Classical, Spanish & South American Guitar Jewels

I agree with Tostados' preference for Fleta over Smallman. But how often do you get to hear a master play in a small room without amplification? (answer: virtually never.) The modern "loud" guitars (e.g. Smallman) don't seem to have quite the same beauty of tone as more traditional designs They are designed for projection in big auditoriums. I don't really understand why Williams would play a Smallman on record. Perhaps he agrees with Jerry Garcia, on The Pizza Tapes, where he said, "Louder is better. On this planet, louder's better."

I like almost everything by John Williams, Michael Chapdelaine, Elliot Fisk, Laurindo Almeida, Joe Pass... there are many great players.

I'm with you LLoyd on many enjoyable players. I've never checked what guitars players are/have been using although I find the different qualities (well mainly lack of quality) very significant. But if guitarists are moving to "stronger" guitars I think it me be that the demands of fortissimo playing always seems to reveal weakness in a guitar, at least to my ears. Of course I have always had to overlook that, particularly in Spanish music, because 1.there is so much beauty in the delicacy 2. the fortissimo sections are where the recording quality has also been weak. Your thoughts?

Also Lloyd, I posted a response on your older question re power cords for phono preamp.

Lloyd, I've only heard a few classical guitar concerts where amplification was used. JW was one of the artists and I think the only other time was one of the times I heard the Assad Bros. I could make a long list of the fine classical guitarists I heard unamplified but it would be pointless and boring.
Now, steel string players make the amplified sound part of their presentation. Tommy Emmanuel is never without his digital reverb (Midiverb II) and Adrien Legg uses a whole host of effects. Chet Atkins mostly used an electric guitar.

Tostados, I guess I am deprived. I live in Houston, and amplification is usually used to augment the sound; invariably used in large venues where the big names tend to play. It's not intrusive, but they certainly don't use tube amps, and it's not quite the same as all acoustic. The local guitar society gets a few players to come play in a Unitarian chapel where you can sit close enough to get only direct acoustic sound; heard Barrueco that way, a real treat. I think even Segovia and Parkening, when playing Jones Hall (where the symphony performs, it's fairly large), had some sound reinforcement. Neither ever used a modern, loud guitar, afaik.

PTSS, thanks for the responses. You may be right, I had not thought of it in those terms. Volume, especially fortissimo passages, has always been the problem with classical guitar, which is unsurpassed at the other end of the spectrum. "Stonger" guitars are made now with double tops (with a nomex core) or elaborate bracing systems and a very thin top, all intended to produce more volume. But most players would say that it's a trade-off and that such guitars do not have quite the same delicacy of tone and balance that more traditional designs may have.