. What kind of strings do I need for this guitar? Best to buy locally or on the net?
As a side note what would one of these guitars go for on on ebay in excellent condition? I see sold net prices from $60 to $300. No sold prices on ebay.
Happy New Guitar Day!
You need nylon strings, most commonly called ‘classical’ or ‘flamenco’ strings. I’d recommend either the D’Addario Pro Arte Normal Tension or the Hannabach Low Tension Flamenco Strings. Savarez are also good strings, but their normal tension is higher than either D’Addario or Hannabach. I don’t think the D’Addario composites are necessarily going to improve the sound of your guitar enough to justify the extra expense.
Once you and the guitar are used to each other and the guitar seems to be settling in well, you could experiment with higher tension strings if you wanted to. I wouldn’t recommend starting out with high tension strings, though - you don’t know how well the previous owner looked after the instrument. D’Addario has a good guide to changing the strings on a classical guitar on their website.
I’d be surprised if anybody would pay as much as $300 for one - the laminate top really limits its usefulness as an instrument. It is a solid, well built tank of a guitar, and a decent starter instrument or a beater but the fundamental sound will never improve. I still have mine, which I bought used for $50. CAD in 1976. I keep it for sentimental reasons.
Thanks!