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altamira m vs altamira m01
chrdiz
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hey im new to the site and i want to ask your opinion on which of these 2 guitars are better and more value for money. i have heard that the maple on the back and sides in the m model is more aggresive than the m01 which has rosewood back and sides that provides more refined sound.So do you think that the m01 model is superior of the m? or the opposite?
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Unless you are a long time player from other styles, you might not be able to discern the differences between the tonewoods at first. By that, I mean a guitar will sound like a guitar to you. You might try to go to Guitar Center or music store to find maple vs rosewood guitars of similar build. They won't necessarily sound like Altamiras, but they might give you an idea of the color differences between the tonewoods. Or you could try to listen to videos such as the ones Michael makes here or the ones on Altamira's website. No better substitute for hearing them in person though.
Altamira makes nice guitars in that range and they'll certainly give you the Django sound you're looking for while you develop the technique and chops. By the time you want to get your own luthier-built guitar, you'll probably have played a bunch and know what woods you like best. (Full disclosure: I had an Altamira M-10 and enjoyed playing it for ~6 years but I haven't played either the M or the M01.)
I doubt there would be much difference between the two in sound. These, like many factory guitars are heavily lacquered and the laminates used would probably have any subtle tonal qualities smothered anyway. If the back and sides were solid rather than laminated there would be a difference but often I suspect people hear what they want to hear, ie their imagination is tricked by prior expectations. In all other details they are the same. I have an M-01 which I am very happy with, but I would suggest the choice is mainly a matter of cosmetic preference. Great guitars for the price though.
Thanks very much for the recommendations! although in my country there are not manouche guitars available in stores i will try classical guitars instead to realise maybe what i like more. I play gypsy jazz on acoustic and classical guitars so i dont really know how these type of guitars should sound as a classical guitar player
Of course they sound very different to other type of steel string or classical guitars but there are many examples on YouTube as well as Michael's demonstrations on each page of the guitars for sale section on this site, so you may be able to get a better idea from those. But as I always say on these discussions 90% of the tone arrived at comes from the player rather than the instrument; how hard you attack and where you pick relative to the soundhole or bridge as well as the choice of pick and string gauges make all the difference. I have seen video of great players using cheap guitars and they still sound great, there is one out there of Angelo Debarre with a regular dreadnought in someone's back room, but yes, back to the point, the Altamira is probably the best choice for someone new to the genre and it will serve you well until one day maybe you decide to pay a lot more for a specific luthier made guitar that is made to the specs you require.
thank you very much man, really helpful suggestions.
The vast majority of the traditional Selmer type guitars are rosewood. The maple neck vs. walnut neck (on the rosewood guitars) might make a difference. To my ear, the rosewood guitars might have a bit more bright attack.
what do you mean by "walnut neck"? isnt it mahogany on both?
Oh, sorry, I'm thinking about more traditional European makers.
so you would say that rosewood is superior to maple in general?
There's no superiority between the two, it depends on what your ear prefers. Maple and rosewood are both great options. The rosewood model costs $150 more than the maple model new.
Here's 2 YouTube comparison videos, same guy playing each guitar. Decide for yourself.
M01 / Rosewood:
M / Maple: