Hi,
Does anyone know where I can buy an acoustic guitar in Santiago? Also, any idea of price?
Thanks
Does anyone know where I can buy an acoustic guitar in Santiago? Also, any idea of price?
Thanks
- Thread starter Nikki Simon
- Start date
Acoustic guitar
Always much, much cheaper to buy online and have it shipped, but use Musiciansfriend.com for best prices.
If your going to buy online why not use e-bay?
In Santiago, La sirena has them once and a while, but your going to pay premium prices. Quality is between OK and junk.
In Puerto Plata there is DG, near the park and many pawn shops have them. Las America's usually has an assortment.
If you want to buy a used guitar, PM me.
In Santiago, La sirena has them once and a while, but your going to pay premium prices. Quality is between OK and junk.
In Puerto Plata there is DG, near the park and many pawn shops have them. Las America's usually has an assortment.
If you want to buy a used guitar, PM me.
Acoustics, a totally different beast.
I have some knowledge about acoustic guitars. And after taking a look at the acoustic guitars offered on that site, I tend to think that you are much better off with a site like Musician's Friend - Buy musical instruments, music gear, musical equipment online.
If you want a good acoustic guitar, you need one with a solid top that is made from quality woods. Unfortunately, these are a little more expensive since a lot more goes into their construction. As a general rule, anything that you buy brand new for less than $300-$400 is going to be mass constructed out of plywood. And the sound will be inferior.
When I first started taking lessons, I went to Guitar Center and bought a Fender for $200. I thought I had a good deal because Fender is so well known. Well, Fender is well known for making very good electric guitars and basses. But their acoustics....not so good. Well, as I progressed in my lessons, my teacher offered to sell me a lower end Martin. And at first I thought he was just trying to make a buck. But then I played it and the difference in the tone of the instrument was like night and day. This was because the Martin was a solid-top made out of real wood, not cheap plywood like the Fender. As a result, the Martin cost about $400 more. But, the improved sound and ease of playing made it worth the cost.
Now, I'm not telling you to run out and buy a Martin (though you could hardly do better). No. The purpose of this long post is to get you to think hard before you buy just any old cheap acoustic guitar that you find online. The site mentioned above may sell quality electric guitars. But I can look at those acoustics and tell you that they're doo doo (no self-respecting Luthier will make a guitar and paint it a pastel color).
Bigger sites like Musician's Friend - Buy musical instruments, music gear, musical equipment online and a few others carry quality acoustic brands at discounted prices. But expect to pay $350 minimum for any acoustic worth tuning up. If this is out of your budget, then you are better off going with a quality used acoustic. If you want, I can pm you some brand names that are well trusted.
Vince.
I have some knowledge about acoustic guitars. And after taking a look at the acoustic guitars offered on that site, I tend to think that you are much better off with a site like Musician's Friend - Buy musical instruments, music gear, musical equipment online.
If you want a good acoustic guitar, you need one with a solid top that is made from quality woods. Unfortunately, these are a little more expensive since a lot more goes into their construction. As a general rule, anything that you buy brand new for less than $300-$400 is going to be mass constructed out of plywood. And the sound will be inferior.
When I first started taking lessons, I went to Guitar Center and bought a Fender for $200. I thought I had a good deal because Fender is so well known. Well, Fender is well known for making very good electric guitars and basses. But their acoustics....not so good. Well, as I progressed in my lessons, my teacher offered to sell me a lower end Martin. And at first I thought he was just trying to make a buck. But then I played it and the difference in the tone of the instrument was like night and day. This was because the Martin was a solid-top made out of real wood, not cheap plywood like the Fender. As a result, the Martin cost about $400 more. But, the improved sound and ease of playing made it worth the cost.
Now, I'm not telling you to run out and buy a Martin (though you could hardly do better). No. The purpose of this long post is to get you to think hard before you buy just any old cheap acoustic guitar that you find online. The site mentioned above may sell quality electric guitars. But I can look at those acoustics and tell you that they're doo doo (no self-respecting Luthier will make a guitar and paint it a pastel color).
Bigger sites like Musician's Friend - Buy musical instruments, music gear, musical equipment online and a few others carry quality acoustic brands at discounted prices. But expect to pay $350 minimum for any acoustic worth tuning up. If this is out of your budget, then you are better off going with a quality used acoustic. If you want, I can pm you some brand names that are well trusted.
Vince.
Keep in mind what the enviromental conditions will do to ANY musical instrument here in the Caribbean. Humidity, salt in the air and heat in general will take it's toll on any piece.
If you leave your guitar "out" in the open, your strings will rust in a matter of day's. So, if you do decide to buy online make sure to purchase many extra sets of strings to what the guitar is set up to have (12's, 10's, 9's ect) because to find and then buy them here is just a hassle and too expensive.
By-the-way, any good "seasoned" musician will tell you that it is not always the price, shape, the wood, even the intonation of a guitar that can make it sound good. It's the player.
Give me a cheap guitar and I'll shred on it and make it sound like a million bucks
Happy strumming!
If you leave your guitar "out" in the open, your strings will rust in a matter of day's. So, if you do decide to buy online make sure to purchase many extra sets of strings to what the guitar is set up to have (12's, 10's, 9's ect) because to find and then buy them here is just a hassle and too expensive.
By-the-way, any good "seasoned" musician will tell you that it is not always the price, shape, the wood, even the intonation of a guitar that can make it sound good. It's the player.
Give me a cheap guitar and I'll shred on it and make it sound like a million bucks
Happy strumming!
Really?
I hate to sound like a guitar snob, but the only "seasoned" guitarists who will tell you this are those who can't (or won't) invest the money in a better instrument.
You must be talking about electric guitars (totally different), because any serious acoustic guitarist will tell you that quality materials and construction are, precisely, what determines how good a guitar will sound.
I'm talking about the instrument, not the skill of the musician. If you can't play, it doesn't matter the quality of your axe. You will still sound horrible. But the fact remains that a custom Goodall (what Seal plays), or a Martin (Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Sting, Baby Face, and many others) is going to sound a lot better than an acoustic Fender or Yamaha. And that's because they are made by master Luthiers with superior materials.
Just look at what the truly great guitarists play. Hell, even Jimi Hendrix composed some of his greatest hits on a Martin D-15 acoustic.
Look at it this way. MJ (one of the greatest basketball players of all time) would perform a lot better wearing the latest Jordans than he would wearing a pair of old school Chuck Taylors (Converse).
Vince.
By-the-way, any good "seasoned" musician will tell you that it is not always the price, shape, the wood, even the intonation of a guitar that can make it sound good. It's the player.
Give me a cheap guitar and I'll shred on it and make it sound like a million bucks
Happy strumming!
I hate to sound like a guitar snob, but the only "seasoned" guitarists who will tell you this are those who can't (or won't) invest the money in a better instrument.
You must be talking about electric guitars (totally different), because any serious acoustic guitarist will tell you that quality materials and construction are, precisely, what determines how good a guitar will sound.
I'm talking about the instrument, not the skill of the musician. If you can't play, it doesn't matter the quality of your axe. You will still sound horrible. But the fact remains that a custom Goodall (what Seal plays), or a Martin (Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Sting, Baby Face, and many others) is going to sound a lot better than an acoustic Fender or Yamaha. And that's because they are made by master Luthiers with superior materials.
Just look at what the truly great guitarists play. Hell, even Jimi Hendrix composed some of his greatest hits on a Martin D-15 acoustic.
Look at it this way. MJ (one of the greatest basketball players of all time) would perform a lot better wearing the latest Jordans than he would wearing a pair of old school Chuck Taylors (Converse).
Vince.
But he'd still run circles around you barefoot no matter what shoes YOU were wearing.
Good equipment is helpful in every field, but talent and ability far outweigh equipment in determining likelihood of success.
P.S. I recently plunked down 3g's and some change for a Taylor 814-CE so I appreciate a quality instrument, but I also know it doesn't make me a better player by itself, thought the fact that it is so much fun to play does make me practice harder.
Sounds like you are a bit of a guitar snob.
Young, Cash, Sting, Hendrix all "seasoned". These guy's could even make a coke bottle sound good.
You take an amatuer and give him a top end Martin and you think that just because it's a solid sounding acoustic that it will sound better????
C'mon, go ahead and give Michael Jordan his "Jordans", Les Paul his "Les Paul" and Leo Fender his "Broadcaster" and it's no wonder how good they will be.
For me, a broken B-string on a no name piece is all I need. In fact, it will be a great learning experience and sound great, as well as different.
Yes, I can afford a better guitar, but my music will not change just because I pay a premium price on a new guitar.
Young, Cash, Sting, Hendrix all "seasoned". These guy's could even make a coke bottle sound good.
You take an amatuer and give him a top end Martin and you think that just because it's a solid sounding acoustic that it will sound better????
C'mon, go ahead and give Michael Jordan his "Jordans", Les Paul his "Les Paul" and Leo Fender his "Broadcaster" and it's no wonder how good they will be.
For me, a broken B-string on a no name piece is all I need. In fact, it will be a great learning experience and sound great, as well as different.
Yes, I can afford a better guitar, but my music will not change just because I pay a premium price on a new guitar.
Oooooooooh nice. Played one of those at Guitar Center (the only reason I ever go to that place). The action was so smooth and light, and the ebony fret board so slick, that chord changes were a breeze. And this is my point. Quality guitars are easier to play than the crappy ones. The action on my old fender was so tight that my fingers always got sore from having to press down so hard on the fret board. Even getting it adjusted and developing callouses didn't help. My Martin was easier to play. Thus, it was easier for me to learn. Sigh... a Taylor. I'm jealous.
I'm not saying that skill isn't important. Of course it is. But so is a quality instrument. I'd just hate to see the OP go online and purchase a crappy pink guitar for thirty bucks. When it would be better, in the long run, to spend a bit more on a quality new or used guitar. One that will not only last longer, but will actually sound better the older it gets.
A solution to the humidity issue is to get a classical guitar. The nylon strings won't rust like steel or brass. Especially if the OP is into the latin american styles, most of which are finger-styles instead strumming. Get a good quality hard case, and the problem should be solved.
Vince.
I agree 100% about the elixir strings, they are perfect for this climate, for me they mean the diference between changing strings twice a year or twice a month as would be the case with regular uncoated strings, just from rust and corrosion.
I have yet to fine a dedicated music store in Santiago... but then, I have by far not seen it all there. I have however run into a street with several music stores in Santo Domingo a couple of years ago. I don't remember the exact address but it must have been somewhere close North to the Plaza Lama above the Colonial district... certainly below 27 de Febrero... maybe close to Parque Enriquillo (Caution! This can be a somewhat "hot" zone... and is not recommendable after dusk). They had everything from acoustic to electric guitars, amps, PA systems, percussion and drum kits as well as some electronic key board instruments and accessories.
Speaking of prices. Nowadays, it's hard to say you'd get what you paid for. The Asians have become very adept at building precise quality instruments for next to nothing and importers, wholesalers and super market like outlets have, because of competition chosen to hand those deep discounts to the end user. Some European and American builders still make unique instruments but some just sell the "Made in..." sticker for a premium.
Fender has been often criticized because their Jap editions seem to turn out better musical instruments. I had to return an all American Tele twice and finally found my happiness with a Mexican Tele for a quarter of the price.
Gettin' what you pay for is a thing of the past.
Buying here, you will most likely pay top dollar for the not so great instruments. From what I seem to have seem in Santo Domingo thou, there are some "Spanish"-style guitar builders around...
As some have mentioned, stores like Plaza Lama and similar sometimes carry a few acoustics and electric sets... I would also not be surprised to see PriceMart carrying them around Christmas time as Costco does regularly around that time.
... J-D.
Speaking of prices. Nowadays, it's hard to say you'd get what you paid for. The Asians have become very adept at building precise quality instruments for next to nothing and importers, wholesalers and super market like outlets have, because of competition chosen to hand those deep discounts to the end user. Some European and American builders still make unique instruments but some just sell the "Made in..." sticker for a premium.
Fender has been often criticized because their Jap editions seem to turn out better musical instruments. I had to return an all American Tele twice and finally found my happiness with a Mexican Tele for a quarter of the price.
Gettin' what you pay for is a thing of the past.
Buying here, you will most likely pay top dollar for the not so great instruments. From what I seem to have seem in Santo Domingo thou, there are some "Spanish"-style guitar builders around...
As some have mentioned, stores like Plaza Lama and similar sometimes carry a few acoustics and electric sets... I would also not be surprised to see PriceMart carrying them around Christmas time as Costco does regularly around that time.
... J-D.
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I can't believe their prices... I just ordered a Macaferi copy acoustic... guitars which even as copies and imitations traded well over USD 500.oo, when available at all.
Thanks for the link!
... J-D.
PS: I'll let everybody know if it arrives here in one piece and what the reaction at the customs was (using Transexpress/Vimenca).
Wow!
Perhaps I spoke too soon. This actually looks like a pretty good guitar, and seems to be made from quality materials.
I'd be interested in knowing how it sounds.
Please keep us posted.
Vince.
Perhaps I spoke too soon. This actually looks like a pretty good guitar, and seems to be made from quality materials.
I'd be interested in knowing how it sounds.
Please keep us posted.
Vince.
Yup! That's the one... I only hope Transexpress won't convert it into a Gypsy WAFER on the way on down here! :surprised
Actually these guitars were never Gypsy made. Maccaferri and Selmer, two French guitar makers in the 30's developed that style and it was only later associated with Gypsy swing... a spin off of Manoush Swing and later Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and non-Gypsy violinist Stephane Grappelli (Hot Club de France) styles, with Reinhardt playing the "pettite bouche" (small mouth) model (which is what I ordered) and his brother the D-hole models. They are essentially Spanish style acoustics with steel strings.
Luthier (hand-) built copies now sell in the thousands or Euros. Commercial imitations used to sell in the USD 600 and up range... so, we'll see what we'll get for one-ninety-nine-ninety-nine.
... J-D.
I am looking at the links and I have serious doubts that this guitar will hold up well in a tropical climate, assuming the owner does not have a way to keep it in an air conditioned environment.
I am not an expert on wood, but I suspect the cedar top will have difficulty holding its shape in high humidity.
Also I have yet to see a steel string guitar with a trapeeze style tailpiece that can stay in tune in any climate.
If I get a chance to play one of these I would be very pleased if I discovered I was wrong, but to date have never seen a $200 guitar that was good for anything but an ornament.
I am not an expert on wood, but I suspect the cedar top will have difficulty holding its shape in high humidity.
Also I have yet to see a steel string guitar with a trapeeze style tailpiece that can stay in tune in any climate.
If I get a chance to play one of these I would be very pleased if I discovered I was wrong, but to date have never seen a $200 guitar that was good for anything but an ornament.
Exactly because the climate conditions and the shipping risks, I'd rather try my luck with a 200 bucks axe instead of a two grand luthier's guitar.
And as I said... price is not necessarily a guarantor for a good sounding and playing instrument anymore. I have experienced that both ways. But I hand you this... yes, 200 seems little money for a reasonably playable instrument, but since it sure is purdy (unless Transexpress sandwiches it) it can still make a nice wall ornament.
I'll try to post truthfully about the experience once I'll have it.
... J-D.
Anyone know where to get guitar, piano or voice lessons in Santo Domingo?
Anyone know where to get guitar, piano or voice lessons in Santo Domingo?Ideally in English.
Anyone know where to get guitar, piano or voice lessons in Santo Domingo?Ideally in English.
in SD
The name of the street you were looking for in SD is 30 de Marzo . I think, up from Independencia, along with Claro. At least that is one street with several music stores on it.
I bought a decent little classical there.made in Spain finished in PR..for about $100 after my Taylor was stolen (sob sob sob) ...
There should be a good supply of high end classicals in this country since they both study and teach guitar at the masters level
I know nothing of electric or even steel strings since I play thumb and finger picking and just cannot even get a sound out of steel....
I have to go and get new strings soon so will report back
The name of the street you were looking for in SD is 30 de Marzo . I think, up from Independencia, along with Claro. At least that is one street with several music stores on it.
I bought a decent little classical there.made in Spain finished in PR..for about $100 after my Taylor was stolen (sob sob sob) ...
There should be a good supply of high end classicals in this country since they both study and teach guitar at the masters level
I know nothing of electric or even steel strings since I play thumb and finger picking and just cannot even get a sound out of steel....
I have to go and get new strings soon so will report back
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