It could be tricky to choose a musical instrument from a variety when you have to consider so many factors, like the type of woods, the quality of work of a manufacturer, the sound that the instrument produces, etc.
That’s why we want you to know how we’ve divided the type of instruments that we offer at our TuCuatro’s Store. This is an internal classification that somehow has become the standard when talking about a Cuatro. Learn how we think about the Cuatro and how we classify our manufacturers at TuCuatro.
How to choose the ideal musical instrument?
By Manufacturer
At TuCuatro we have divided the manufactures into three groups as follows:
Student Instrument
Premium Instrument
Luthier Instrument
The Student Cuatros are mass production, manufactured by companies where the makers are not especially attentive about the quality of the pieces or details in the woods for each instrument. They can produce hundreds of units per month.
The Premium Cuatros are manufactured by an instrument maker working from his workshop with some to good experience and years of practice, they are not perfect but of high quality, as these makers are in their way to becoming recognized luthiers in a near future.
The Luthier Cuatros are pieces of art created by luthiers with decades of experience that are extremely attentive to each one of the details, small or large, for each piece they create. They only ship the best of the best and can take up to 6 months manufacturing one unit.
By Woods
During the years, our musicians at TuCuatro have developed a taste for certain woods. We have assembled a list of woods also divided by three groups, these are as follows:
Basic
Premium
High Performance
- Cedar
- Pine
- Mahogany
- Tuke
- Wenge
- Saman
- Abeto
- Canalete
- Roble Maria
- Palo Santo de la India
- Nogal
The Basic Woods tend to produce a more brilliant sound, less colorful and are ideal for beginner musicians that want to use the instrument for practicing or accompanying a singer
The Premium Woods are of a better sound, more round and colorful and are ideal for intermediate to professional musicians in the search for an instrument that can be used on stage for concerts or events.
The High-Performance woods are ideal for professional musicians wanting to get to a studio to record their songs, as they produce a more deep and powerful kind of sound.
It all depends on the end of the attention to detail that the maker of the instrument adds to his work. A high-performance wood doesn’t guarantee the quality of the sound of the instrument is not well manufactured or was made with errors on the measurements.
Read more here about how to choose your next cuatro.
Also, as a covenant, the classification made by TuCuatro is in no way a theoretical one, where studies would be needed to reach these conclusions. It comes from the day to day operations of our teachers and musicians, their tastes and preferences and the experience obtained by them during their musician’s careers. At the end of the day, an instrument made with mahogany could sound as good or even better than an instrument made with Roble Maria.
Visit the TuCuatro Store to keep reading about different types of Cuatros:
