Sales Training for Retailers
There is nothing like a test to make you realize how much you don't know.
Therefore I have included a little test which will direct your attention to facts and information you should know about nylon string guitars.
After you take the test you might want to read the several articles I have written about Spanish guitars. You can connect to the articles by clicking on their titles at the end of this test.
I. RECOGNITION OF WOODS
It is very important that you as a salesperson can recognize certain woods. Customers have come to expect that particular woods will be used for specific parts of the guitar.
1. Spruce is:
1) a creamy, white colored wood
2) a light brown colored wood
3) an orange colored wood
2. Canadian Red Cedar (also known as Western Red Cedar) is used in making many classical guitars. The color of Canadian Red Cedar is:
1) creamy white
2) red
3) straw colored to light brown
4) light pale blue
3. Indian Rosewood is:
1) a rosy pink colored wood
2) a black wood similar in color to India Ink
3) a dark purple to brown colored wood which often has black lines running through it
4) a dark orange-red colored wood
4. Ebony is:
1) a white "bone" colored wood
2) an orange colored wood
3) a dark purple brownish colored wood
4) a dark black wood
5. Cypress has:
1) a light golden color and a distinctive aromatic smell
2) a dark brown color
3) snow white color
4) a light yellow color and is distinguished by dark brown lines
6. The soundboard of a fine guitar will:
1) have a wavy grain pattern
2) have a very fine grain pattern at the edges and very wide grain in the center of the face
3) be made of one piece of wood
4) be made of two pieces of wood which are book matched
5) have at least 100 growth lines per inch
7. The back of a fine Spanish guitar
1) will be made of one piece of wood
2) will be made of two pieces of book-matched wood
8. Although there are exceptions, the back and sides of most flamenco guitars are made:
1) mahogany
2) maple, cypress or sycamore
3) ebony
4) african sapelly
9. The fingerboards of Spanish guitars are usually made of:
1) ebony, rosewood or wenge
2) mahogany
3) curly maple
10. The necks of Spanish guitars are typically made of:
1) maple or sycamore
2) beech or oak
3) Canadian Western Red Cedar
4) "Spanish" or Cuban Cedar or Genuine Mahogany
5) Philippine Mahogany or Lauan
II. CARE OF A GUITAR
11. The best place for a guitar player to store his/her guitar at home is:
1) on the wall
2) on the bed where it is soft
3) in the case
4) in the bathroom
12. The best environment for a guitar is:
1) in places with high relative humidity (over 75%)
2) in places with 0% relative humidity
3) in places with very low relative humidity (below 25%)
4) in places with an average relative humidity of about 50%
III.DESIGN ELEMENTS
13. Modern classical guitars typically have a scalloped X-bracing system. True False
14. Fan Bracing is a method used for strengthening the back of the classical guitar. True False
15. Classical guitars usually weigh more and are more heavily constructed than
flamenco guitars. True False
16. Classical Guitars usually have a lower string action than flamenco guitars True False
17 .A properly set-up classical guitar has lower string action than a steel-string
acoustic guitar. True False
18. Dovetail neck construction is typical of classical guitars made in Spain. True False
19. Classical guitars with dove-tail neck construction have an extension
visible inside the guitar called the Spanish Foot . True False
20. On traditional classical guitars the body meets the neck at the 14th fret. True False
21. A fine classical guitar will have a completely flat top without any dome. True False
22. Some classical guitar fingerboards have a very slight curve called "neck relief"
which can eliminate unwanted string buzzes. True False
23. Flamenco guitars often have very flat fingerboards with no "neck relief".
This allows for fast playing at the cost of some string rattle. True False
23. The mosaic designs in the rosette of a fine Spanish guitar is made of
thousands of pieces of dyed wood veneers. True False
24. For a classical guitar to play in tune
1) the saddle should be slanted so the length of the 6th string is longer than the 1st string
2) the saddle should be slanted so the length of the 1st string is longer than the 6th string
3) the saddle should not be slanted so all string lengths are exactly the same.
25. For a classical the height of the 6th string at the 12th fret (measured from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string) should be about:
1) 1 mm (1/25")
2) 2.5 mm (1/10")
3) 4mm (5/32")
4) 6.35mm (1/4")
26. For a clasical guitar the height of the 1st string at the 12th fret (meaured from the top of the fret
to the bottom of the string) should be about:
1) 1mm (1/25")
2) 2mm (1/13")
3) 3mm (1/8")
4) 4mm (5/32")
5) 5mm (1/5")
26. What is the standard scale length for a modern classical guitar?
1) 600mm to 610mm
2) 620mm to 625mm
3) 650mm to 655mm
4) 675mm to 680mm
27. What is the "long scale" length for a modern classical guitar?
1) 610mm
2) 625mm
3) 665mm
4) 699mm
28. The "Fernandez Valencia" classical guitar has:
a) a fingerboard and bridge of African Sapelly
b) a fingerboard and bridge of African Wenge
c) a fingerboard and bridge of Canadian Cedar
29. The Esteve 1GR07 (Esteve #7) classical guitar has:
a) a solid cedar top and a stained African sapelly body
b) an ebony fingerboard
c) a cedar face with rosewood back and sides
d) a spruce body and a mahogany face
30. The Esteve 1GR3E (Sometimes called the 3E) classical guitar has:
a) a spruce face and rosewood back and sides
b) a cedar face and rosewood back and sides
c) a cedar face and cypress back and sides
d) a cedar face with natural sapelly back and sides
31. Which guitar or guitars have solid rosewood backs?
a) Ramirez 2E
b) Ramirez R2
c) Esteve 1GR08
d) Ramirez R3
e) Cordoba 70R
32. Modern day classical guitarists
a) play with the pads of their fingertips
b) play only with their fingernails
c) play with both the fingernails and the pads of their fingertips
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A COMPETENT SALESPERSON SHOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO:
Name five makers of classical guitars.
Name three players of classical guitars.
Name two players of flamenco guitars.
Name four companies that make classical guitar strings.
Know the differences among factory made, jouneyman and master luthier guitars.
Recommend a book or video method for learning classical guitar.
Recommend a book or video method for learning flamenco guitar.
They should also know how to put strings on properly and to tune a guitar.
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The following terms are essential for anyone who has to communicate about classical and flamenco guitars.Do you know what all of these terms mean?
binding nut and nut slot
bouts (upper bout, lower bout) pegs (wooden tuning pegs)
brace purfling
bridge rosette
fan-strutting vs. X-bracing saddle (and saddle slot)
fingerboard sides (or ribs)
golpeador (tap plate) soundboard (face or top)
harmonic bar (this is an interior brace) soundhole
head (and head slots) string block
heel struts (strips of wood used for fan bracing)
lining waist
machines (or machine heads)
neck
neck block
neck inclination
neck relief
nut and nut slot
pegs (wooden tuning pegs)
purfling
rosette
saddle (and saddle slot)
sides (or ribs)
soundboard (face or top)
soundhole
string block
struts (strips of wood used for fan bracing)
waist
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I hope that this helps you.
Ron Fernández
Click here for a copy of the test with answers or go on to the short articles.