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Classical guitars are not as popular these days as their steel string counterparts. Even so, there are some which simply stand out. La Patrie Collection is one of the best bangs for the buck acoustic of this type under $1000. As a matter of fact, it’s so good that we had to include it in our shortlist of best models in this price range. Once you realize that La Patrie is another subdivision of Godin, the same company which owns Seagull, everything makes sense.
The collection features that standard concert body shape we are used to seeing on classical, nylon-stringed guitars. La Patrie went for a combination of pressure tested select cedar for its solid top combined with solid rosewood back and sides. You’ve probably noticed that Godin, Seagull, La Patrie and other brands from this family like to use this cedar a lot. Truth is that the instrument's high-quality wood and they choose the best specimen for these awesome guitars. The neck is a mahogany piece that sports a standard rosewood fretboard. It’s worth mentioning that this is a hand-built guitar, so you can count on a rather impressive level of build quality.
In terms of hardware, La Patrie kept things relatively simple. A standard rosewood bridge fitted with a compensated Graphtech saddle is tasked with maintaining that intonation and delivering great sustain. On the other end of the neck, we first see a precision made Tusq nut and later a nice set of standard tuning machines. The type of performance you will get from the hardware alone goes in line with what this guitar is all about – pure performance. With that said, we do recommend you take the guitar to your local guitar shop for a proper setup. Some are ready out of the box, but some aren’t. Doing a professional setup on your guitar will allow you to tap into this guitar’s fullest potential.
Sharp, clinical tone doesn’t go well with classical guitars. Many had concerns about this guitar seeing how La Patrie went for rosewood to compliment the soft cedar top. Being so hard, rosewood can easily render the guitar sterile if the luthier doesn’t know what they’re doing. Fortunately, this is not the case with La Patrie Collection. On the contrary, that rosewood back and sides gave it a finely balanced tone which is neither too soft nor too stiff. You get a good range, volume, and projection while the Collection simply flows when you start fingerpicking. In this price range, you will hardly find a better classical guitar than this.
At the end of the day, La Patrie follows the same policy of quality above anything else
as its sister companies. For a guitar sitting comfortably in the lower part of the mid-range, La Patrie collection is a true steal. Whether you’re a beginner looking for a ’ future proof’ guitar, or someone who needs a reliable instrument for gigging, this model is worth checking out.
For more info about the La Patrie Collection , click here.
For more best acoustic guitars under 1000$, click here.
Mark says
Agreed. These are exceptional guitars. I own the Presentation, the Hybrid, and the Motif. I usually don’t like mahogany, but Iove the Hybrid (mahogany body). The Presentation is the same as the Collection, but satin finish.
Charlie says
How did you determine that the only difference between the Presentation and Collection is the satin finish? The Godin retailer in Anchorage did not mention this. They had one of each model and 3 employees over 2 days found the Presentation sounded better than the Collection. On the Godin website the Collection is described as the top of this line and that thr wood for the soundboard is hand picked from their very best specimens. Supposedly the Presentation does not have quite the same quality of cedar specimen.
I would appreciate your explaining. I am still considering the LaPatries and if the Presentation is completely equal in quality I may get it. It was quite a bit cheaper than the Collection plus employees think it sounds better than the Collection model they have in stock right now.
Thanks
Kyle Elsbernd says
My Collection came to life with a bone saddle and higher action. Excellent
Steve says
Not all nylon-string guitars are “classical guitars.” Classical guitars are meant to be played with a prescriptive technique that requires a minimum string spacing of around 44mm coming off the headstock — that requires a nut with a minimum width of 52mm. Per La Patrie’s website specs, all their nylon-string guitars ship with a 50.8mm nut and a radiused fingerboard. That would indicate an intended use that is more consistent with a mostly monophonic form of folk-style playing.
Classical guitarists with small hands might welcome the narrow neck width (a short-scale instrument would be a better solution, though). But sophisticated, polyphonic lines of playing where all four fingers of the left hand are moving independently are frustrated by narrow fingerboard widths. The feeling is cramped and the problems of inadvertent damping of adjacent strings, strings buzzing on the backs of fingernails and accidentally pulling strings off the side of the neck are ever present. The La Patrie line is fine for folk-style playing, but I would stick to a flat, full-width fingerboard if you actually want to play classical music. Too bad that is offered at least as an option on these guitars.
Sharon (Charlie) says
Can you recommend a guitar for $1100 or less fpr a short person with short fingers? I was trying to decide between a 1977 Takamine Aranjuez with Kohno stamp , also solid Cedar and Rosewood, and LaPetrie’s Collection or Presentation because they are available in anchorage, but I can order
online if a place will ship to Alaska
Andrew Cochrane says
Would be grateful if you could advise how to change the battery in the Godin Q1T pickup. I can’t find a single webpage or YouTube tutorial on this. Is it just a matter of unscrewing the controls plate from the guitar to access the battery? Thanks on advance!