The classical Guitar is part of the guitar family and is also known as the Spanish guitar. Being an acoustic wooden guitar, it uses different tonewoods to create an impressive sound. Construction materials and methods of the classical guitar may vary, but the traditional form will either be a modern or historic guitar, comparable to the traditional romantic guitars of France and Italy. Classical guitar strings, once composed of the gut, are now formed using polymers like nylon, with fine wire wound strings used for bass strings.

If you’re looking to invest in the best classical guitar and your price margin is quite high, then have a look at the list of top five models that we have prepared.

Our Best Classical Guitar Under $1000- Reviews and Comparisons

1. Kremona Verea Performer Series Acoustic/Electric Nylon String Guitar

Product Highlights

Kremona Verea Performer is a fine traditional classical nylon-string guitar that has a stunning body along with an impressive sound for its price. It works well on stage, and its acoustic-electric nature would make it easy for you to produce those awesome sounds on this instrument. The flexible truss rod and the cutaway shape make this guitar incredibly playable and we don’t think you’re going to be disappointed with this outstanding guitar.

Integrating rich tonewoods, outstanding visual appeal, and standard design, fantastic live and stand-alone tone, make Kremona Verea Cutaway a good buy. Well, it’s worth looking for any intermediate guitarist taking to the stage daily.

Features

• Kremona Verea Performer is made of the finest tonewoods, as it has a sturdy cedar top and rosewood on both sides and back.
• The craftsmanship is top of the rankings and everything is considered to be flawless, with no weak points in the wood.
• The binding is also excellent, and the pattern of the wood rosette around the soundhole is undervalued since it just looks excellent.
• The neck is also made from the finest materials, as it uses a perfect Honduran cedar with an Indian rosewood fretboard for tone and smoothness.
• This machine brings the greatest flexibility because it uses a piezo transducer under the saddle, but it still has a condenser microphone.
• It has a 3-band EQ and unique phase control (to increase low-volume bass response along with helping to control feedback when you crank it up a bit).
• The Presys uses a piezo transducer underneath the saddle while also using an integrated condenser microphone.
• It also has a mixing control that helps you to dial the optimal combination of piezo squawk and microphone warmth.

What We Like About Kremona Verea Performer Series Acoustic/Electric Nylon String Guitar

As far as hardware is concerned, the Kremona Verea Performer uses an outstanding Fishman Presys Blend active device that will give you an impressive range of adjustability for any kind of acoustic amp, or even straight through a pre-amp.

As far as sound is concerned, this guitar offers true to core classical guitar sounds. The sound is a little deeper and richer, but still provides loads of clarity and detail. The body of this Kremona Verea is made of just the finest tonewoods. It features a solid cedar top while using rosewood on both sides and back. The design is impeccable, with a precise wooden binding and a distinctive wood rosette pattern hand-inlaid around the soundhole.

Kremona has wisely chosen the materials for the neck, using Honduran cedar along with an Indian rosewood fretboard for a fantastic tone and smooth action. It can also be adjusted for the highest playability thanks to the adjustable truss rod – always a good thing to help get any guitar to its best possible setup.

One of the aspects where Kremona Verea really excels is the use of the Fishman Presys Blend active system. The Fishman Presys offers you an amazing spectrum of adjustability to get the correct sound from either an acoustic amp or straight through the PA.

Finally, it has a built-in chromatic tuner – always a bonus – and volume control as well. Meanwhile, the tuners on the slotted headphones are smooth operators for making such fine changes, and they look fantastic due to the gold plating and the genuine rosewood buttons. Even the best pick-up mechanism won’t make an acoustic guitar with a poor unamplified tone sound amazing. You don’t have to worry about that with this classical beauty – it sounds wonderful all on its own with a deep, smooth, rich response across the whole EQ spectrum.

What We Don’t Like About Kremona Verea Performer Series Acoustic/Electric Nylon String Guitar

We think the only drawback of this guitar would be that it is quite expensive.

2. Alhambra 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Right, Solid Red Cedar, Cutaway (3C-CW-US)

Product Highlights

Alhambra is one of the most respected guitar brands which has been making guitars since 1965. They are proud to have the best instruments in the world and the Alhambra 3C-CW-US Cutaway Series Guitar is no different. This guitar produces an authentic, classical Spanish tone that outshines its rivals, thanks to its elegant cedarwood.

Features

• The guitar comes in a cutaway shape, too, which fits right on your lap. The body and neck of this guitar can also be easily grasped. But if you’re one of those players who has a rough time going higher up, this cutaway feature will support you.
• Also, this guitar comes with a heavy-duty hard case that keeps your guitar secure and covered if you don’t need it or when you have to hold it or when you’re on the road.
• The top of the 3C-CW is made of an elegant cedarwood that helps the guitar project to be clear and warm.
• Alhambra uses extra-high-voltage strings made by D’Addario (EXP 44), but you can always switch and mix and match strings and even use high or normal voltage alternatives if you want.

What We Like About Alhambra 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Right, Solid Red Cedar, Cutaway (3C-CW-US)

There is no other way to explain the sound of this Alhambra except simply to suggest that it has an authentic, classical Spanish feel. Thanks to the cutaway style of the 3C-CW, it sits perfectly on the lap, and the neck and body of the guitar can be easily reached. The cutaway feature lets the guitarist easily get to the higher loads that may otherwise be hard to hit with a full-body instrument. The rich and warm tone amplified by the cedar top cannot be readily replaced; it blends well with the nylon string guitar aesthetics.

What We Don’t Like About Alhambra 6 String Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Right, Solid Red Cedar, Cutaway (3C-CW-US)

The only flaw of this guitar is that it can feel bulky to some guitarists.

3. Kremona Rosa Morena Flamenco Series Nylon String Guitar

Product Highlights

Flamenco guitars are made lighter with thinner tops than classical guitars, which create a lighter sound quality. Engineers often use fewer internal bracing to keep the top more resonant to better make the notes brighter and clearer.

Volume has historically been very important to flamenco guitarists. To maximize the volume, heavier woods are used for the back and sides, with lighter woods for the top. The Rosa Morena is made from Indian rosewood and European spruce. This guitar offers a deep, warm tone and dynamic range of classical guitars, along with subtle flamenco style elements and a powerful sound.

Features

• This Kremona model features a solid top, ultra-thin gloss finish, and a Honduras cedar neck.
• The Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge, along with a bone nut and a saddle, complements the other flamenco elements.
• Other good touches include the solid wood binding and the soundhole rosette, the gold tuning machines, and the classic Flamenco tap tray.
• A Kremona stuffed gig bag with neck support is included, though a hard-shell case will be a definite bonus that you can buy later on.
• The neck is made of Honduras cedar and is very comfortable even for beginners, but this is a more intermediate to advanced level guitar.
• The nut and saddle are created of bone. Bone is certainly a top-notch material that will take your guitar from alright to incredible. The strings on this guitar are the Kremona Arete nylon strings that enhance the instrument beautifully.

What We Like About Kremona Rosa Morena Flamenco Series Nylon String Guitar

The guitar of Rosa Morena is part of the Flamenco Series. The top is made of sturdy European spruce and makes the sound incredible volume and clarity. The back and sides are Indian rosewood, and another high-quality tonewood will get better with time if you treat it right.

The Rosa Morena hardware is up to par, to say the least. The gold tuning machine with Pearloid buttons is easy to use particularly for someone who’s new to the guitars.

Luckily, you don’t have to adjust the string collection straight away, as is the case for a lot of versions. Also, as a nice bonus, you get a dual-pocket padded gig bag that does a surprisingly good job of protecting your instrument from any damage. Luckily with this guitar, you won’t have to think about wasting more money and time studying gig bags or cases because its gig bag is really practical to use. The Rosa Morena Nylon String Guitar is certainly not going to disappoint you.

This model is not only beautiful looking with a fantastic flamenco sound, but also, at least for us, sounds a lot better than some other models that come at twice the amount. The tone is very well aligned with a clean, vibrant treble and zero crankiness.

What We Don’t Like About Kremona Rosa Morena Flamenco Series Nylon String Guitar

The only challenge you might face is that the action might be too high for your taste (especially if you’re a beginner).

4. Alhambra 6 String Classical Guitar, Solid Red Cedar, (1C-US)

Product Highlights

Alhambra is another company that offers its consumers more choices when it comes to purchasing a personalized guitar that’s tailored to your tastes and needs. You’re going to have to pick between size and form, both the standard classic and the cutaway option. If you find it challenging to hit the top frets and feel that you need something to support you, then it is advised to order the 1C-US cutaway version.

This guitar, which was released in 2016, is still very new to the market but has already conquered the hearts of many beginners and experienced players. You’ll also get a soft case to help keep your instrument safe and sound when you purchase this guitar.

Features

• There are actually two models to pick from when you purchase this guitar, and the models include a high gloss finish and an open pore finish.
• Also, depending on the color scheme you prefer best, you can either order a solid red cedar guitar or a solid Canadian cedar substitute.
• Alhambra also made sure to give its consumers a soft case to help keep their new guitar secure.

What We Like About Alhambra 6 String Classical Guitar, Solid Red Cedar, (1C-US)

The Alhambra classic nylon string guitar is the right instrument for those looking for a solid product. This guitar will help you improve your talents and will be sure to accompany you for several years, thanks to its sturdy construction.

What We Don’t Like About Alhambra 6 String Classical Guitar, Solid Red Cedar, (1C-US)

Many users said that the guitar does not exude an expensive look and playability.

5. La Patrie Guitar, Collection QI

Product Highlights

For over 30 years, La Patrie has been making homemade nylon string instruments in a small village in Canada. The organization is committed to making inexpensive instruments only as much as it is committed to the development of high-quality instruments. Usually, classic guitar necks seem to be stronger, making playing the guitar a little harder unless you’re a really experienced musician.

Features

• The QI collection is a classical guitar with high-quality electronics and tonewood.
• QI is fitted with a sturdy cedar top made of 800-year-old trees that are handled to create the finest sound and last longer than any other tonewood.
• The back and sides are laminated with rosewood, while the neck is Honduras mahogany.
• The neck profile is also very convenient for advanced and beginner players to make it easy to use.
• In the case of the QI presentation, the outline of the neck is minimized by the truss rod framework. So now instead of a thick collar, you get a very flexible collar profile that’s also robust and strong.
• The QI Presentation features a rosewood bridge with a compensated saddle.
• The nut is made of Tusq and the gold “Lyra” tuners with the Pearloid buttons can cause you no hassle for numerous years.
• The unique lacquer formula used on most La Patrie guitars helps the guitar wood to breathe and mature well. It’s not too dense to block the sound, but it’s not too weak to scratch.

What We Like About La Patrie Guitar, Collection QI

La Patrie is very concentrated on using the highest quality tonewood for improved sound and color. But it also does not mean they ignore other things, such as hardware or electronics. Although they don’t overbuild their guitars, they’re sure to bring in all the high-quality materials for ease of play and good performance.

Sharp and clinical sound does not complement classical guitars. Many were concerned about this guitar when they saw how La Patrie went for rosewood to complement the soft cedar top. Being so rough, rosewood will quickly turn the guitar sterile if the luthier doesn’t know what they’re doing. Luckily, this is not the case with the La Patrie Series.

On the contrary, the back and sides of the rosewood give it a perfectly balanced tone that is neither too delicate nor too rigid. You get a decent selection, length, and projection when the Set literally flows when you start finger-picking. At this price point, you’re not going to find a finer vintage guitar than this.

What We Don’t Like About La Patrie Guitar, Collection QI

While the guitar may not have drawbacks, La Patrie does have problematic customer service.

Final Verdict

The Kremona Verea Performer Series is the best classical guitar under $1000 according to us. Not only does it have a solid construction that will last for years but also flaunts excellent playability which will be loved by guitarists of all levels.

If you’re looking at getting maximum value for your money, we recommend you buy this model.

Buyers Guide

Before we dive into the factors that you should consider before buying a classical guitar, we want you to know the pros and cons of owning a classical guitar.

Pros of a Classical Guitar

• For newcomers, the big pro is the fact that Nylon strings are usually easier to perform than steel strings on acoustic guitars. Nylon strings require very little finger strength when it gets down to fretting, and are also less likely to give you callous fingers.
• Classical guitar has a haunting melody, which may be the answer you’re looking for. For a long time, these guitars have been synonymous with genres like Brazilian and Spanish guitar playing, and this may be just what you need.
• A lot of good guitar teachers (or online classical playing classes) will teach you finger-picking techniques that can build your finger speed and agility.
• The techniques you learn are applicable to all types of instruments, as strings and intonations are the same as electric and acoustic instruments.

Cons of a Classical Guitar

• The calloused fingers that you might get when you perform on an acoustic guitar for the first few times are certainly helpful. They harden your skin, and if you’re hoping to finally move to acoustics, you won’t build up that toughness by playing softer nylon strings.
• The neck and the fretboard appear to be larger than most guitar styles. This means that whether you are used to playing acoustic or electric guitar, there will be some time to adapt. It also means that if you have smaller hands, you can be grappling with some of the chaos you need, particularly if you pick or solo.
• In order to master all the strategies (and make the sound) of rock and pop music, you would finally need to turn to buy some sort of steel-stringed guitar instead.

Type of Wood

Popular tonewood forms include:

Mahogany is a medium weight, thick wood with an appealing brown hue. This type of wood is known to produce deep, rich bass, and warm mid-tones. The sound is very distinct, with an outstanding assist.

Maple is one of the most popular woods used in guitars, particularly the neck. Its medium weight induces a decent amount of resonance and provides a vivid, high-end sound with an outstanding meaning. It’s great for live recordings or performances.

Spruce is the most widely used wood in classical guitars. It produces crisp tones with a vast range of frequencies, rendering it superior to deliver simple and well-defined sounds. It is most widely found in the soundboard, where it can optimize its tonal capability.

Cedar makes a deeper and less coherent tone relative to Spruce. This brings a layer of character and warmth to the overall sound that the wood provides. Cedar is a decent choice for guitarists who like lighter music.

Rosewood is a hard, porous, and resonant wood that creates a full, rich sound with a great bass definition. Few higher-end guitars use the rarer and more valuable Brazilian rosewood. However, most guitars opt for a cheaper Indian variety. This can be a good gauge to judge the price points of rosewood guitars.

Guitar Size

Selecting the size of your classical guitar might seem like an easy matter, but it does take some thinking. If you are an adult of normal or above normal size and height, the best likelihood is for you to get a full-size classical guitar. The body of the classical guitar is not too large compared to the acoustic instruments and is likely to be reasonably comfortable. There is, however, a justification for the presence of other guitar sizes!

Bear in mind that learning to play guitar is still a little tricky, and there are hurdles to overcome. And if you find a little rough to begin with, and find like you may be trying to hit, your fingers will gradually get bigger, more versatile, and more suited to playing the guitar. This can also be influenced by the bad guitar keeping technique. Don’t suppose it’s too large for you, and just pick a tiny guitar for the sake of it.

Guitars are available in a range of sizes. They range from ¼ to the maximum scale that we normally know. It’s important to select the size that’s right for you to create. Having an oversized guitar for a kid (or a smaller one for an adult) will make playing pretty awkward.
Both the ¼ and ½ sized guitars are mostly made with children in mind. The smaller burdens are more comfortable for children to understand. The ¾ size is suitable for older children or adults who prefer smaller freights. Some would find it hard to play a full-size guitar with the fretboard, so this size is a decent solution.

The best advice we can offer is to get the correct size depending on the correct playing strategies. Too often, budding players might as well dismiss the guitar as too big. Turns out, they just didn’t handle it the right way. Where in question, use the real guitar in the shop and get a feel for the various sizes.

If you’re going to a guitar shop with a wide variety of vintage guitars, you’ll get a chance to check out ¾ size, ⅞ size, and full size, see which one looks more comfortable to your body style and sits better when you play. This doesn’t suggest you have to purchase from that particular shop, it only allows you a little better experience about what sizes really suggest, rather than assuming.

Guitar Soundboard

Of all the parts of the classical guitar, the soundboard is probably the most vital. This piece of wood is the one that creates the vibration when the strings vibrate. It also has the biggest effect on the tonal consistency of your guitar. As a rule of thumb, more classical guitars will have better soundboard quality. There are two types of plywood or solid wood.

Plywood is the cheaper of the two guys. It consists of three (sometimes more) layers of wood stacked together. Typically, the top layer is made of wood of better quality than the middle and bottom layers. Wood content being similar, the sound is usually less bright and characterized by plywood soundboards.

Solid wood appears to be the more costly, luxury choice. It’s made up of two larger pieces of wood sandwiched together. For these two bits, various types of wood may be used. This mixture will give birth to unusual tonal qualities. Clarity and definition are even more pronounced in the soundboards of solid wood.

When it comes to wood, expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. Each type of wood has various tonal characteristics. If you absolutely love the character of cheap wood like Spruce, then go for it.

Fretboard vs. Fingerboard

The fretboard on the classical guitar is very different and larger than many other guitar styles. In terms of materials, Rosewood is very common but several other kinds of wood like Mahogany and Ebony have been identified. The fretboard has some influence on the sound, but it usually needs to be regarded in terms of comfort and playability.

Some fretboards are a lot more pleasurable when it comes to moving your hand shape or moving up and down when you pick with your finger. It’s something to pay careful attention to the movement of the fretboard.

For beginners, the term ‘action’ may sound entirely abstract. Basically, what this means is the room between the strings and the frets. A broader area is a high action, a smaller one means a low action. High actions on your guitar can sometimes generate further in the way of volume, but bending and holding strings down, as well as playing bends and slides, can become more challenging.

Low actions are probably easier and good to navigate the fretboard, but they are more vulnerable to buzzing flowing from the strings. The action of the guitar is going to depend on how it is set up. A guitar store employee or guitarist can help with this, but relatively lower action which avoids any fret buzz is beneficial for beginners.

There is also something to consider spacing between the strings along with the board. Some spaces are wider than others. This is down to choice and often hand size, but the trick is that the strings are equally spaced. If you have an unusual spacing, it can be very difficult if you ever pick up another guitar to get used to the way it’s played.

Body

The guitar body is the largest ‘bulk’ of the instrument where the guitar is strummed. Classical guitars and acoustic guitars have a great deal of emphasis on this area, and the way the body is crafted can have an impact on the sound (and the price) of the guitar. Thicker bodies appear to have more of a rich tone towards the lower end, the smaller a body is, the more high frequencies tend to ring out. Playing a couple of classical guitars and evaluating is a good way to start to understand how the bodies can impact the tone.

The soundboard is still a vital part of the body, but there are backs and sides as well. These are mostly constructed of laminate materials at the lower end of the market as a way to save costs on the building, and since it appears to be more durable and stable in this way.

The Nut and Saddle are simply the places where the strings are held in place. Cheap, beginner versions are made of plastic. Although this sounds flimsy, plastic is very efficient and durable to keep it in place. More expensive models will often have bone construction, resulting in more vibrations and sometimes louder playing.

The headrest of a classical guitar is pretty simple in terms of construction. Have a look at the tuning pegs to see if they’re easy to change. This is how you tune the strings of your guitar, and poor quality plastic pegs can often make it really hard.

Price

It’s no joke to claim that the price gap between inexpensive and pricey classical guitars is massive. Shop around, and you can find a $100-200 beginner model. On the other side of the market, with a skilled model with outstanding construction and tonewood, the expense could be several thousand.

There are a few things that have an impact on the price. The woods used in the building have a great impact on the price of the guitar. For example, if the fretboard of a guitar is made of Brazilian Rosewood, it is likely to be more expensive than Indian Rosewood.

If the tonal disparity between the two is especially large is a matter of some controversy within the guitar community. The markets for buying wood are not inherently only related to the manufacturing of guitars, and many other factors have an effect on how costly wood is. Mahogany is solid wood and an example of wood that is desirable for classical guitars, but since it’s in demand for other things, it’s also costly wood.

Crafted by hand vs Factory-made

If you’re hunting for a personalized instrument, you should be prepared for the extra expense of the instrument. Most of the beginner guitars are manufactured in the factory. This doesn’t mean that they’re of low quality as well, only that they haven’t been produced with Luthier’s specialty. The vast majority of beginners can begin with a factory-made guitar.

Hardware

The guitar hardware contains the tuning pegs and the nut. They may be made of plastic or other materials, such as bone or metal. The superior the material, the higher the cost, but this is compensated by the fact that you will usually get a much more tough-wearing and long-lasting guitar if it is made of better materials.

Brand

The fundamentals of selling determine that products play a role in pricing. A company with a reputation for producing outstanding guitars may cost a little more than a company you’ve never heard of. Some products are tailored for beginners, some are designed to be suitable for professionals.

There are several various small boutique brands available, not that they are of low quality, quite the contrary. A lot of manufacturers make these items by hand on a small scale, and only a few hundred classic guitars will ever be made.

Here are some reputed brands that you must have come across and if not then here’s what you should know about them:

Yamaha
If an instrument is to be manufactured, the odds are that Yamaha will make its offering. This isn’t different from classical guitars, but that doesn’t mean they’re of low quality. Yamaha makes some really fine classical guitars at almost every price point that we’ve spoken about as acceptable. A Yamaha guitar can almost guarantee consistency for beginners.

Córdoba
Córdoba is one of the best, if not the best, mass production brands of classical guitars. It seems like this manufacturer has a long past. In reality, they have only been manufacturing instruments since 2007. This is a comparatively short amount of time in the grand scale of instruments.

The standard offered as well as the value within their range means that Cordoba’s classical guitars are among the most common. Their guitars sell from about $150 to $1000. A roster of pro musicians uses Córdoba guitar, as their website reveals. While Ukuleles and some other instruments, such as acoustic bass guitars, are made, the classical is certainly a specialty.

Takamine’s
Takamine offers several different instruments, predominantly electric, with a small part of their brand dedicated to classical instruments. While it’s not their specialism, there are some appropriate models within their range.

Fender (and Squier’s)
Similarly, while we primarily equate Fender with their line of legendary electric guitars, they still produce acoustic instruments. This includes a few classical guitars, some of which are very high standard. The Squier offerings include a classic acoustic guitar kit that is perfect for beginners and available at a very affordable price.

Dean
Dean is another brand with a wide variety of items. They manufacture bass guitars, electric, acoustic and classical models. Their classical guitars vary a lot in material and price, so there’s a lot of variety for those who want to buy from this collection.

Stagg
Stagg is a budget maker of guitars of all shapes and sizes. They make a few different styles of classical guitar, but they’re not very impressive and they’re certainly on the ‘budget’ end of the market. Read reviews very carefully if you’re planning to go down this route, to make sure you don’t end up with one of their less reliable products.

Hope our review of the best classical guitar under 1000 and the buyer’s guide will help you make a smart choice according to your requirements.

The post Best Classical Guitar Under $1000 [Our Reviews and Comparisons] appeared first on Music Authority.

---

Best Classical Guitar Under $1000 [Our Reviews and Comparisons] was first posted on November 19, 2020 at 12:10 pm.
©2019 "Music Authority". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at [email protected]