Giannini GN50 Review!
The Giannini GN 50 is a neat little parlor guitar. I found this guitar on Craigslist and was a bit skeptical about going to check it out. The photo in the ad showed the guitar leaning against a dilapidated deck outside, and the guitar looked kind of beat.
I made a deal with the Owner via email before I went to look at it. When I got there to take a look, this guitar was so dirty! One of the tuners wasn’t quite working either, so I bargained the price down a little lower. The seller agreed and I came home ready to complete a Giannini GN50 review!
I had never heard of Giannini before, and after researching the GN50 I was not able to determine what these guitars cost new. However, on the used market there’s a wide range of prices for these guitars. If you’re looking at a 1960’s GN50, they can be upwards of $800 to $1000! On the lower end of the spectrum, they seem to come in around $300.
Features
When I first brought this guitar home, it was kind of a mess. I had buyers remorse immediately as I wasn’t sure if this guitar was in good shape or bad shape. I removed the strings and hardware and gave it a full wipe down with some soap and water.
Wow! What a difference removing some dirt and grime can make! The Giannini GN 50’s solid spruce top and Brazilian rosewood and mahogany popped! If you find a Giannini and have qualms about its condition, check for breaks near the headstock, cracks in the top/sides/back, or any other structural damage like where the neck and the body are joined. If it looks OK, you’ve probably got a winner hidden under all that dirt.
Giannini is known for making high-quality classical guitars and some other stringed instruments, and they’re well known for their classical and flamenco guitars. The body for the GN 50 is a parlor size and came with a 3/4 scale fretboard. I believe the neck and the headstock are made of Brazilian mahogany too. The fretboard and the bridge appear to be made of Brazilian rosewood, and the nut and the saddle look like they are plastic.
It’s actually very cool to find one of these because Brazilian mahogany and rosewood have since been banned and can no longer be used in new instruments. So in a way, this GN50 is kind of a rare guitar!
How Does It Sound?
The Giannini GN50 is a humble sounding guitar. If you can find one in the $300 to $500 range, it’s a decent little guitar. Though it is a rare instrument and could fetch a $1,000 price tag for some collectors who value the now banned wood, I’m not sure I would have bought it at that price. It sounds fine, but I am positive there are higher quality instruments out there for $1,000. At that price, this guitar may leave something to be desired.
For today’s review, you’ll hear the GN50 with D’Addario’s Classic Nylon, Normal Tension EJ27N strings. The low end of the guitar responds well, and the high end sounds like a classical guitar should. When using a pick, I thought the higher notes came through a bit better, but this guitar tends to lean towards the lower end of the spectrum.
It Gets that Latin Sound
That said, if you start messing around with some traditional Mexican or Latin music on the GN50, the high strings are going to jump out at you! It’s definitely got great timber and sounds like some of the traditional music. The first album I heard and that got me diving into traditional folk music was Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles. If you know the album, the nylon strings on the GN50 will inspire you to pull that record out and start learning some of these songs. It really captures the essence of the traditional sound.
Note, if you’ve never put fresh strings on a nylon guitar, be prepared for these strings to stretch. You’re in for a frustrating few hours of trying to practice, retuning, trying to practice again, retuning again…and so on. That’s just the nature of the beast. It may take a couple days for the strings to settle in depending on how often you pick up the guitar. If you’re like me with a full time job, you’re lucky to play for 45 minutes every evening, so expect to tune it two or three times for a while.
Fingerpicking
When I first started fingering picking on this guitar, it didn’t really knock my socks off. BUT! When I listened back to the recording, I was impressed at how round the guitar sounded. Being used to playing steel stringed instruments, you may find your first impressions a bit lackluster as well. Give your ear a bit of time to adjust to the sound of a nylon guitar, and I think you’ll appreciate the Giannini GN50.
Strumming
When strummed the GN50 sounds pretty predictable and performed well. I like how balanced the guitar sounds. Again, if you’re used to steel strings you may need to give our ear a minute to adjust to the sound . To me nylon strings always start out sounding bass heavy, but the more you get used to the sound of the higher strings, the more you’ll enjoy the sound. It’s warm and gentle.
The Wrap Up
Action – 7
For being a 50 year old guitar, I shouldn’t be too suprised that the action is starting to rise on the upper register of this guitar. Down near the nut, the action is fine and the guitar is very playable. As your hand gets closer to the body, the strings begin move away from the frets. I’d say their about 3/16″ to 1/4″ above the 12th fret. This may not be unplayable, but it’s also not entirely comfortable. If you’re looking for a Giannini GN50, be sure to check the action at the higher register and play some notes to be sure you’re getting a good strong sound. Listen for any buzzing or fretting out as you play these notes. The guitar I demo’ed today did not have any buzzing or fretting out issues.
Intonations – 7
Surprisingly, this guitar had pretty decent intonation. Like a lot of acoustic guitars, it is by no means perfect. Even thought the guitar is 50 years old and the bridge for the guitar is a simple straight bar of plastic, I can’t believe how closely intonated this guitar is. When you look at your GN50, check the pitch of the strings at the 12th fret of the guitar and see if they are sharp or flat. If you find that the open string is tuned to pitch-perfect and the note fretted at the 12th fret is pitch-perfect, you’ve got yourself a nice, well intonated guitar.
Overall Sound – 6
I have to admit, I’m not a huge nylon string guitar fan. So take my rating of 6 out of 10 with a grain of salt. I’m not amazed by the sound by any means. When I say it sounds good, I mean that it sounds good for a $300 guitar. I would expect it to be well rounded but not incredible.
I mentioned it above, but if I paid $1,000 and expected an amazing sound, the Giannini GN50 would have let me down. If I paid $1,000 for a collectible item, I would be much happier. But as it is, I’m not a guitar collector. I’m a guitar player. I expect a guitar that costs $1,000 or more to sound pretty darn good.
Modifications
I don’t believe this guitar has been modified from it’s original, though there is one very interesting detail. The heel of the neck and the tuning bars on either side of the headstock have been stamped or carved with “TX 0489016.”
I’m not entirely sure what this means, but if I’m going to write a novel on it, I would like to think this guitar was purchased by a young Texas kid with visions of becoming a rock legend. She lost interest, and the instrument was abandoned in her closet with no one to care for it.
Until one day when a friend comes over, picks up the guitar, and really enjoys playing. The young kid says to her friend, “You can keep it.” The friend joins the school’s jazz band, ultimately buying a newer and nicer instrument as her skills as a guitarist improve. The Giannini GN50 is abandoned once again in a Texas high school. It’s then found by the jazz teacher,who stamps it with “TX 0489016” and it becomes school property. It eventually gets loaned to a student who is learning. This student, forgetting to return the guitar, leaves Texas and heads out West to new beginnings.
Final Thoughts
And then it came to me through a Craigslist ad. I would recommend this guitar for a young Texas kid, a friend, or a student as their first guitar. I think that’s what this was made for. To help someone learn and get them to begin their journey through music as a guitarist. With any luck, the player becomes a multi-intrumental virtuoso, but now I’m just being romantic.
This is a good little guitar. I wouldn’t rush out to find one, but if you’re just getting your feet wet and nylon guitars are up your alley, check out the Giannini GN50.
Similar Instruments In The Same Price Range
If you’re in the market for a $300 guitar with steel strings then check out our review of the Washburn WD32S! This is one of the best sounding budget guitars you can find! Or if you want an acoustic guitar with a pickup, check out the Yamaha APX 500 review! The Yamaha APX 500 has all sorts of cool features at a low price point.
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