Lucero LC100 – Good Value Classical

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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Although the name Lucero may sound pretty Spanish, their range of affordable classical guitars are all made in Asia. However this is no bad thing, especially when presented with the nylon-stringed Lucero LC100, which sits on the market at a very wallet-friendly price. Lucero don’t enjoy the fame of a Cordoba, Yamaha, or Ibanez, so what exactly can they offer us?

Body & Neck

Depending on your style, there are two LC100s for you – a naturally-finished model or a smart glossy black version. Whatever color you go for, the LC100 shows off timeless looks, with a traditional non-cutaway body shape, 25.5” scale length, and an attractive rosette. The guitar features some decent woods, even though – as you’d expect – the body is composed completely of laminates. The top is made with laminated spruce, while the back and sides are laminated mahogany, all finished in a high gloss. Joining the body at the 12th fret is a mahogany neck, featuring a rosewood fretboard fitted with 18 frets. This guitar’s body is its strongest asset – it feels quite durable, but light and comfortable, and good for beginners.

Hardware

With such a nice body, the hardware of the LC100 lets it down a bit, as it all feels a little cheap. On the slotted headstock sit six open-gear chrome tuners, which have plastic tuning keys. These can hold your tuning relatively well, although are quite stiff to use and don’t feel particularly robust. There’s a rosewood bridge, which house a plastic saddle, while the nut is also plastic. Not great materials, but very appropriate for this budget market and they do the job. Finally, the strings the guitar comes with are usable out of the box, but your playing and tone would benefit from changing these pretty soon after (remember to buy nylon strings, not steel!).

Sound

The good news is that the LC100 sounds like a classical guitar should, and the tone stands up to other similarly priced models from the bigger brands. It’s acceptable out of the box, but when the strings have been changed the LC100 shows better clarity, more character and good warmth, thanks in part to the mahogany back and sides. Ultimately it’s good for all kinds of classical music and fingerstyle pieces, with plenty of projection.

Conclusion

The Lucero LC100 probably isn’t a guitar you’d want to take to the stage (not unless you changed the tuners, nut and strings), but that’s not to say it’s bad – in fact, it has good potential. With two colors to choose from, it looks stylish, is comfortable to play, and is nicely finished. After a string change, the tones are more than suitable for beginners and practice sessions for any guitarist.

For more info about the Lucero LC100, click here.
For more  acoustic guitars for starters, click here.