Anonny, I play nylon-string classics for both classic guitar stuff and song accompaniment. I know that's not everybody's cup of tea, but I do a lot of early ballads where a lute-style accompaniment sounds appropriate, so they work well for me. My first classic was a Martin 00-28-G, which was a heck of a nice instrument. But I was a member of the Seattle Classic Guitar Society at the time, and was soon introduced to European guitars, particularly Spanish-made.

I currently own a Japanese classic imported, inspected, and approved by luthier José Oribé. A lot of Japanese-made classics look exactly like the José Ramirez 1A concert classics (Segovia played one). The Oribé import sounds so good that I've had a lot of knowledgeable classic guitarists assume that it was a José Ramirez 1A. Not bad for a guitar that only cost about 15% of what I would have had to pay for a concert-grade Ramirez.

I also have an Arcangel Fernandez flamenco guitar. I got it in 1961, ordering it directly from Fernandez in Madrid. I paid about $175 for it at the time, and it sounded absolutely fantastic! I later learned that Montoya, Sabicas, and several other big-name flamenco guitarists were using Arcangels. I checked a couple of years ago and learned that now, a 1961 Arcangel in good condition is worth somewhere between $12,000 and $18,000! I'm afraid to take it out of the house!

In spite of this rather spectacular lumber, the guitar I probably play the most is a little nylon-string Go travel guitar made by Sam Radding in San Diego (Clicky). It's real handy, and I keep it within arms' reach almost all the time. For something that looks like a cross between a guitar and a canoe paddle, it actually sounds like a real guitar! I've actually used in a number of gigs and people have asked me if it's a period instrument of some kind.

When I went shopping for a travel guitar, I tried a Martin Backpacker, but it sounded like a dulcimer with sinus trouble. The Go has an amazing voice for so small a box. But then, a Martin Backpacker can hardly be considered a Martin at all.

One of my guitar students has an Alvarez AC60S classic, made in China. For a relatively inexpensive guitar, it's a helluva nice instrument!

Don Firth