How to Buy a Cuban Tres

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Arie Pytel for Expert Village, and today we're talking about the Cuban Tres. Moving on now, let's talk about what to look for in the purchase of your tres. First of all, it's really hard to find a good tres at a reasonable value outside of Cuba, and even, for that matter, inside of Cuba. There are some stores that sell tres, however most of them are not up to a quality that would be consistent for practical musicianship. But if you're just learning, maybe it's a good start for you. A lot of people buy three-quarter sized guitars such as those made by the Marten Company, Taylor, a lot of backpacker-type guitars and have them converted into a tres by changing the neck, nut, and the bridge. You'll essentially want to talk to a local leuthier about this. This might be outside of your price range, BUT IS a good option if you're looking at something that has a relatively good value and is still able to give you functionality. Lastly, of course, you can go to special leuthiers who do make tres and have them in their expertise. This tres that we have here today, ironically, was made in Paris bu a man from Spain. He specializes in various types of instruments, particularly from South America. This was a rare find and slightly expensive, however it is a very good example of a good Cuban tres. You'll notice here, there are three courses of doubled strings. On the Cuban tres, we traditionally have an octave set for the low strings, a unison set in the middle, and another octave set on the high E string. However, on more modern tres setups, the high E will not have an octave string. You do see bot nowadays, and it always depends on the player. Originally, of course, the tres was built out of whatever the musician could find. Often times, they converted a guitar, and sometimes even a box was used. Picking out a good tres is just like picking out any other instrument; it's up to your personal choice and taste. Look out for good workmanship and high quality wood."