Buying A Classical Guitar
For both beginners and seasoned players, buying a classical guitar can be a daunting experience.
Forearmed is forewarned, as the saying goes, so having a general guideline can give you a little more confidence when making your decision.
There are essentially two categories that classical guitars fall into, namely factory-built guitars and luthier-built guitars (hand-made concert instruments).
The latter is generally the more expensive type, as luthier-built guitars tend to have higher quality materials including solid timbers and more expensive hardware such as tuning machines, bone saddles and nuts, and quality fret wire. The big difference between the two types is that for a luthier-built instrument the whole process, from design to assembly and finish is done by an individual luthier (or a small specialist team), and the instruments are built in very small batches.
That said however, in these days of quality control and advanced manufacturing techniques, more expensive factory built guitars (that are assembled by hand along a production line), use good materials and are consistent across production. The entry level instruments, obviously then, take less time to complete than the more expensive ones – a direct result of fit and finish.
Entry Level and Intermediate Factory Built Guitars
An entry level guitar should cost between $200 and $600, while an intermediate student guitar should cost anywhere between $1000 and $2500.
Be sure to inform the sales assistant (or the seller if you are buying online), that the guitar type you require is a six sting classical guitar strung with nylon classical guitar strings. The instrument must be a traditional classical guitar, either full size, 3/4 size or 1/2 size, and shouldn’t be a “crossover” instrument that tend to have narrow necks and smaller string spacing; these guitars are designed for steel-string players who require a nylon string guitar.
When buying a factory-built guitar, the most important feature should be a solid top. Nevermind fancy looking wood on the back or sides (this could a thin veneer atop a cheap plywood), or a colourful rosette, a solid top ensures a brighter sound and a potential for the guitar to develop a fuller voice. There are two types of wood used for sooundboards; cedar (darker hued) and spruce (lighter hued). Neither is better, but both have their pros and cons and players generally take a liking to one or the other. Spruce tends to be a harder wood than cedar, and therefore tends to sound brighter but it does have more potential than the warmer sounding cedar for change. A plywood top/soundboard found on the cheapest models is a no-no, as it sounds dull to begin with and basically will never change character.
A factor to consider is the size of the student. Generally any child age ten and over could be playing on a full size instrument. For younger children, it’s a good idea for a sales assistant to size them up.
The entry level guitar brands that I recommend are Katoh, Yamaha, Alhambra or Cordoba.
Buying from a store is preferable thatn online, as a good sales assistant will be able to give you a price deal, get the instrument set up, and of course choose the best one he/she has as there are often inconsistencies even between the same make and model.
If you live in Sydney, I highly recommend Guitar Factory in Gladesville. Rob McMullen is the sales assistant for classical guitars – a very knowledgeable and professional individual.
Concert Level and Luthier Built Guitars
There are many differences between a factory built instrument and an instrument hand-made by a specialist luthier. The obvious difference is the price! Another point of difference is the sound – a luthier tends to use Grade A solid woods, as well as hand carving the tops and soundboards, which will result in a louder, clearer, more defined sound with lots more projection. A modern concert guitar is also set up by the luthier for an easy action (playability).
In the rarefied world of luthier built guitars, there are basic templates that most lutiers will stick to, as these have become the convention. Saying that, most builders and luthiers experiemnt with all sorts of nerw devices and patterns, with some of them becoming more standard than others. The main types of modern concert guitars tend to fall into one of the follwoing categories; a traditional fan-braced (or modified fan-brace) top, a lattice top, and a double top (doble tapa in Spanish). Each of these soundboard design dictate the construction of the rest of the guitar, with the fan-braced traditonal guitar being the lightest and most “traditonal” sounding instruments. Lattice brace tops are thinner and lighter, but the rest of the guitar is contstructed with lots more material making it a lot heavy. The sound of the lattice braced guitar tends to be louder and more focussed, but does have a unique sound. The double top instruments have two soundboards, and the sound can be described as a mix of both the traditional, with the volume of a lattaice braced guitar. Many of the world’s top classical guitarists have chosen to play on double top guitars.
Again, if you live in Sydney, one of the best places to view concert guitars or to discuss custom odrering one from the luthiers themselves, is Guitar Factory in Gladesville.
Simon Marty Guitars (Australia)
Kim Lissarague Guitars (Australia)
Tony Morison Guitars (Australia)
Things to Consider – and What Questions to Ask
- Is this a classical guitar?
- Size: is the size of the guitar right for me or for my child?
- Soundboard: Is the soundboard solid cedar or spruce, or is it a plywood top.
- String lenght/scale: a standard full size guitar is 650mm. A longer scale (typically a guitar from the 1970s or 1980s, or a special order nowadays) of 660 and more is generally too long for adult hands, nevermind children. If you are built smaller than average, you could even consider a short scale (640mm) instrument.
- Is the fingerboard genuine ebony or rosewood, a modern synthetic material, or is it a cheaper “ebonized” wood?
- Do the tuners tune accurately and smoothly?
- Are the nut and saddle made of organic material (bone) or a cheap plastic?
- Is the wood on the back and sides solid timber, or is it a plywood with an expensive looking top venneer?
- If this guitar is made from rosewood, do you have documents to prove that the wood is responsibily sourced?
