APC (Carvalho) guitars?

Sabicas

I can't much info on these, other than they are made in Portugal. How do they compare to a Cigano and other budget-friendly guitars?

https://www.londonguitarstudio.com/guitars-gypsy-jazzmanouche-guitars.irc

Buco

Never heard but nice find. They pass the heel test visually, especially the 200 model.

DjangoJay

Hi Sabicas,

Ive got an APC jm200, it was my first gypsy style guitar and it is incredibly average and left me wanting something better tbh.

I was only happy with it as I got it for less than £100 off Amazon but I wouldn't say it's worth the price londonguitarstudios are selling them for, not at all.

Some things the picture doesnt show is the tailpiece is bad (can be changed though), the bridge is incredible thin, the neck/body join is a big block and the back/top are flat. The sound wasn't crisp and defined and the playability had much to be desired. Overall cheap looking/playing guitar.

I upgraded to an altamira after 6 months and really felt the difference. I enjoyed learning on the apc as it was harder to make it sound good but If I had paid more for it I would have been very disappointed.

BillDaCostaWilliams

Nuno Marinho plays one I believe (http://nunomarinho.com/)

I tried one in a shop in Portugal and would agree with DjangoJay - although it looked ok for the price, it didn't have a gypsy jazz sound to my ear and didn't feel great to play.

Sabicas

I appreciate the input. I'll stay away. I've been watching out for a used Cigano or Altamira in the London area for a while now and nothing is turning up. I'm looking for alternatives for a solid entry-level guitar that I don't have to upgrade in a year. I'm open to suggestions.

vanmalmsteen

I have Paris swing, and for the price they are quite decent. What they lack in volume they make up for in tone. Of course they are no comparison to my Altamira

AndrewUlle

I’ve seen some Chinese Dell Artes on eBay- they’re not bad and can be picked up for $600-800.