BARTOLEX 10-String Classical Harp Guitar

Cedar Top, Cutaway, Fishman Presys Pickup!!!

Bartolex
SLC10CEL
10-String Guitar

Up for your consideration is a Bartolex 10-String classical harp guitar, with hardshell case. This brand new guitar is the model SLC10CEL, which features lattice bracing, a solid cedar top, laminated Indian Rosewood back & sides, cutaway, and a Fishman Presys pickup system. This guitar has concert-lever acoustic sound and cosmetics, yet it is still very affordable -- unlike custom-made luthier guitars. In addition, the amplified sound is also quite wonderful, and the cutaway allows for playing in crossover styles with increased access to the higher notes. So here is a great opportunity to get this wonderful new 10-string guitar right away, with a full 3-day Satisfaction Guarantee / 1 year warranty -- without having to wait or place an expensive custom order!!!

Click HERE for 1270 DPI Hi-resolution photos of the guitar. The photos and sound files are of the actual guitar you will receive.

Bartolex is by far and away the world's leading multi-string guitar, with a proven track record of over 500 multi-string guitars made. The company is headed by Madrid-based luthier and guitarist Neris Gonzales (Click here for my Cathedral Guitar Interview with Neris), with production based in a high-quality Artisian Workshop in China. The result is a great guitar design with very high-quality tonewoods and workmanship, at an affordable price. Click here for additional Bartolex reviews 1 | 2 | 3 | 4. The sound, both acoustically and recorded, is phenomenal. I personally am endorsing Bartolex 10-string guitars and am selling them on eBay and through Bartolex USA, because I have already played hundreds of gigs on my own Bartolex guitars, and I'm continually astounded at how good these guitars are. This guitar is the answer to my personal dream of having a quality 10-string guitar in standard production, at an affordable price -- and maybe it will be for you as well.

I have played and owned dozens of multi-string classical guitars, and this instrument rivals, equals or surpasses most luthier-built guitars in the 3k - 6k range. This guitar has a AAA-grade solid cedar top, laminated East Indian Rosewood back & Sides, ebony fretboard, and creates a beautifully-balanced Spanish sound with nice trebles, deep basses, and excellent resonance and sympathetic sustain. The low bass response is particularly good on these guitars. Many low A strings sound weak and tubby, but the Bartolex lattice bracing design ensures a wonderful balance across all registers, and creates a very even response all the way down to low A.

STRINGS
I have the guitar tuned in Romantic tuning, a standard 10-string tuning where 1-6 is normal, and 7-10 descend step-wise: 7=D, 8=C, 9=B, 10 =A. Strings By Mail has a great selection of 10-string sets and can put together custom sets for you at a discount over individual strings. Several excellent string manufacturers offer 10-string sets, including D'Addario, Hannabach, and Savarez. LaBella also makes a 10-string set but I do not recommend it, because the low basses are too weak.

GUITAR SPECS:
* Model: SRC10CEL
* Serial # 010105278
* Top: Solid Cedar
* Saddle/Nut: Bone
* Fretboard: Ebony
* Finish: Lacquer
* Scale: 650 mm
* Nut Width: 85 mm
* 12th Fret width: 100 mm
* STRING SPACING
@ Nut = 77mm o.c.
@ fret 12 = 89 mm o.c.
@ bridge = 102mm o.c.
* NECK DEPTH
@ fret 1: 19mm
@ fret 7: 20mm
* ACTION
@ String 1 = 3.5 mm
@ String 10 =4.5 mm
* Dot markers @ Fret 7, 12
* Fishman Presys Pickup
* Silk-Lined Hardshell case
* 1 Year Warranty
* Made in China

SOUNDFILES
Here are 18 quick, 1-take stereo MP3s of this specific guitar, recorded using a pair of SAMAR / AKG C1000S microphones, into Undertone Audio MPEQ-1 preamps, using a Metric Halo ULN-8 converter, into Logic. This is straight, pure signal with no EQ or effects. This guitar is very easy to record, and would make an excellent 10-string guitar for eather a classical CD, or for recording nylon-string guitar tracks in any musical style:

1 | Resonance Test
(Showing the guitar's excellent Sympathetic Resonance)

2 | Corn Yards
(Scottish Renaissance)

3 | Joy To the Person
(English Renaissance)

4 | Texas Boogie
(Original composition)

5 | Se A Mi Acorgo (Italian Renaissance)

6 | Packington's Pound (English Renaissance)

7 | The Third Tune (Thomas Tallis, with improvisations)

8 | Pavan #1 (Luis Milan,
Spanish Renaissance)

9 | Kelly's Song
(Original composition)

10 | From The Beginning (Emerson, Lake, and Palmer)

11 | Bianca Fiore
(Italian Renaissance)

12 | In Christ Alone
(Contemporary Hymn)

13 | Wachsa Mesa
(Neusidler, Renaissance)

14 | Kemp's Jig
(English Renaissance)

15 | Take 5
(Brubeck, Jazz)

16 | Prelude in Dm
(J.S. Bach, Baroque)

17 | Bouree in Em
(J.S. Bach, Baroque)

18 | Jazz Blues
(Jazz standard)

In short, this guitar is a great concert and/or recording guitar for any intermediate to advanced-level player, and it would make a great guitar for classical concerts, recitals, local gigs, as well as recording studio projects. It is also the ideal guitar for first getting into the world of Multi-String guitars, as it is a relatively affordable, easy-to-play, and a great-sounding instrument.

“Its been about seven months since I purchased my first Bartolex SLS10CEL 10-string, and I still can't put it down. The craftsmanship is breathtaking, and the tone is amazing. I strongly recommend this guitar to anyone who's considering purchasing a 10-string. This guitar has added much enjoyment in my life!” -- Heath Hartfiel
Austin, Texas

Read more TESTIMONIALS here

RESOURCES
My website Cathedral Guitar has a lot of info on multi-string guitars; I run an internet radio station on multi-string guitars and lutes, called 10-String Radio; I moderate a 300-member 10-String Yahoo Group on the subject, and am working on an instructional website, 10-string.com. Gregg Minor has a blog entry on Bartolex Guitars. James R. Smith has an excellent intoductory article to the world of multi-strings, here.

TEACHERS
If you need a teacher to help you adapt to the 10-string guitar, you can check this list here. Also, if you will be playing mostly lute music on the 10-string, I strongly recommend taking lessons from a lute player, if you can find one. If you want online lessons, I highly recommend the 10-String guitarist Perf De Castro, who is both an excellent musician and a wonderful teacher, and he offers private 10-string guitar lessons via the internet.

CLASSICAL HARP GUITAR
This guitar type is a relative of the Harp Guitar family also known as the Fretted Harp Guitar. It has one big advantage over the other harp guitar types in that the frets extend across the entire neck, and can be played with a capo -- and be quickly transposed into a variety of different keys, which is especially helpful when accompanying singers. This is, of course, impossible on a regular harp guitar with floating strings. Custom capos are made by Shubb (ask for the Pinnochio model), and also by Phill Elliott.

SHIPPING & TERMS
Insured USA and International FedEx Ground is $40, and I do accept PayPal. Thanks for looking. Please ask questions before bidding. Satisfaction Guaranteed!!! This auction is for one Bartolex SLC10CEL 10-string classical harp guitar and hardshell case. No other accessories are included.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
If you are not happy with the guitar for any reason, simply return it within 3 days for a full refund (buyer pays shipping).

PLEASE CHECK OUT my other 10-string Cathedral Guitars in my Current eBay Auctions, and also see and hear several of my 10-string guitars that have Recently Sold on eBay.

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