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{ 2 comments… add one }
  • John

    Hi Jay,
    Thank for the email.
    I plan on buying some of the sheet music later this week.
    I had a question I wanted to ask you about guitars.
    I have been playing for a year now. I try to practice as much as I can.
    I am about 1-2 months away from finishing Fredrick Noads 1st. book.
    I am playing with a plywood guitar now and want to buy one that will age with
    me and last me the rest of my life.
    I would like to get a Cedar top guitar – a good student one, somewhere between
    $1600 – 2,000.00 dollars.
    I was looking a the Pavan TP-30.
    I don’t know if you’ve heard of them.
    They are made in Spain.
    What do you play with and do you have any suggestions?
    Thank you so much.
    I enjoy your web site and admire the way you play music.
    If I could be half as good with years of practice, I’d be happy.

    Thanks,

    John H.

    • JayKauffman

      John, I’ve been playing the same guitar by Mikhail Robert for the past 20 or so years—it’s a Hauser “copy”, a high end concert guitar which I really love. I have a Ramirez that I use sometimes, but it plays so differently that I don’t use it much even though it has a great sound. I”m not great at recommending guitars, unfortunately. It can really help when you are paying in that range to be able to play a guitar before purchasing it, and take time to compare it to other guitars, different models and even the same models (you might notice more difference than you expect.) You might find that a the less expensive option feels and sounds better to you. And if you decide to get the higher end one, at least you’ll have some confidence that it’s what you really want. Even if you do order a guitar that is not in your local store, it’s good to go and try out guitars in those price ranges and even higher, just to get better at differentiating your preferences.

      The Pavan sounds like a decent choice for someone at your level who can afford it. I haven’t played one though. It’s tricky if you are expecting to age with it. If you want to get a “legacy” guitar for yourself, mainly I’d suggest not being in too much of a hurry. Try different options and get good at knowing what you really like—because as you get better and better you get more and more sensitive to the differences between good, really good, and excellent, etc, you’ll probably start feeling that your $1500 instrument needs to be replaced by a $5000 one and then …..you get the picture:)

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