LAPATRIE 0432 Details
Nestled in the forests of the Eastern Townships in Québec, Canada, there is a small village named LaPatrie. What started as a small luthier shop in 1982 has evolved into a village of guitar builders. Today there are over 200 people in LaPatrie dedicated to the art of hand crafting guitars. in honour of that tradition, our line of classical guitars has been named after the village where they were created.
The LaPatrie Series of classical guitars consists of five models. The Motif, Etude, Presentation, Concert and the Collection. All LaPatrie guitars are crafted from top quality tone woods to produce instruments of exceptional resonance and structural integrity.
800 Year Old Trees
All LaPatrie guitars feature solid cedar tops. The wood used in these tops can be found only in cedar trees that have an average age of about 800 years. The tight, straight grain in this wood makes it strong in the direction of the string tension while at the same time flexible across the grain lines. It is this combination of rigidity and flexibility that give the top its resonance. The vibration of the guitar top is the most crucial element of the sound.
Lacquer Finish
LaPatrie guitars are finished with a special lacquer formula. This finish is light enough to allow the wood to breath and vibrate freely. The tops resonating capacity actually improves as the guitar is played over an extended period of time. This gradual improvement in the response of the top is often referred to as "aging". Poly finishes inhibit top vibration and are therefore never used on LaPatrie guitars. Many other guitars use a thick plastic finish that smothers top vibration and prevents the benefits of aging.
Classics that are comfortable to play
Classical guitars of the past have typically been made with thick neck dimensions, while this promoted a certain amount of neck stability, it often made certain playing aspects difficult to execute. It is for this reason that special attention was directed to the neck design of the LaPatrie guitars. Neck width and string spacing conform to classical standards, but a new truss rod system allows the profile of the neck to be reduced producing a neck of extraordinary comfort, while increasing stability. The LaPatrie necks are carved from Honduras mahogany. All LaPatrie models feature a rosewood fingerboard and bridge.
Concert
The Concert is the top-of-the-line of the mahogany/cedar models. The Concert receives eight coats of lacquer that are buffed down to a highly responsive high gloss finish. This special process takes eight days to complete.
Solid cedar top,
mahogany back & sides (laminate),
2-3/32" nut width,
mahogany neck w/rosewood fretboard,
rosewood bridge w/compensated saddle, 25-1/2" scale,
gold "lyra" style tuners w/pearloid buttons,
high gloss finish.
LAPATRIE 0425
RATING:
| Sound Quality |
10 | |
| Features |
10 | |
| Ease Of Use |
10 | |
| Value |
10 | |
| Reliability |
10 | |
| Overall |
10 | |
This is my first experience purchasing from musiciansbuy and the service was excellent and the item was shipped promptly and arrived in perfect condition. I studied classical guitar and have owned some lovely guitars over the past 20 years. The quality of this Concert is astounding and it is flawless. The neck is mahogany and has a light satin finish that reminds me of the chunky necks Gibson used on their vintage Les Pauls, which were a joy to play. Not too chunky and not too thin is the best way to describe it. The fingerboard consist of nice big slab of rosewood and each fret is properly dressed and sits parallel to the others. There is no buzzing on any fret and it plays easy. The cedar top is nicely bookmatched as is the mahogany back and sides. The shiny lacquer finish is flawless as is the binding and joints. The sound projection is excellent and the bass notes sound full and have a great deal of sustain. The treble strings are crisp and exhibit incredible warmth and smoothness. The balance between strings is what makes it exceptional. Great projection and warmth is how I would describe it. The guitar came with a checklist for quality control and one can feel the structural quality and integrity that went into bulding this instrument - when you play it. I think this is one of the nicest sounding classical guitars I have played and no doubt rivals instruments costing many times as much. I am impressed. I am rating this guitar a straight 10 since I don't think there is anything under thousand dollars that can touch it and the neck is nothing short of remarkable. One of the main factors for me in purchasing it was the lacquer finish, instead of poly finishes, which seem to be quite common on guitars today. Truly a great find. I would love to purchase a flamenco guitar from this company if they ever build one.
-Cliff
-Oklahoma, 11/19/06
LAPATRIE 0425
RATING:
| Sound Quality |
10 | |
| Features |
9 | |
| Ease Of Use |
9 | |
| Value |
10 | |
| Reliability |
9 | |
| Overall |
10 | |
It's a great guitar and the best guitar u can get under 1000 bucks! I paid 370$ can. for my new La Patrie and to say the least, I've played 10,000$ guitars and this one ranks amoung them at the peak of perfection. I play mainly metal (pantera, Metallica, etc...) and love Gibson SG's and classical is faily new to me but I already can see this is a great investment, especially considering I'm only 15! Affordable amazing quality.
-TR
-Ontario, 03/12/07
LaPatrie Concert Quantum EQ
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