We’ve been struggling to maintain stock levels of Fylde guitars recently as they’ve become so very popular (I can hear the violins playing for us). Roger is inundated with orders and, although he tries to send as many as he can our way, he only has the capacity to build so many instruments per year and, as he won’t skimp on quality to make guitars more quickly (we’re very glad to say), we just have to wait our turn. Anyway, our patience has been rewarded and this very afternoon three boxes turned up on our doorstep. One was an Alexander which is already spoken for (someone had the foresight to reserve that one). The other two are available to buy (but I doubt for long) - an Orsino for £1795 and a Goodfellow for £1595. If you want one then contact us quick - they’ll be snapped up quickly!
We’ve just had a couple of new shipments of Classical guitars direct from Spain so we’ve used the opportunity to update the website and increase the number of instruments you can peruse. Here at Forsyths we have one of the best selections of classical guitars in the North West with a range that encompasses student instruments for the absolute beginner from £50 up to the finest of handmade instruments suitable for professional use and concert performance. We have in excess of 60 different models on display in our showroom and all are available to try on request.
The first batch of new arrivals come from our long time favourite Spanish makers - Burguet. The shipment included their newest model the ‘Basic’ an all solid instrument with East Indian rosewood back and sides and either a cedar or spruce top with some innovative design features - all for £899! Bargain. We’ve also received new stocks of the lovely mid-level 2M for £1699 and the professional quality 1A for £2850. You can see these (and much more) on the burguet page.
The other new arrivals are from one of our longest standing classical ranges - Antonio Sanchez. These guitars have been made in Antonio’s factory in Paterna, Valencia for the best part of thirty years. Although the factory has an enormous capacity they have managed the difficult task of balancing quality control with value for money and they produce everything from extremely playable and unexpensive student instruments (like the model 1008 for £349) up to solid wood and hand made instruments. Antonio himself still makes guitars and produces a few stunning instruments each year. Anyway, in honour of our new arrivals we’ve finally got round to making a dedicated Sanchez webpage. Please visit and see the wonders therein!
As you’ve probably seen we get the occasional tasty second hand guitar or two, well, just this week we’ve got hold of a glut and not just of any brand of guitar, oh no, these are guitars by those titans of acoustic instrumentation; C. F. Martin & Co. Three new old instruments for your delectation:
First up, a 2007 HD-28V (pictured left) in excellent condition, a little buckle rash on the back but otherwise spotless, with its deluxe case £1999.
Secondly a 2006 D-28 this one in mint condition with its original case and an L. R. Baggs active pickup system fitted £1599.
Thirdly a 2002 000M in good condition, the odd dink and scrape here and there, also with its original case (in a sorrier state than the guitar) £569.
You can have a closer look on our Martin guitar page.
These three are in addition to the two beautiful vintage instruments we already have available - a 1969 D-28 and a 1947 0-17 - details of those on the Martin page too.
As a special Christmas treat Rickenbacker have seen fit to grace us with a model so rare that the last delivery of them was more than 5 years ago. Now 5 of them have been delivered and we are blessed to be one of the lucky recipients of these unusual beasts! I give you the Rickenbacker 660-12 string. The body is made from premium figured maple and this particular model has a gorgeous deep rich fireglo burst topped off with that lovely checkered binding. The real big difference with this model, beside the cosmetic, is the wider than usual 44.45mm nut. Compared to the 41.4mm that’s standard on most Rickenbackers (6 and 12 string!) it makes this fellow a joy to play! Lo! I can fit my fingers into any chord shape and pluck individual pairs of strings without catching the ones either side. If ever you’ve been put off by the neccesity of having miniscule fingers to play a Ricky 12 string then this is the model for you. It’s also utterly beautiful, sounds chime-tastic and will be the envy of all your Rickenbacker loving friends (of which I have many). SOLD
Here at Forsyths we have been working hard over the last few years to improve the quality of our acoustic guitar section and we’re now in the position of having probably the best selection of acoustic guitars in the North of England. The part of our fine acoustic section we’re most proud of is our unrivalled selection of British made instruments. We are currently main dealers for Lowden, Fylde, Patrick James Eggle, Atkin and Moon and we’re looking to increase the range of British acoustics in the new year. We work closely with each of these makers to have a good selection from each brand in the shop at any given time and we’re always happy to discuss your requirements if there is a particular model or specification you require. Our extremely knowledgeable sales staff are always happy to talk you through the different ranges by email, phone or in person in the shop and our website is kept up to date with our current stock and pictures of the actual guitars in the shop
As well as our unbeatable selection of British acoustics we have a massive range of other instruments to suit any budget or playing style from inexpensive but good quality models by Aria and Crafter, through mid-range acoustics by the like of Faith, Guild, Breedlove, Simon & Patrick, Art & Lutherie & Seagull, lovely handmade Czech instruments by Stonebridge & the Japanese master luthiers K. Yairi. We also have a good range of Taylor guitars and we are a Martin Heritage centre with everything from entry level X Series instruments to incredibly rare custom shop instruments.
And that’s just the straight acoustics! We have left-handers, twelve strings, electro-acoustics & resonators. So, whatever you are looking for it’s entirely likely that we will have something suitable and most probably in stock. We’re also always happy to answer any instrument related questions - from how to change a string to what body size or tonewoods would suit your playing style, just ask us.
Have a browse through our website, drop us an email, give us a call or pop into the shop and you can be assured that we’ll be able to find the right instrument for you and answer all your questions in a friendly & professional manner.
We’re always pleased to hear your comments about items that you’ve got from us and we were particularly pleased to receive this message from father and son Mark and Thomas who recently purchased a guitar each from us.
They said “Thanks for the 2 great guitars, Click the link below to see the guitars in action and check out our YouTube Channel.”
So here they are, with their version of The Kinks’ ‘Sunny Afternon’:
… In case you are interested the guitars Mark and Thomas bought are a Crafter CE-15 and a Breedlove Passport Plus C250.
If you have bought an instrument from us and have made a You Tube video we would love to see it. We might even post it on our blog too!
We’re very excited indeed to have become stockists for these fine hand crafted English made instruments. Patrick James Eggle has been a guiding light of the guitar making scene for over two decades and since his return to the United Kingdom a few years ago he seems likely to do the same thing for acoustic guitars as he did for electrics in the 90s. The first three arrivals are beautiful indeed and include the gorgeous maple and spruce sunburst Saluda Custom (pictured) for £3150, a rosewood and spruce Linville Custom cutaway for £2500 and a mahogany and spruce Linville standard for £2100. There are several more on order and we’re expecting these to arrive over the next few weeks, they’ll be on the website as they become available and you can see them on our Patrick James Eggle page.
A very good question, and one we’re going to have a go at tackling here and now…
What type of acoustic guitar pickup is best?
There are a few alternatives when it comes to amplifying an acoustic and they all have their pros and cons.
The most common type found on guitars with pre-installed pickups are piezo pickups fitted underneath the saddle of the guitar. Piezo acoustic guitar pickups work much like the diaphragm of a microphone, converting the back-and-forth vibration of the saddle into an electrical signal. As this signal is very weak, a pre-amp is usually used to boost the level of the signal before it leaves the guitar. Suitably amplified, piezos produce a clean, strong signal that is fairly feedback resistant, and is a good choice for a stage guitar in most environments. These preamps can be mounted into a control unit on the side of the guitar with controls for volume and EQ, or more discretely within the assembly of the jack output socket. (more…)
We’ve been lucky enough to be a main stockist for Atkin guitars for a while now and we’ve been delighted to see how the range has expanded in the last few months to include a host of new models. The latest of these new additions to the range is the Retrospective series - as the name suggests Alistair has taken his three favourite pre-war guitars and used them as inspiration for this new series. He’s also coupled this with his own personal twist on guitar making and some really stunning timbers to produce this range of exceptional instruments. As you can see on the left we have one of these fine beauties in stock now - a dreadnought size instrument with amazing flamed mahogany back and sides and a spruce top, yours for £2595. You can see this and the other Atkin guitars we have in stock by following the link.
Danelectro DC59O-PSY. Limited Edition hand painted design!
The Danelectro rennaisance continues with a quartet of limited edition models faithfully recreating the double cutaway Danelectro model from 1959 probably most famously seen wielded by Jimmy Page with Led Zeppelin and the black DC59M-BLK is a pretty close copy of that guitar with modified Badass bridge. The other three models are all ‘original specification’ and available in Copper, White (with stylish gold hardware) and the far out, hand-painted psychadelic finish pictured left. All four are only being made in strictly limited numbers and yet still only retail for the extraordinary price of £349 a piece (a Les Paul like Jimmy’s is a tad more I believe) for the plain colours and £429 for the freak-fest pictured. Bargain. Drop us a line or get down here quick before they go.
We're very proud of our guitar showroom at Forsyths. Over many years, we've built a reputation for stocking the best instruments for all kinds of guitarists, from the first guitar to the professional standard.
Forsyth have been one of the country's leading suppliers of classical guitars for many years, with over 50 different models in stock by brands such as Sanchez, Burguet, Ramiriz, Contreras, Admira, Rodriguez and Asturias. We also keep examples of less common members of the classical family such as flamenco, electro and Romantic guitars in stock.
Our steel string selection is unparalleled in the area, and covers all bases from entry level instruments by Crafter and Aria through Guild, Faith, Yairi, Stonebridge, Taylor, Breedlove, Seagull, Simon & Patrick to custom shop Martins and vintage pieces; in particular we specialize in hand made British flat tops, with Fylde, Lowden, Moon and Atkin always in stock.
On the electric front, we keep a range of classics by the likes of Gretsch, Fender, Gordon Smith, D'Aquisto, Burns, Hofner Hutchins and Aria. Forsyth are also that rarest of things: a main dealer for Rickenbacker guitars, with up to a dozen in stock and over thirty on order. These beatiful instruments are extremely hard to get hold of, so if you're in the market for one this is the place to come!
We have an excellent repairer for all types of guitars and guitar problems, from basic setups through refrets to major structural work. We also offer free setups in the first year of ownership on all the guitars we sell.
If you play guitar, pay us a visit and hear them for yourself!
0161 956 2052
