Best Classical Guitars for Beginners
Published on 10 December 2024
Are you looking to begin learning the guitar? There’s so much choice these days, but classical guitars are still one of the most time-honoured styles to begin learning guitar on.
Today, I’ll look into why that might be, as well as highlighting some of the best classical guitars to begin your guitar journey on!
Contents
Why do People Learn on Classical Guitars?
Are Classical Guitars Easy to Play?
What Types of Music Can I Play on a Classical Guitar?
Can I Put Steel Strings on a Nylon String Classical Guitar?
Best Classical Guitars for Beginners
Best for Transitioning from Electric Guitar: Ibanez FRH10
Why do People Learn on Classical Guitars?
Classical guitars are used by many beginner guitarists. Why? The main reason is that they use nylon strings instead of steel strings. Nylon strings are far kinder on one’s fingers, particularly when those fingers are not used to holding down guitar strings!
Also, classical guitars are quite self-contained, in the sense that they don’t need any additional equipment in order to function: no amplifier, no cables, nothing but the guitar itself. This simplicity, mixed with the time-honoured design of the classical guitar - it has remained relatively unchanged for hundreds of years - make classical guitars an excellent choice for beginners.
Are Classical Guitars Easy to Play?
Classical guitars tend to be easier to play than other types of acoustic guitar. They have larger necks and the strings are more widely spaced-out, which makes the notes easier for fledgling fingers to grab.
The nylon strings are much kinder on your fingers too, so that makes them easier to play.
What Types of Music Can I Play on a Classical Guitar?
Although they are called ‘classical guitars’, these instruments are not relegated to only the classical repertoire. Indeed, you can play anything you like on a classical guitar, from pop and rock to acoustic blues, if you want to! Some styles will undoubtedly sound better on a steel string guitar, but it’s a personal preference, really. Nylon string guitars have a special sound that people love, and they are often very affordable, too.
Can I Put Steel Strings on a Nylon String Classical Guitar?
This is a simple one: you definitely can NOT put steel strings onto a nylon string classical guitar. 100 times out of 100, you will break the guitar. It’s that simple! Steel string guitars carry loads more tension in them, and for this reason, steel string acoustic guitars have metal rods in the necks called truss rods that make the necks much, much stronger. Nylon string guitars do not have this, and for this reason, steel strings will snap a classical neck like a twig. Please do not put steel strings on a nylon string classical guitar!
Best Classical Guitars for Beginners
Here are some suggestions for great beginner’s classical guitars, based on my own experience as a salesman, product demonstrator and musician. I’ve chosen a few in different price brackets, but all are affordable and all will offer you something special.
EastCoast C1-34
Let’s start off with something for smaller or younger players. Classical guitars tend to all come in a very similar size, and if that size presents something of a problem physically (reaching over the body, grabbing some frets etc) then a ¾-sized guitar may help.
The EastCoast C1-34 is such a guitar! It is built just like any other beginner classical guitar and is tuned to the same notes, but it has a shorter neck, a smaller body and a thinner neck width, so it’ll be easier all round to get to grips with.
This will of course suit younger/smaller guitar players, but it’s also found success as a travel guitar with players otherwise used to playing full-size guitars. It’s a fun instrument for anyone to pick up and play, and represents good value for money, considering how affordable it is. If you are unsure about how you wish to proceed in the world of classical guitar playing, make sure you try this one out whilst you are demoing full-sized guitar options, as you may surprise yourself and love this slinky, smaller design!
Yamaha C40 II
The Yamaha C40 (currently in its Mark II phase) will be familiar to a great many teachers, beginners, students and salespeople. Why? Well, it’s very hard not to call this the best beginners classical guitar, basically!
It’s well made, sounds good with a pleasant tone and minimal buzz, and is very easy and comfortable to play. Yamaha are old-hands at classical guitar building, since they’ve been at it for well over half a century now. As you know, as a brand Yamaha are very reliable, and it’s on guitars such as this that they built that reputation. It’s not a bells-and-whistles guitar: it’s a good, reliable, playable instrument that you can rely on.
Yamaha CS40
I’d add this as something of an addendum to the C40 II. The Yamaha CS40 is much the same thing except it has a smaller ¾-sized body. This will of course suit younger/smaller guitar players, but it’s also found success as a travel guitar with players otherwise used to playing full-size guitars. Again, Yamaha’s commitment to quality means that this guitar is unsurprisingly nice to play.
Cordoba C1M
Cordoba are an American brand who build some guitars in the US, some in Spain and others in China. At this very affordable price, the Cordoba C1M is Chinese in origin, though there’s a distinctly Spanish quality to the build here.
What does that mean? Well, on the inside of every classical guitar, you’ll see pieces of wood arranged in certain patterns. This is called ‘bracing’ and bracing helps to shape how a guitar ends up sounding. The bracing here is in a ‘fan’ style, which is very Spanish, so the guitar will have a sound that reflects this.
Alvarez Artist Series AC65CE
If you want to begin your experience slightly higher up a notch, then I’d recommend the Alvarez Artist Series AC65CE.
Alvarez are another USA-based brand who build mostly in the far East, but they’ve also carried out a tonne of R&D in the Cadiz area of Spain, which is rich in guitar-making lore. What they learn gets filtered throughout the company’s designs, so that instruments like this perform exceptionally well for their price.
This guitar shares the fan bracing that we saw in the Cordoba guitar, and has cutaway in the body for easier upper fret access. On top of those things, the Alvarez has a top/soundboard made from solid A+ grade Western Red Cedar. Solid timbers resonate better than laminated ones, and Cedar has a lovely warm tone to it, so this guitar will sound quite obviously nicer than the others on review today. What’s more, solid tops ‘season’ the more they vibrate, so the more you play them, the better and richer they’ll continue to sound.
On top of all of that, this guitar is fitted with a very high quality LR Baggs pickup system. LR Baggs is one of the top acoustic brands in the world, so this guitar will sound amazing on or off the stage, for when you finally get that far!
If you can afford to spend a little more, it’s very much worth it.
Best for Transitioning from Electric Guitar: Ibanez FRH10
It could be that you are already on your guitar journey, and that you’re used to playing electric guitars. If this is the case, you might actually prefer something more like this Ibanez FRH10.
It’s quite a different proposition altogether. This guitar has a thin body, just like an electric guitar, and is designed to feel like one to play too, with a narrower and slimmer neck. There’s no soundhole so it’s nice and quiet, making it perfect for playing at home. The fitted pickup system means it’s built for the stage too, and the body style will help prevent feedback too, a natural problem for all acoustic guitars. It still has a solid top and fan bracing, so you’ll be getting an authentic classical guitar sound, but in a very manageable and playable package.
Begin Your Journey Today!
The most effective way to get going with guitar playing is to simply commit. Make today the day you get yourself a classical guitar, tune it up and have a strum. Each of the selections above are ideal for you to get started, and remember that our staff are all on hand to help, advise and inspire! Good luck and stick with it!
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