La Patrie Guitar, Concert

Excellent and superbly crafted guitar for a reasonable price. I'm hoping that the tone and resonance will mellow with age, they should. The attention to small details is remarkable. The binding and purfling are well done and very aesthetic. The finish luthier signed his name with the documentation that came with the guitar. One can tell there's a lot of Canadian pride that goes into making these guitars! I was looking for medium priced knock around guitar but found this to be much more than that.

There was a fret buzz on the 5th string up and down the neck. I tried different strings. I took it to a luthier for an adjustment. La Patrie Customer Support only sent me instructions on adjusting the neck, when I already knew there was a different issue. No matter what adjustments were made, the Luthier and I could not get the first guitar to play correctly. I sent it back and received another one. The second guitar had been sent out to another customer. I could tell by its packaging, string tension, and the condition of the strings. I could tell that the sixth string coil was starting to separate and fray at the saddle. It had a dead sound to it. The first guitar with bad intonation was actually an improvement. I sent the second guitar back the day it came.I have had great experiences with La Patrie in the past. After sending the second Guitar back, Amazon took care of the returns and made it easy. My next step was to try a cordoba, this should have been my first step!

This a good guitar for the money. It doesn't have the projection or treble response of a more expensive guitar, but it is scarcely alone in that. It's a good "beater" guitar or one for a beginner. I keep this one around so I don't have to take my much more expensive one out of the house.The fretboard has a slight radius which makes it a bit easier to play for many (including me). Standard spanish guitar construction calls for a flat fretboard. The neck on mine measures 51mm at the nut, which is within the normal range for spanish guitars, which are generally around 50 to 54mm. The neck has an adjustable truss rod, which is a plus... many more expensive instruments don't have one.I had no setup problems with mine, it had the string height and neck relief adjusted fine from the factory. No string buzzes at all.

A lovely guitar! I bought this at a local shop, but the quality is high enough so it should be safe buying this online, too.Solid cedar top, solid mahogany sides, beautiful fit and finish (if you don't mind the rounded heel and the seam at the back where the white plastic lining meets itself). Then there's the truss rod and rivet-reinforced bridge (no flying bridges that plagued a number of Cordoba models). A sign-off card by the technicians at La Patrie, Quebec (yes, Canada, not China) who worked on it gives confidence in the quality.The Godin normal tension strings that came with it are just OK, and sound and feel like the ubiquitous D'Addario EJ45. But Savarez 540 R strings REALLY make this guitar sing! (Don't bother with the high tension 500 CJ—they choke the tone.)The fingerboard has a 24" radius, and this can make finding a suitable capo difficult. I haven't found one that works yet. Mine came with a 4 mm sixth string height at the 12th fret, which is too high for me. I bought a new tusq saddle from Graphtec, and lowered the action to a tad below 3 mm by filing the saddle and adjusting the truss rod 1/8 CW. YMMV, but I think almost all new guitars will need proper action setup to fit the player's hands and the guitar's fret height clearance.

I was very happy to find this instrument, built in North America instead of Korea, and I have not been disappointed. I did have to file down the saddle to achieve the correct string height of 1/8" at 12th fret, but, other than that adjustment, the instrument plays well, and the build and material quality is first class. I have been a hobby guitarist for 40+years, so I have had my hands on many instruments over the years, both acoustic and electric. Finding a quality classical under $1000 is tough, but this is a winner. I highly recommend it. The Tric case was a disappointment. It didn't fit the guitar, and also the stop-strap was too long and so strained the upper hinge when the case was fully opened, causing it to come unglued from the channel in the case top. The workmanship on the Tric case was a bit sloppy and I ditched it recently for a Silver Creek classical case, which is far better in both quality and fit.

I have owned a La Patrie Concert now for about a year, and while I did not purchase it from Amazon, I felt that it deserved a review. I am not a pro, but advanced guitarist of 22 years who enjoys playing many different styles of guitar. I was looking for a mid-range classical that would fit the bill. Having played many different brands and also knowing about woods and quality craftsmanship (woodworking is my other hobby), I decided on the La Patrie for both tone and quality. But the company went beyond my expectations on playability as well, with the introduction of their truss system (not typical in classicals). I have been very pleased, and now recommend these, as well as the Seagulls (same company) to all of my friends.Bottom line is this. It's not a Ramarez or Yairi, or a pro quality in the upper thousands range certainly, but it is a fantastic mid-quality instrument well worth more than what it is priced for (especially when compared to some of the usual big name brands in this class). So if you are looking for a great classical/nylon string to broaden your horizons and you aren't quite sure you're ready to spend the big bucks, or you are a student looking for a great starter, you owe it to yourself to check this instrument out. You won't be disappointed.

the grain of the cedar top is very fine and gives a warm and rich tone.I think the top has better quality than any guitar under $1000. It's very close to if not as good as some expensive ones like Rodriguez FC or Alhambra 9P.The finger board is narrower than traditional classical guitar, which I don't like very much. But it could be favored by those with small hands.