btoth76 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Hello Friends! I was looking at nylon-strung classical guitars. I am confused, so I am asking for Your help. I must admit I do not know much about these instruments. I had the misbelief that a quality classical guitar is made of rosewood (for the back and sides), spruce is used for top, ebony for bridge and fingerboard... In one of the local shops, - where they stock huge amount of classical guitars - I couldn't find any built like that. Instead, instruments made from all kinds of exotic woods I've never even heard of... Could You please tell me, what makes a classical guitar a quality instrument? What kind of woods it should be made of? Also, I would appreciate if You could suggest a specific product which conforms to these aspects, but still affordable. Thank You in advance... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I'd have though intonation was an important quality. There's is a lot on information on the web about which one to get. I'm not sure of wood choice, but local shops would advise, i'm sure. I wouldn't jump into it though. Research it properly. http://www.classicalguitar.co.uk/ This site looks useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Hello! That's what I want to avoid: the advice of the seller. The guy in the shop tried to convince me how great those XXX guitars which are made of strange kind of woods...and they looked so awful. Kind of "made in China". Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Hello! That's what I want to avoid: the advice of the seller. The guy in the shop tried to convince me how great those XXX guitars which are made of strange kind of woods...and they looked so awful. Kind of "made in China". Cheers... Bence Hi Bence. These are different animals than a dreadnaught or steel string acoustic for sure. I'm no expert, but I've dabbled in these for some years now, and here's my experiences that I can share. regarding the wood, most of the classical guitars I've owned, are some sort of spruce or cedar for the top (my Manuel Rodriquez A Cut has a cedar http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/manuel-rodriguez-model-a-nylon-string-cutaway-acoustic-electric-guitar) rosewood for back and sides also is common in the ones I've seen. Exotic woods can be found of course, but I don't think that's the "defacto" standard for these instruments. Some build differences from a standard acoustic I've noted are: tops are usually thinner than most standard acoustics, Neck rake (angle the neck and body join at) is not the same, necks are typically much wider and fatter, and the bracing is usually a little different too. The action is never going to be comparable to a steel string acoustic. the strings just need to ride higher over the frets so they'll vibrate more and thus work the top sufficient to project. (There are web sites and books available that will give you guide lines for stuff like this.) and IMX strings take an eternity to stabilize, and even then, these wont hold their tune like a steel string. String brands vary widely too - high tension, regular tension, etc. Most of the time I just use high tension strings, which I guess is a bit of a misnomer because none of them have the same rate of tension a steel string will. Strings do last longer tho, so you'd not be changing them as much, at least this has been my experience Most have truss rods, but you may find a good number of them don't, the pull from the strings just isn't quite the same on these guitars so I guess a truss rod isn't always a necessity. go figure... I found finding a GOOD one is way more difficult than finding a "good" specimen from any other sort of guitar. Intonation, tuning stability, playability, etc, are all factors that have made my search a bit more difficult. Maybe I'm just more picky.... I don't know, but I've gone thru about 4 of them before I found the A Cut and was able to stick with it. I like it, a nice guitar, has no truss rod, and I had some neck issues and high loose that I had to have addressed to get it right. These guitars also need to have the same moisture control measures that any acoustic needs. so humidify in the winter months if you are in a cold weather climate, keep them in the case during times it's not being played, treat the fret boards about once a year or so etc... some popular brands that mere mortals like us can afford and are still reasonable in quality and playability: Takemini, Yamaha, Taylor, Cordoba, and of course Manuel Rodriquez. Others may chime in with a lot more knowledge than I'll ever have, this is just my take on these guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Interesting post !! There are no hard and fast rules for quality Classical guitar woods Most are spruce tops for brightness...a lesser number cedar for a warmer tone(and a different aesthetic) Quality guitars come from many sources...hand built customs for £1000's...mass produced from Spain/Europe/Orient etc As ever you get what you pay for... The purist classical player would play an acoustic only instrument Some purists and others would play electro acoustic A good starting point is to look at the Yamaha range...they really are excellent well built instruments A quality classical guitar will improve with age... V PS China is becoming a quality mfg centre...many top names like Yamaha, Guild, Ovation are out-sourcing to China... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Here is another very interesting site with lots of information - http://www.classical-guitar-world.com/ Classical guitars can go for very high prices indeed. A few hundred is dirt cheap compared to the high-end instruments which are all hand-made. A flamenco guitar is usually different from a classical - flamenco players hit harder and tap the soundboard. There are so many makers that it is really very difficult to make an informed decision. Spanish and German-made guitars are usually very good but as others have pointed out, there are many fine far-Eastern made instruments now. If I was buying, I would look at Yamahas, Takamines etc but if I had bigger money I'd definitely try to find a (Spanish-made) Vicente Sanchis as my sister has one (1st guitar I ever played!!), as does one of my oldest friends. Absolutely beautiful instruments. At the moment I have a cheap (£300GBP) Takamine with a cutaway which is well out of tune/intonation above the 9th-10th fret...I took it to a very good repairman and he described it as a 'Friday afternoon' guitar, i.e. the builder did it at that time of the week when there were probably other things on his mind. A £700GBP Takamine would be far better....in fact any Yamaha classical would be better! Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I have no input as to what makes a good classical guitar but I played a Yamaha NTX700 at Guitar Center and liked it quite a bit, quality and features. This guitar is sort of a blend between a Steel String and a Classical. The neck width is in betweeen the two and the neck joint is at the 14th fret. My brother and brother in law play classicals and to me they are just different animals, necks can be quite thick since true classicals do not have a truss rod, then you have the flat radius of the fingerboard and the standard 2" nut width. My brother prefers the sound of black nylon strings, they have more snap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreslauer Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 check out Cordoba guitars, even the chinese made models. I have two Cordobas: a C7, which has a cedar top/rosewood body, and it's a wonderful instrument, esp when you see that they're ~ $500. But my baby is a Solista Flamenca (cedar neck, cypress body, spruce top) and while a lot more expensive than the C7 in price is still reasonably priced for a handmade instrument. this guitar is brighter sounding than the C7, and the neck is incredible. My advice is to play many different models before you buy, and buy in a store vs. ordering online. Maybe it's just me, but with acoustic instruments i feel there is a greater variance from instrument to instrument, even with the same model (the nature of handmade i guess). The solista is a beautiful guitar: good luck! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Takemini Sorry...couldn't help it. So many people pronounce this wrong. It's Japanese. It's not pronounced Takemini, it's Takemine (with the last "e" sounding like "ay" as in Day). Correcting the mispronunciation of far-eastern brands one guitarist at a time... -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 It's "Takamine", not "Takemine". Correcting the misspelling of far-eastern brands one guitarist at a time... D'OH I was typing in my mind's pronunciation of it :P Takamine it is, though my statement about the last "e" still stands. My mistake :P -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Hello All! Thank You very much for Your helpful input. What I found out meanwhile: rosewood and mahogany bodies, rosewood or ebony boards, spruce or cedar top which are common for better instruments. Also interesting: store websites like to point out to "solid wood" (opposed to laminated) - I guess it's another mark for quality. Even tough, this one doesn't conforms to all the specs described above, it seems to be a good solution for a beginner: http://www.classicalguitar.co.uk/onlinestore/classical_guitars_instrument_selection49.html Reviews say only great things about it and it's affordable - if not cheap. Thank You again! Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Also interesting: store websites like to point out to "solid wood" (opposed to laminated) - I guess it's another mark for quality. Music stores do say this now and it's a bit of a 'red herring' as we say in England...! IMO it must have a proper top, not laminated, for it to be any good as a classical guitar...expect I can be proved wrong though! But a laminated top won't have the same acoustic quality and response. One thing is - if you can get to a shop and just try 5 or 6 classicals without too much sales hassle, you should be amazed at the difference between them! It is really true of classical guitars that the more you can pay, the better it gets. regards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I know all about Strats and Teles and Les Pauls, and some CFMartins. I am caveman. I have not ever used or even tried out a nylon string Classical guitar. I admire those of you that use them. You rock. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarusvt84 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 took my son to a guitar store on Black Friday to try about 7 or 8 classic guitars....while most played the same....the Taylor 214 CE-N sounded the best and played the smoothest. It also had a slightly less wide neck to make the transition from classic to electric/acoustic guitar less difficult. At 15% off plus $60 for a nice Taylor HSC...not a bad deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Yeah, there are a number of companies making "nylon string" guitars of various qualities and purposes with more "steel string" sorts of nut width. Most, it seems to me, are nylon strung AE guitars. My early '70s Ovation Country Artist is a great example of how that trend began. The traditional "Classical Guitar" is, IMHO, becoming less likely as a purchase. Quality electronics on a mediocre, even a marvelously made guitar, can sound quite nice in concert. It's easier to record. It's more appealing with its potential to newer generations of buyers. I've had a batch of real classical guitars. Quite buying 'em and got 'em all traded away by about 1974. Still have the old Country Artist. Is that the "best" response and should the traditional quality classical guitar be ignored? Nope. But... m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblooded Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 took my son to a guitar store on Black Friday to try about 7 or 8 classic guitars....while most played the same....the Taylor 214 CE-N sounded the best and played the smoothest. It also had a slightly less wide neck to make the transition from classic to electric/acoustic guitar less difficult. At 15% off plus $60 for a nice Taylor HSC...not a bad deal. Agree 100% that the Taylor 214-CEN will be the best sounding playing acoustic nylon at GC. At the $1,000 US price point it kicks butt over most everything else out there including guitars with a price over double that. My son owns a LaPatrie (forget the model, but it's a nice one) which is made in Canada by the company that makes Seagull acoustics. They are worth looking at if you are looking to spend in the 500-800 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 http://zavaletas-guitarras.com/ http://www.guitarsint.com/default.cfm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Most of your larger manufacturers of classical guitars are over seas. Many use local varieties of woods that look good and produce a pleasing voice. In today's political climate, I think guitar makers are a bit gun shy about exporting guitars with rosewood and other protected, exotic woods into the US. So, they use other woods. Most classical guitars fall into two categories, spruce and mahogany. While classical guitarists are brand aware, they are 'serious' guitarists and primarily select on voicing and construction details. They may take weeks to evaluate a handful of different guitars. After whittling them down to 2 or 3, they may take them to local performance halls, then playing and listening to them to find the 'right' voice. Another 'classical' like guitar, the Flamenco guitar is traditionally made from cypress, a wood indigenous to Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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