This is a follow up to my initial entry on this little beauty.
I have owned and played extensively on an LR-5A PT for nearly two years now, and since my initial review of this guitar still gets a fair number of regular views (and there still doesn’t seem to be much by way of accessible information out there about this really good mid-level offering from Alhambra), I thought I’d chase it up with this more seasoned evaluation.
As I anticipated would happen when I first played this guitar, it has aged rather gracefully. The top, which always had a decent ability to project, has retained both that power and the ringing quality it imparts to the high trebles, and the dry, slightly thumping bass notes. I have played in large spaces with it and been quite happy with its sound, and alongside other, more advanced instruments in ensemble situations, and found it up to the task in terms of having enough volume and sustain. It has a nice, balanced separation across all registers, too. But those are characteristics it always had, which I knew would only get better with time. What is quite exceptional is the complexity and range of colours it has developed in the last couple of years. I mostly use high tension composite strings, and even with Savarez Alliances’ very bright 1st E, it’s easy enough to get a full, rich, and even mellifluous tone when I want one. Hats off to Alhambra for living up to their usual standards and using a very good piece of spruce for the top!
For the rest, I can say that this guitar has done very well for me. The build quality is classic Alhambra, i.e., strong, resilient, and reasonably well-finished. I have taken it on the road with me through a number of trips within India, as well as a few jaunts out to northern Europe and South East Asia, and through all that it has seen a lot of both land and air travel, baggage handling, and exposure to widely varying conditions, including high and low humidity and temperatures, strong sunshine, and both extensive air conditioning and indoor heating. The wood has stayed healthy through it all, the joins and glued bits are as good as ever, the frets are still in great shape and haven’t needed resetting, and the tough lacquer finish remains an effective seal against the elements.
On balance, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that within Alhambra’s rather long lineup of mid-level guitars, ranging from the 4P through to the 11P, the LR-5A PT is perhaps the best value for money of the lot. True, it doesn’t sound quite as good as the 11P, but it costs about half, and it sounds better than most of the others in the lineup (including the lower-spec all-solid models). I’m not sure why the PT (Pepe Toldo) sound port modification hasn’t received more press, because it has turned an otherwise unremarkable student guitar into an instrument that’s quite at home on stage and in the recording studio.
With that being said, it seems Alhambra’s days of unchallenged dominance in the upper end of the Indian market are running out. Backed by Kenny Hill’s world-renowned expertise, Martinez are all set to enter the fray in India this year, and they’ll give Alhambra a very serious run for their money, even if only because quality being comparable, their prices are far better. Spanish-made seems to come at a premium, for mostly emotional reasons. It remains to be seen how many new Alhambras will come to festivals and competitions in coming years…but what am I saying? This is an ode to a good and well-priced guitar, not a commentary on the best deals to be found in the Indian guitar market. The Alhambra LR-5A PT is a heck of an instrument. If you want something that’s Spanish-made for under US $1500, that sounds good, and is robust enough for harsh conditions like in many parts of India, look no further.
The Well-Tempered Guitar 