A Closer Look

Teodoro Perez are renowned for their high end guitars. The Estudio C-650 is a mere fraction of the price. So how is it that they’re able to produce instruments at this price point?

Well, it’s no secret really. Teodoro Perez do not hide the fact that these guitars are made in another workshop in Spain.

“Wait, no! I refuse to buy it based on this malicious deception.”

Hold on a minute. If you allow that thought to dismiss this guitar, it will be doing you a great disservice.

The vast majority of studio grade guitars made in Spain are made in larger guitar factories rather than small bespoke workshops. Most smaller workshops simply don’t have the facilities to produce enough studio grade guitars to be financially viable. The choice is therefore to design a guitar and have it made in a larger facility or have no studio range whatsoever.

The design of the guitar is an original by Teodoro Perez. Whilst the manufacture is done by a trusted partner in Spain, the final set up of the nut and saddle are still done by the same hands in the Teodoro Perez workshop in Madrid that are responsible for their high end concert guitars. This ensures all Teodoro Perez guitars have been properly set up by an expert luthier and no guitar leaves the workshop until it has been approved by the man whose name is written inside the box.

This compromise is what allows Teodoro Perez to produce their vision and original design for an affordable studio grade guitar in a way which is sustainable.

If you’re put off by the notion that this guitar is not built from scratch in the Teodoro Perez workshop, we recommend you take a look at Antonio Picado guitars instead. These are all made in house at the Picado workshop in Barcelona. However, if you don’t mind where the guitar is made but just want an instrument of great quality, read on…

Playability

On the surface, this is another traditionally set up Spanish guitar.

Scale length? 650mm as standard. Nut width? 52mm as standard. Action? 4mm on the low end, with just under 3mm on the top. All pretty typical stuff. Not that we should expect or demand anything different for a guitar of this type.

The shape of the neck is also very typical of a guitar that has roots in Spain (and has been crafted there too; no outsourcing to the East or elsewhere). A gentle C shape with enough mass to give confidence in the longevity of the instrument (no risk of warping here), but not so much as to feel unwieldy in the hands.

This all comes together to produce a guitar which is easy to play and will be very familiar to anybody who has experience with traditional Spanish classical guitars.

However, lets take a moment and stop geeking out with action measurements, scale length, nut widths and string spacing for a moment.

What struck me most about playing the Estudio C-650 is how easy it is to produce a great tone from this instrument. Yes, physically it plays like most other Spanish studio guitars which is no bad thing, but actually producing music feels incredibly easy. It feels as though the sound is desperate to be released from the guitar rather than having to be coaxed out with the deftness of one’s technique. Players who are seeking a guitar which sings musically with minimal technical finesse will find the Estudio C-650 to be a highly attractive option.

Tone

Warm and resonant with a shimmering finish to accompany every note. A well polished, rounded tone with ample volume when called upon. Clear trebles with the same ‘singing’ character you expect to hear from a comparably priced José Ramirez guitar (which are also outsourced to another Spanish workshop), but with a tad more richness and depth in the lower end.

The overall tone is typically ‘cedar’ in nature. The richness of tone makes for great fun exploring the most expressive styles of playing, while the shape of each note is beautifully rounded. The C-650 performs that magic trick of which only cedar tops seem to be capable; dampening nail clicks and softening the edges of each note. It’s like having a very good studio engineer edit out the bad bits of your playing (but live rather than in post-production). The result is a rather well polished tone that’s really quite beautiful and will be especially welcomed by those in search of a warm toned, full bodied guitar which doesn’t take years of technical training to produce. This is in stark contrast to some guitars which have bags of potential, but make you work very hard to drag it out of the instrument.

Of course, when demoed side by side, you’ll notice that the C-650 doesn’t have the out and out power of a full blown concert guitar. However given the moderate price tag, this would be rather a big ask of a guitar which bills itself as a ‘studio’ grade guitar in the first place. That being said, there is plenty of volume there when called upon for most applications. If you’re upgrading from a lower end studio guitar, the C-650 has more than enough power and projection for you to notice a significant difference and you certainly won’t feel short changed. Only those accustomed to high end concert guitars would dare to say this is underpowered.

Conclusion

This guitar does everything a good cedar topped studio guitar should do at this price point in an articulate and polished manner. In terms of studio guitars, the Estudio C-650 appears to have everything you could realistically ask for.

It excels in working with you to produce superb tone with minimal effort. Highly recommended for those seeking a traditional classical guitar tone but perhaps have not had the benefit of experience with nylon strings until now. The Estudio C-650 flattens the learning curve to produce great tone right out of the box, it’s just there.

At this price, only workshop vs factory snobbery will stop you from acquiring an instrument that is expressive and rich with excellent singing qualities capable of elevating your playing to new heights.