Once you’ve decided that you’d like to buy a new classical guitar - whether it’s for yourself, your child, whether you're guitar student, professional, or hobbyist - it’s easy to be overwhelmed by choice. There’s an enormous range of prices, the cheapest guitars available at barely over £100, and the most expensive instruments can be tens of thousands of pounds. After reading this blog post, it is my hope that readers will be better able to discern quality guitars from the rest, across the range of prices, both factory made and hand crafted. The price doesn’t necessarily indicate the quality of a guitar, so it’s best to be as discerning and informed as possible.
The basics:
A good quality guitar first has to meet some basic standards in order to even function as a musical instrument. Taking into consideration that any musical instrument is a complicated system with a thousand components, and that guitars are made out of thin delicate plates of wood - an unpredictable material at the best of times - it is perhaps understandable that there are guitars out there that don’t meet these basic standards. When buying a guitar, It’s important to be mindful that there are guitars with these issues out there at all price ranges.
Checking the action at the 12th fret. This is a guitar with an elevated fingerboard.
The height of the strings on the classical guitar can’t be too easily adjusted, and only within a certain range. Sometimes a guitar can be constructed slightly inaccurately, meaning the strings are permanently too high, or too low, above the guitar’s fretboard. Too high means the guitar will be hard to play, too low and the strings will rattle against the frets.
If it feels like the strings are too high or low on a guitar, look to the guitar’s bridge, and the saddle - the bone protruding from the bridge. It should be possible to adjust the saddle - or rather, get it adjusted by a professional - so that the string height measured between the 12th fret and the bottom of the string is: 3.8mm for the low e string and 2.8 for the high e string, ideally with room for adjustment a bit lower. If it’s impossible to get within this range, then the guitar has some construction issues; there was likely some constructional oversight during the building of that guitar.
It’s worth mentioning that to guitarists starting to play classical guitar, who have previously played acoustic or electric, classical guitar action (string height) is much higher, and will initially feel uncomfortable. Before thinking that something is wrong with the instrument, check the action at the 12th fret with an accurate gauge or ruler; you want almost 4mm for the low e string, and almost 3 for the high e string.
It may be surprising to hear that cracking, collapsing and even exploding can occur in classical guitars all across the price spectrum. Cracking in a relatively new guitar may occur due to green wood being used, or improper humidity control, in the building process; or, due to very bad luck. Regarding collapsing, the soundboards of most guitars will display some dishing in front of the bridge and bulging behind it; this is due to the tension of the strings pulling on the soundboard. But if this happens excessively, it could mean that the instrument is inadequately braced, indicating a short lifespan for that instrument.
It may sound obvious that of course guitars shouldn’t collapse or explode, and why would they anyway? I think this particular problem would be more likely to occur on a handmade instrument, as luthiers tend to build their guitars much lighter than factory guitars, in search of a better tone. So it’s worth being mindful of any potential construction issues when evaluating both cheaper factory guitars, and more expensive handmade guitars too.
It is worth sighting down the neck/fretboard to see whether it’s straight enough. Some guitars will have some relief - a slight bow - but this shouldn’t be excessive. Classical guitars don’t have truss rods, so relief isn’t something that can be easily adjusted.
Check the amount of bone protruding from the bridge. Ideally, the guitar should be set at a comfortable action, and have enough saddle that you can adjust to a lower action if you wanted. As guitars age over many years their action tends to increase, so if there’s room for the saddle to be lowered, the guitar’s lifespan increases. Ideally there should be about 2.5-4mm of saddle. Too much saddle is also a problem; having more than 4mm not only looks strange, but it puts too much pressure on the front part of the bridge.
The meat of the matter - the sound
Once it is clear a guitar has no issues and all the basics have been covered, a player can begin to evaluate the sound, the aesthetic beauty, as well as the small details which come down to each player’s preference.
A guitar is made of hundreds of different components working towards a single aim: the sound. I used to think that the sound of a guitar was something highly subjective - and yes, each guitar has its unique sound qualities, and it’s possible to love a guitar’s sound despite apparent flaws - but a modern classical guitar of quality will have important distinct features in its sound: Balance, Power, Projection, Tone, Volume, Strong Trebles, Musicality.
Balance. A guitar with an even, balanced sound won’t have some notes that are suddenly louder than others, or have an enormous bass with weak trebles, or vice versa. On a balanced instrument you will feel in control, and won’t have to compensate for shortcomings in the sound.
Power, volume and projection. I regard power and volume as the perception of power and volume from the point of view of the player. If you intend to play concerts and recitals, it is important to bring a second guitarist, so you can test power/volume of the guitar from the point of view of the listener/the audience; that is what is referred to as the projection of a guitar. I’ve heard what I’d thought were quiet guitars project absolutely beautifully, the sound somehow riding the airwaves directly to my ears. I have always made projection a primary concern when developing/improving my own guitars.
Musicality. Try to find a guitar that sings rather than shouts.
Tone. When I think of tone, I recall playing the bass guitar as a teenager. I had a particular bass, a Warwick Corvette, and the tone was so meaty and gritty you really could just sink your teeth into it! When a guitar has a good tone, it’s like the guitar is meeting you halfway, contributing to and elevating the music.
Trebles. It can be difficult to find a guitar with really strong trebles, as the construction of the classical guitar gives the instrument a natural tendency towards the bass. The best trebles almost unexpectedly soar. It is important as most melodic lines on the classical guitar are played on the treble strings, accompanied by the bass.
Aesthetics:
To a non-guitarist, all guitars might look the same. But we know that within the limits of the classical guitar, guitars actually come in all shapes and sizes. Different woods are used; luthiers have their unique rosettes and headstock shapes; there are extra features which can affect the aesthetics of a guitar such as armrests and elevated fingerboards.
One aesthetic feature that is completely measurable is the workmanship/craftsmanship. Some guitars display greater care, attention to detail and skill on the part of the guitar maker or factory. If there are clear woodworking mistakes, this might indicate an inexperienced builder, or a factory with poor quality control.
One of my favourite parts of the classical guitar is the rosette. As a teenager I idealised the rosettes of Paul Fischer and David Rubio. Today I also like Philip Woodfield rosettes, and really any from which you can clearly recognise the maker. It’s the most artistic, decorative part of a guitar. Very intricately made, a rosette is often made up of thousands of individual pieces of wood. The best designs are not gaudy or showy, but not overly simplistic either; just tasteful.
A beautiful thing about hand crafted instruments is that the makers have their individual manners of working and often this is evident in the final guitar. I once examined a special guitar, built over 100 years ago by a maker called Vincente Arias. His particular style - the way he crafted his heels, headstocks, bridges, rosettes etc - bursts with personality, even after 100 years. He built in a very free manner, using only hand tools and without moulds. I feel the workmanship of factories and some modern guitars in general, just don’t have the same soul.
Finding the right guitar for YOU:
It is a very personal thing, whether a guitar is for you or not. Small changes in dimension (mere millimetres), differences in finish, sound, neck shape, size, feel etc. can mean the difference between the perfect guitar for you (the one!), and all the other guitars out there.
Neck shape is one of these personal preferences. The typical traditional classical guitar neck usually has a D shaped neck, meaning the back of the neck is quite flat. It’s also not too thin because traditionally, in the past, classical guitars have been made without truss rods or reinforcement, and therefore couldn’t be made too thin. However, there are a great variety of neck shapes these days; more rounded neck shapes; necks that taper, getting thicker towards the body of the guitar; thin necks, reinforced with a carbon rod. Finding the right neck shape isn’t just personal preference, sometimes it’s about physical health, as the wrong neck shape for you could aggravate problems such as arthritis, tendonitis and other such problems.
You might consider a larger or small guitar; perhaps you have smaller hands, or you are particularly tall or short. Usually the body size and the scale length (string length) of the instrument changes; this decreases or increases the gap between the frets. The width of the fretboard, on the other hand, tends to stay the same. If you are interested in short scale guitars, I have written another blog post on the subject here: https://www.michaeledgeworthguitars.com/en/blog/what-are-short-scale-guitars-and-who-are-they-for-what-size-guitar-should-i-buy-for-my-child.
Guitars come in a variety of finishes, lacquer, French polish, oil, varnish. No finish is perfect and each has different advantages and disadvantages. Oil, for example, is a delightfully tactile finish, and low maintenance too, however it doesn’t offer the glossy beauty of lacquer and French polish. French polish is the thinnest finish, arguably best for the sound and most beautiful, but it’s not the most hardwearing and can be a source of worry to maintain. Lacquer can be really beautiful too when well done; it risks not being as thin as French polish and can be more difficult to repair. Your can find more information on the different classical guitar finishes here: https://www.michaeledgeworthguitars.com/en/blog/the-different-types-of-guitar-finishes-and-how-to-care-for-them
The guitar wouldn’t be much use without some quality tuning machine and a good hard case. It is worth exploring the range of both tuning machines and hard cases, the prices of which range from £100 - £1000.
With the classical guitar being composed of so many different factors, it comes as no surprise at all that it is so difficult to find the perfect guitar. Not only that, but as we grow and change as musicians, and as guitars develop with the course of time, our idea of the ideal guitar shifts. I hope the information above has helped you first discern a guitar of quality from the rest, and then find the right quality guitar for you in particular.