Classical, Spanish & South American Guitar Jewels

I agree with Tostados' preference for Fleta over Smallman. But how often do you get to hear a master play in a small room without amplification? (answer: virtually never.) The modern "loud" guitars (e.g. Smallman) don't seem to have quite the same beauty of tone as more traditional designs They are designed for projection in big auditoriums. I don't really understand why Williams would play a Smallman on record. Perhaps he agrees with Jerry Garcia, on The Pizza Tapes, where he said, "Louder is better. On this planet, louder's better."

I like almost everything by John Williams, Michael Chapdelaine, Elliot Fisk, Laurindo Almeida, Joe Pass... there are many great players.

Tostados, I guess I am deprived. I live in Houston, and amplification is usually used to augment the sound; invariably used in large venues where the big names tend to play. It's not intrusive, but they certainly don't use tube amps, and it's not quite the same as all acoustic. The local guitar society gets a few players to come play in a Unitarian chapel where you can sit close enough to get only direct acoustic sound; heard Barrueco that way, a real treat. I think even Segovia and Parkening, when playing Jones Hall (where the symphony performs, it's fairly large), had some sound reinforcement. Neither ever used a modern, loud guitar, afaik.

PTSS, thanks for the responses. You may be right, I had not thought of it in those terms. Volume, especially fortissimo passages, has always been the problem with classical guitar, which is unsurpassed at the other end of the spectrum. "Stonger" guitars are made now with double tops (with a nomex core) or elaborate bracing systems and a very thin top, all intended to produce more volume. But most players would say that it's a trade-off and that such guitars do not have quite the same delicacy of tone and balance that more traditional designs may have.

Tostados, thanks. I just saw the mikes hanging from the ceiling, must not have been hooked up. It was a great concert.

Yes, now that you mention it, there was a lot of coughing at that concert. Segovia did his routine of glaring at the audience until it quieted down a little.