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La Patrie Classical Guitars
La Patrie classical guitars are named after the small village in Quebec where the guitars are built. Robert Godin started his guitar business over 25 years ago and now has five production plants in Canada and the USA. They manufacture the Godin, Seagull, Art Lutherie, Norman and La Patrie ranges of guitar. In La Patrie there are now in excess of 200 people hand crafting the range of five La Patrie classical guitar models including the popular La Patrie CW Concert guitar. Affordable QualityWhenever I've seen a Robert Godin guitar I'm always struck by the build quality.Prices of these guitars are very competitive when you consider the finish, build and playing quality. All La Patrie classicals, the Motif, Etude, Presentation, Concert and Collection come with solid cedar tops.
Old WoodThe tops of La Patrie guitars are made from cedar trees with an average age of eight hundred years. It's this age of wood that has the straight, tight grain that's ideal for a guitar top and gives it the quality that makes for a good instrument.A top has to be strong in the direction of the string tension but flexible across the grain. It's this combination that dictates how well the top will resonate. The most important contribution to a classical guitar's sound is this resonance. Playing ComfortIt's a common complaint that some classical guitars have thick neck dimensions and are uncomfortable to play. Traditionally classical guitars don't employ truss rods for strength like steel strung guitars and need this extra neck profile for strength and stability. However the La Patrie classical guitars like Giannini guitars use a truss rod design to enable a much smaller neck profile while retaining the standard classical guitar neck width and string spacing. This makes for a stable but comfortable neck.Let It BreathAn important issue with all classical guitars is the lacquer finish. A lot of guitars in the low to mid price range are finished with a thick plastic “lacquer” which inhibits the benefits of ageing and the top's vibration.La Patrie classical guitars are finished with a specially formulated lacquer finish which allows the top to breath and to age properly. The resonating capacity of the guitar's top improves as the instrument is played over a long period of time.
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