Kremona Soloist F65C – A Classical Beauty From Bulgaria

When you think of classical guitars there are a few brand names that immediately spring to mind. Córdoba of course, Felipe Conde, Hernández, and Yamaha with their fantastic NTX and GC ranges. But I would like to add another name to that list. Kremona!

Based in Bulgaria, Kremona has been building guitars since 1924. The company was founded by Dimitar Georgiev and his two brothers. After the end of the first world war, Dimitar took up an apprenticeship with the famous Markneukirchen masters. Markneukirchen is the main town of the small musical instrument-making region in Saxony. known over four centuries for high-quality brass, woodwind and string instruments.

Over time, the brothers welcomed other world-class master builders into the Kremona family. And as Kremona instruments spread across Europe, discerning musicians everywhere became part of the extended family. Today, Kremona flourishes with that same family spirit.

That brings me to the Kremona Soloist F65C that the company kindly sent me for review.

The Spec:

Solid red cedar top (option for spruce top).
Layered Indian rosewood back and sides.
African mahogany neck.
Indian rosewood fingerboard & bridge.
Hand inlaid wood rosette.
Wood binding.
Bone nut & saddle.
Gold plated tuners.
Spanish Royal Classics Sonata strings.
Neck width at the nut = 52mm.
650mm scale length.

Build Quality:

I had the Kremona Solist F65C for a few weeks so there was plenty of time to look it over in detail. I couldn’t fault it at all. These guitars, as with all the instruments Kremona builds are hand-crafted at their own workshops in Bulgaria and it shows. The attention to detail is superb and the particular guitar they sent me was flawless.

The gold plated tuners not only look great but are of good quality and have a very smooth feel to them. The Indian rosewood fretboard is well finished as are the frets which are smooth and polished. The rosette is real wood inlay and sits well with the beautiful gloss polyurethane finish.

The Sound:

I am in no way a nylon string aficionado but I know a good sounding guitar when I hear one. And the Kremona Soloist F65C is one of those guitars! It is louder than I expected it to be, in a good way. It means you can play very lightly but not lose any of the tone and warmth from that red cedar top.

The best way to get an idea of what the F65C sounds like is of course to hear it. Check out the video below.

Conclusions:

I didn’t quite know what to expect from the Kremona Soloist F65C. I am not a natural classical guitar player but I do have several nylon string guitars in my collection and the Kremona compares very favourably with those. In fact, I was sorely tempted to buy it and use it as my main nylon string guitar.

The F65C is hand-crafted, the build quality is top-notch and it sounds fantastic. But the most surprising thing about it is the price! At the time of writing, you can pick up the Kremona Soloist F65C for under £280 here in the UK.

If you are in the market for a new classical guitar and want to experience something just a little different from the crowd, I can highly recommend the Kremona Soloist F65C. I don’t think you will be disappointed.