
Playing the guitar and getting the most out of your instrument
When choosing an instrument, you must consider the intended use (at home, in a club, big concerts, etc.) and the style of guitar playing, rather than the brand or prestige. Another key element in the sound you get from your guitar is the pick, the material it's made of, its thickness, and the attack and angle the performer uses. Knowledge and subsequent manipulation of the guitar's tone and volume knobs is essential. Another important aspect is how the guitar is equalized. Ideally, you should start with a clean sound and fine-tune it to achieve a great sound. Furthermore, you should repeat the process with each guitar you play. Another important factor for making good guitar music is using cabling appropriate to the characteristics of your equipment. At Alhambra, we use Fishman, the renowned American brand, to amplify our guitars. The quality of the strings is also more important than it seems, and that's why we trust D'Addario to string our guitars. It's also very important that the guitar has a solid top, which implies a certain sound quality (as long as the rest of the instrument has a minimum construction quality). All our guitars have solid red cedar or German spruce tops. At this point, we want to emphasize the fact that instruments that don't guarantee a clean sound and ease of play can actually discourage you in your learning process. Finally, it's worth mentioning that everything else is in the guitarist's head: you have to visualize the sound before playing it, imagine how you want it to sound, and strike the strings with your fingers based on that image.