Text: David Martín

Introduction
It is always a pleasure for me to try guitars from Alhambra. Among other reasons because, regardless of the results, which are usually very satisfying, you can sense the care and enthusiasm with which their guitars are made. I like all the details the maker includes, so that when you open the box you find a good case, documentation for the instrument and for the preamp if there is one, a cover for the soundhole and a chamois cloth for cleaning and properly preserving the instrument. On top of these items there's the smell of fine woods that wafts from the corners of the case and reaches my senses, telling me I have a good piece within reach.

On the other hand, and as other guitarists think, and even state on the ISP forum (www.ispmusica.com), it is good that acoustic guitars are being produced in Spain, because with so much guitar-building tradition in our country, few venture into making this type of instrument.

Body and Finish
On the test bench we have a wide-body guitar, specifically measuring 41.5 cm wide x 51 cm long x 10 cm deep. As you will have seen on the spec sheet, the construction materials used are excellent, and this has a totally decisive effect on the instrument's sound.

The guitar's finish is exquisite, every detail perfectly cared for, and therefore the feeling it conveys, as I said in the introduction, is that of a precise and delicate instrument.

Alhambra's construction is distinctive, as it is the only one among guitars of this type that is built using artisan and traditional techniques (the dovetail joint or tenon joint method, or their variants), the same ones used in its Spanish classical guitars. This way of building adds solidity to the instrument as a whole: neck + body, as if it were a single piece.

I'll finish this section by mentioning the clear pickguard located right at the lower bout (logically).

Headstock and Tuning
Finished in gold plating, this headstock (together with the construction) gives the guitar extremely precise tuning. The feel of the tuning machines is firm but sensitive, allowing meticulous adjustment. Staying on the subject of tuning, I'd stress (something common to other Alhambra guitars I've tried) spotless intonation. Excellent tuning and intonation is a combination that gives the guitarist confidence, because he'll know the instrument won't make him uncomfortable at any given moment, and our concern can be 100% devoted to playing, without worrying about that part of the fingerboard that sounds slightly out of tune, for example.

The Electronics
Before getting into the sound (plugged in and unplugged), we stop at the preamp: a Fishman Prefix Premium Blend (acoustic guitar system).

The preamp is designed to capture the instrument's sound in two ways: the piece over the bridge and under the strings, and the mic placed inside (visible from the soundhole). This lets us record in mono (the usual), but also opens up the possibility of stereo capture. A stereo ¼" jack connected to the guitar and two mono (or two XLR) outputs will be responsible for sending the instrument's signal on two channels. All of it with the appropriate adjustments from the preamp, offering good versatility when recording.

As you all know, capturing the guitar from two sources gives greater richness and manifests superior realism in recordings.

Continuing with the preamp, besides the usual controls for notch, phase, volume, bass and treble EQ, contour, battery LED, frequency and blend, it gives us a built-in tuner. A simple system (you really don't need more) but an effective one. With the "tuner" button we activate the tuner, which indicates string by string its status (pitch) and the precise correction needed to get perfect tuning.

In short, more than enough tools to get a huge range of sounds when the guitar is amplified.

Its Sound
Unplugged
The instrument struck me as especially sweet. That sweetness is seasoned by a set of Elixir strings, which, besides having qualities that extend their long life, deliver an aggressive, metallic sound. This combination is good, because the guitar doesn't end up dull, but at the same time it isn't shrill.

The good size of the soundbox gives the guitar more than satisfactory volume. Although I have to say that what I like most about this and other Alhambras is the way all the strings blend so well. There are no peaks, something that does happen on other guitars; in other words, the sound is very even and we can bring out stronger or more marked intentions without the risk of causing an unexpected "screech." These characteristics I describe, along with the good tuning I mentioned earlier, make the guitar a completely dependable instrument, since you know well how it will respond and you don't have to worry about possible "imperfections" unrelated to your playing.

Even with the Elixir strings, the tone isn't shrill and the guitar sounds wonderful, leaning toward the dark side. Personally, I like it.

Amplified
This understated (yet grand) tone I described in the previous lines can be completely altered through the preamp. The possibilities in terms of sound colors grow considerably once the guitar is amplified. We can look for the most suitable combination for each song, according to need, boosting mids, bass and treble, varying the notch, blend, etc....

The ability to capture the guitar in stereo and with different pickups gives us two tracks full of nuance and realism, which, for example in rhythm acoustic "pads," gives the recording a wonderful liveliness.

I ran various tests, with strumming, arpeggios and solos, with very satisfactory results. The sound of an acoustic is very personal, and everyone will have their own preferences. In that sense, it's hard to judge whether you'll like its sound or not, though to me it seems so versatile that you can get practically any sound you're after. You can hear how it sounds at www.ispmusica.com

If you record an arpeggio in mono and then record another arpeggio in mono that plays off the first, panning each channel out a bit (left/right), you get a perfectly blended fusion, even if you play in very different places on the fingerboard, with a super interesting end result.

Conclusions
I think almost everything has been said. Following on from what I said about how hard it is to judge whether an acoustic sound will appeal to you, what I do know is that an acoustic guitar must be expected to deliver tuning, intonation, even tone, flexibility and realism in the preamp, good woods, care in the finishes and precision in the tuners, and this one has it all. I therefore conclude that, regardless of how closely the sound matches what you're after, the guitar is excellent and has practically everything a guitarist can ask of an acoustic guitar.

01/01/2005