NGD Valencia

glennerd

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So I finally bought a guitar. Okay, It’s not my first guitar, but the first one I’ve owned since I got into ukulele five years ago.
It’s odd that I’m posting this NGD and I’ve never posted a NUD. I did take what I learned from buying ukuleles over the last five years into account when I bought it. My initial plan was to get something nicer, but I’m not convinced I’ll be okay with going back to six strings. I decided to pay as little as possible but still have a playable instrument. Nothing on Craigslist seemed a good value to me or else just seemed old and questionable condition.

I got a Valencia VC203 3/4 size (580mm scale) classical guitar from a local guitar shop. It’s not a huge stretch, coming from a baritone. The sound is what I would describe as “good enough” and before taxes and the gig bag, was $110CDN or about $85 US. All in, it was still about 20% the cost of my KoAloha Opio soprano.

I figure, if I get into it, I might want to upgrade even if I started one twice as expensive, but if I give up on it, the investment wasn’t too much. Also, I’d like to try to attempt a bit of flamenco and I can tap away without fear of destroying a soft cedar top or I can get a cling-on golpeador without worrying too much about the finish. The action is a bit high for flamenco, but I have acquire a proficiency before I even think about a flamenco guitar!

When I look at it closely, I can see why it’s inexpensive. The sound hole could have been sanded better, the “binding” is just paint, the rosette is a pretty cheap sticker and the “ebonized” mahogany fretboard - well let’s just say I’d rather see the mahogany under all that “ebony” paint. The side fret markers are just painted on too. Also, to continue the paint theme, the logo is screened on the headstock - apparently unadorned headstocks are de rigueur among the classical crowd, but maybe it will wear off.

The frets are smooth, it has a decent nut width of 48mm, is a comfortable size to hold and is very playable - the action is right for classical. I’ll probably change the strings at some point as the first three look like fluorocarbon and I’d rather have nylon.

Overall, I think it will satisfy my guitar needs for 2020. Who knows if I’ll get to like playing with six strings again or if I’ll go running back to my baritone ukulele with my proverbial tail between my legs. :rolleyes:

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Congratulations on the new classical guitar. I have a Cordoba Cadete which is a 3/4 size like your Valencia. I really like this size as a transition from ukulele to guitar. Small enough to have ease of play and big enough to have descent sound. Enjoy it.
 
Congratulations on the new classical guitar. I have a Cordoba Cadete which is a 3/4 size like your Valencia. I really like this size as a transition from ukulele to guitar. Small enough to have ease of play and big enough to have descent sound. Enjoy it.

I was originally considering the Cadete, but I decided I wanted one cheap enough that I'm not tempted to sell if it doesn't get played much. I figure if I really get into playing it, and so far I'm getting the hang of it, my next one might be a 7/8, like the Cordoba Dolce or maybe it will be an easy transition to full size. I don't seem to have GAS the same way I have UAS, so we'll see how this plays out. I do kind of miss how it won't easily sit beside me on the couch like my baritone (or my sopranos!) though. :rolleyes:
 
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