( Many people who buy a Classical guitar are only purchasing beginner instruments. This is a shame since the very best guitars made are Classical guitars. They can range from a decent student model by Yamaha or Esteve at 345.00 dollars to extraordinary instruments by Jose Oribe ,Miguel Rodriguez, Manual Ramirez, Jose Ramirez, Arch Angel Fernandez, De La Chica,Contreras,Santos Hernandez, and Herman Houser, There are many more great guitar makers. These instruments range from 10 thousand dollars to priceless. 
Knowing what you are buying and why is important. If you are only a beginner then you can find plenty of instruments to purchase for a reasonable price. A good rule is to go with a better player like a teacher and get some input. It helps you select a guitar that will be useful and fill your personal playing needs for a few years.
I recently helped a student pick a Yamaha Flamenco they have. It wasn't a true Flamenco and didn't have that sound but it was fun and played great.
The next step is where many have a problem. Now you have been playing for a couple of years and your current instrument is not cutting it. Time to sell it on eBay. This way you will get a much better return on it then trading it in. You can also sell it to a friend or give it to someone else or keep it for the beach.
I digress.... Now you need something that inspires you. At this point you need a good quality instrument. You also know your playing style. If you are a serious Classical player you will need a guitar that can deliver nuances and volume. If you play more jazz of pop like Earl Klugh then you may want an electric classical or you may want a narrow board on it. Like The Taylor classical or other brands like Godin or Kurt Sands one of my favorite electrics.
Let's look at the serious classical player first because the other guy can find what he wants anywhere.
This guitarist needs a guitar built of Solid woods by a reputable maker. There are nice used instruments available on eBay. You should look for solid wood top and back and sides. Most of these instruments start around a thousand dollars and go up to say 5000 dollars. Some may be student models made by high end makers like the Oribe Pro-A guitars. These are hard to find but are around for good prices ranging from 2000 to 4000 dollars depending on the condition.
This is an Oribe Suprema.
Ramirez has made student models for many years. They are R1 through R5. They discontinued the R5 a few years ago. Some have a cutaway and electronics. The Oribe is a far superior guitar to the Ramirez in the student line. The tone is better and the volume is louder. I had one myself for years and it rivaled any guitar I found priced as high as 8000 dollars. I now play the Grand Suprema. Which leads me to scale length. My Grand Suprema is 665 scale length. If you have small hands this will prove to be hard on you. This guitar plays easily but I have had Ramirez's that play much harder and the extra scale length is a killer. So ask about the scale length. Most guitars are are 560. Remember the scale is not the only factor. I find Stratocasters easier to play then Les Paul's yet the Paul has a shorter scale length. Other factors enter into this like the radius of the neck and the string spacing as well as the action. The longer scale will have the potential for more volume and power in a classical guitar. This is good for concert and recital use. It bears no importance for recording and in fact can make recording harder due to the transients. I find I need a compressor to record with any Classical guitar.
The choice of wood will increase the price. Brazilian rosewood is the most expensive due to it being endangered and on the C.I.T.E.S Treaty of endangered species.Ivory is also endangered. The back stock of this wood is held by a few makers who purchased it many years ago. Some of the wood has been taken from furniture or old Church doors found in Europe. Companies like Martin are charging outrageous prices for their Brazilian rosewood guitars. These guitars are made with flat sawed wood that is low quality and even flawed. Sorry if you bought one of these but you have been had. Maybe the guitar sounds fine but the wood they chose was poor and at the price they charge it should be exceptional. Paul Simon's guitar is an exceptional instrument but most sold through stores are not. You can see what good wood looks like in these pictures.Oribe Classical guitar
Older Classical guitars made before the mid 1970's often have Brazilian rosewood. It can be recognized by sapling marks in the wood and it has a slightly red color but not always.
The next best thing is Cocobolo wood as seen in the illustration above. It looks like Brazilian and it is related to it. It is the most like Brazilian you can get. It weighs more tends to be oily making it harder for guitar makers to work with. It actually sounds better if in the hands of the right maker. This is not to say a maker isn't good because he doesn't work with it. It might be he can't get a good supply or he doesn't want to deal with the time it takes to glue it. I find, like people who cook, some cooks make great Italian food, others great Mexican food, and still others are good bakers. Some guitar makers are great with Spruce others prefer Cedar. Listen to the maker because he knows what he works with best.. Cocobolo comes from Honduras so does the best Mahogany.
The next wood is Indian Rosewood. This wood is not related to Brazilian rosewood. It is grown on the tea farms of India and has been regulated carefully by the government of India. It is consistent and always a good quality. It provides as good a sound as any and should be a great choice for any player.
When buying a classical of a better quality these are the woods you will see. There are some great classical guitars made from maple too. But these are a bit rare and while expensive not any more so then Rosewood.They have a brighter sound and some players like them for Jazz or Flamenco. I am playing an Oribe in Birdseye maple in the picture above.
Flamenco guitars have Cyprus back and sides except for the Negra's which have rosewood. Occasionally Maple is also used. Maple tends to give a brighter sound and is really nice for recording and playing jazz on.
The most important part of the guitar is the top. Usually made from Spruce, German, Engleman, or Sitka. Adorandike is not used on classical guitars because it is too hard. German Spruce is a softer spruce found on Hauser guitars and many other guitars. Engleman is from Canada and the Northern West coast or the USA. It is a soft spruce similar to German spruce. Both are great for a classical guitar. Sitka is from Alaska and is also fine. It is a little harder. A softer wood lends it's self to more flexibility. This makes for better low but it also has to do with bracing. If you use a softer wood you need more bracing. If you use a hard wood you need a light bracing. This is where the maker is important. He must know how he will tune the top.
The other choice is Cedar from Northern California or Redwood from the same. There is also Spanish cedar. Cedar can be confusing as there are hard Cedars and soft Cedars. The hard Cedar is used for the neck on many instruments. The other choice for the neck is Honduras Mahogany. It looks better and I like it better but it is slightly heavier. The Cedar is lighter and makes the guitar easier to hold.
The Cedar top guitars hit their stride quicker and have a good low end so they sound warmer. Again it depends on the maker and the way he or she brace an instrument.
I find Spruce needs to be older and it needs time to brake in. Once that happens it will sound more balanced because the lows are not as overpowering. It can have a delicate sound. This makes it ideal for recording. Cedar seems to have more power and works well for a concert instrument. I use Cedar guitars because I prefer the sound but I have also had three Spruce instruments. One by Oribe a 1963 Flamenco was so sweet after he restored it everyone wanted to play this guitar. I saw this guitar being built when I was ten. I wanted to have that guitar then. One day a guy came to my store wanting to sell it. I was stunned to see it after all those years. I bought it. Now Oribe has it in his collection. It needed restoration which he did and the result was amazing. It was his eighth guitar.
I also have a spruce Flamenco negra by Hans Puke. Hans makes guitars in San Luis Obispo. He used to be in Huntington beach. It was a nice guitar but sounded better in my brothers hands. I couldn't get used to the neck width. Today the guitar sounds wonderful after settling in. Remember guitars need to be played. A guitar that is not played will sound flabby and lifeless. I once played a '56 Strat. It was new in the case with tags on it. The date I played it was 1992. It sounded worse then a new Strat off the wall. Guitars are made to be played and it is my opinion from observation if they are in the hands of a great player ( not necessarily famous but a real player) they will take on a magic quality. This is why many players love used instruments.
Ebony finger boards are a must at this level. Most guitars have ebony and while there are different types as long as it is good quality it is fine. There are Rosewood boards that are good also but in Classical guitars it is better because it helps the guitar tone be much clearer and more focused. Rosewood is fine on a Les Paul or a Stratocaster because it smooths out th tone. Paul Reed Smith prefers it to ebony. But on a classical guitar it sounds a little mushy.
Flamed Maple back Oribe Gran Suprema.
The thing I look for first in an instrument is sound. I have seen instruments that look great and are well made but seem to be weak in volume. In some case the tone is dull or bass heavy. I always inspect the guitars construction to see how it is built. I look inside to examine the glue joints and the size of the bracing. As a rule heavily braced classical guitars tend to be found in low end instruments. In some cases where the top is very light the bracing may be heavier or there may be more of it. For instance a seven fan braced guitar instead of five. The guitar should always have a re-enforced bridge area. It will also have a re-enforced area around the sound hole. There should be a horizontal brace at the neck area. There is also a horizontal brace on the lower end of the sound hole. There is usually a transverse-brace on the bottom of the face on the treble side.
You can inspect this bracing and see how the maker braced the instrument. Not all instruments are braced the same. The bracing varies based on what was needed in order to tune that particular guitars top. Also there are Australian makers who use a honeycomb braced top. John Williams plays one of these guitars. Redman also makes this type of guitar. Leave it to the Aussie's to come up with something different in wine and guitars.
The traditional method was invented by Antonio Torres. It is referred to as the fan braced method. Most makers use this method of bracing with various adaptations.
Below is a common example of bracing with two transverse braces.
Knowing what you are buying and why is important. If you are only a beginner then you can find plenty of instruments to purchase for a reasonable price. A good rule is to go with a better player like a teacher and get some input. It helps you select a guitar that will be useful and fill your personal playing needs for a few years.
I recently helped a student pick a Yamaha Flamenco they have. It wasn't a true Flamenco and didn't have that sound but it was fun and played great.
The next step is where many have a problem. Now you have been playing for a couple of years and your current instrument is not cutting it. Time to sell it on eBay. This way you will get a much better return on it then trading it in. You can also sell it to a friend or give it to someone else or keep it for the beach.
I digress.... Now you need something that inspires you. At this point you need a good quality instrument. You also know your playing style. If you are a serious Classical player you will need a guitar that can deliver nuances and volume. If you play more jazz of pop like Earl Klugh then you may want an electric classical or you may want a narrow board on it. Like The Taylor classical or other brands like Godin or Kurt Sands one of my favorite electrics.
Let's look at the serious classical player first because the other guy can find what he wants anywhere.
This guitarist needs a guitar built of Solid woods by a reputable maker. There are nice used instruments available on eBay. You should look for solid wood top and back and sides. Most of these instruments start around a thousand dollars and go up to say 5000 dollars. Some may be student models made by high end makers like the Oribe Pro-A guitars. These are hard to find but are around for good prices ranging from 2000 to 4000 dollars depending on the condition.
This is an Oribe Suprema.
Ramirez has made student models for many years. They are R1 through R5. They discontinued the R5 a few years ago. Some have a cutaway and electronics. The Oribe is a far superior guitar to the Ramirez in the student line. The tone is better and the volume is louder. I had one myself for years and it rivaled any guitar I found priced as high as 8000 dollars. I now play the Grand Suprema. Which leads me to scale length. My Grand Suprema is 665 scale length. If you have small hands this will prove to be hard on you. This guitar plays easily but I have had Ramirez's that play much harder and the extra scale length is a killer. So ask about the scale length. Most guitars are are 560. Remember the scale is not the only factor. I find Stratocasters easier to play then Les Paul's yet the Paul has a shorter scale length. Other factors enter into this like the radius of the neck and the string spacing as well as the action. The longer scale will have the potential for more volume and power in a classical guitar. This is good for concert and recital use. It bears no importance for recording and in fact can make recording harder due to the transients. I find I need a compressor to record with any Classical guitar.
The choice of wood will increase the price. Brazilian rosewood is the most expensive due to it being endangered and on the C.I.T.E.S Treaty of endangered species.Ivory is also endangered. The back stock of this wood is held by a few makers who purchased it many years ago. Some of the wood has been taken from furniture or old Church doors found in Europe. Companies like Martin are charging outrageous prices for their Brazilian rosewood guitars. These guitars are made with flat sawed wood that is low quality and even flawed. Sorry if you bought one of these but you have been had. Maybe the guitar sounds fine but the wood they chose was poor and at the price they charge it should be exceptional. Paul Simon's guitar is an exceptional instrument but most sold through stores are not. You can see what good wood looks like in these pictures.Oribe Classical guitar
Older Classical guitars made before the mid 1970's often have Brazilian rosewood. It can be recognized by sapling marks in the wood and it has a slightly red color but not always.
The next best thing is Cocobolo wood as seen in the illustration above. It looks like Brazilian and it is related to it. It is the most like Brazilian you can get. It weighs more tends to be oily making it harder for guitar makers to work with. It actually sounds better if in the hands of the right maker. This is not to say a maker isn't good because he doesn't work with it. It might be he can't get a good supply or he doesn't want to deal with the time it takes to glue it. I find, like people who cook, some cooks make great Italian food, others great Mexican food, and still others are good bakers. Some guitar makers are great with Spruce others prefer Cedar. Listen to the maker because he knows what he works with best.. Cocobolo comes from Honduras so does the best Mahogany.
The next wood is Indian Rosewood. This wood is not related to Brazilian rosewood. It is grown on the tea farms of India and has been regulated carefully by the government of India. It is consistent and always a good quality. It provides as good a sound as any and should be a great choice for any player.
When buying a classical of a better quality these are the woods you will see. There are some great classical guitars made from maple too. But these are a bit rare and while expensive not any more so then Rosewood.They have a brighter sound and some players like them for Jazz or Flamenco. I am playing an Oribe in Birdseye maple in the picture above.
Flamenco guitars have Cyprus back and sides except for the Negra's which have rosewood. Occasionally Maple is also used. Maple tends to give a brighter sound and is really nice for recording and playing jazz on.
The most important part of the guitar is the top. Usually made from Spruce, German, Engleman, or Sitka. Adorandike is not used on classical guitars because it is too hard. German Spruce is a softer spruce found on Hauser guitars and many other guitars. Engleman is from Canada and the Northern West coast or the USA. It is a soft spruce similar to German spruce. Both are great for a classical guitar. Sitka is from Alaska and is also fine. It is a little harder. A softer wood lends it's self to more flexibility. This makes for better low but it also has to do with bracing. If you use a softer wood you need more bracing. If you use a hard wood you need a light bracing. This is where the maker is important. He must know how he will tune the top.
The other choice is Cedar from Northern California or Redwood from the same. There is also Spanish cedar. Cedar can be confusing as there are hard Cedars and soft Cedars. The hard Cedar is used for the neck on many instruments. The other choice for the neck is Honduras Mahogany. It looks better and I like it better but it is slightly heavier. The Cedar is lighter and makes the guitar easier to hold.
The Cedar top guitars hit their stride quicker and have a good low end so they sound warmer. Again it depends on the maker and the way he or she brace an instrument.
I find Spruce needs to be older and it needs time to brake in. Once that happens it will sound more balanced because the lows are not as overpowering. It can have a delicate sound. This makes it ideal for recording. Cedar seems to have more power and works well for a concert instrument. I use Cedar guitars because I prefer the sound but I have also had three Spruce instruments. One by Oribe a 1963 Flamenco was so sweet after he restored it everyone wanted to play this guitar. I saw this guitar being built when I was ten. I wanted to have that guitar then. One day a guy came to my store wanting to sell it. I was stunned to see it after all those years. I bought it. Now Oribe has it in his collection. It needed restoration which he did and the result was amazing. It was his eighth guitar.
I also have a spruce Flamenco negra by Hans Puke. Hans makes guitars in San Luis Obispo. He used to be in Huntington beach. It was a nice guitar but sounded better in my brothers hands. I couldn't get used to the neck width. Today the guitar sounds wonderful after settling in. Remember guitars need to be played. A guitar that is not played will sound flabby and lifeless. I once played a '56 Strat. It was new in the case with tags on it. The date I played it was 1992. It sounded worse then a new Strat off the wall. Guitars are made to be played and it is my opinion from observation if they are in the hands of a great player ( not necessarily famous but a real player) they will take on a magic quality. This is why many players love used instruments.
Ebony finger boards are a must at this level. Most guitars have ebony and while there are different types as long as it is good quality it is fine. There are Rosewood boards that are good also but in Classical guitars it is better because it helps the guitar tone be much clearer and more focused. Rosewood is fine on a Les Paul or a Stratocaster because it smooths out th tone. Paul Reed Smith prefers it to ebony. But on a classical guitar it sounds a little mushy.
Flamed Maple back Oribe Gran Suprema.
The thing I look for first in an instrument is sound. I have seen instruments that look great and are well made but seem to be weak in volume. In some case the tone is dull or bass heavy. I always inspect the guitars construction to see how it is built. I look inside to examine the glue joints and the size of the bracing. As a rule heavily braced classical guitars tend to be found in low end instruments. In some cases where the top is very light the bracing may be heavier or there may be more of it. For instance a seven fan braced guitar instead of five. The guitar should always have a re-enforced bridge area. It will also have a re-enforced area around the sound hole. There should be a horizontal brace at the neck area. There is also a horizontal brace on the lower end of the sound hole. There is usually a transverse-brace on the bottom of the face on the treble side.
You can inspect this bracing and see how the maker braced the instrument. Not all instruments are braced the same. The bracing varies based on what was needed in order to tune that particular guitars top. Also there are Australian makers who use a honeycomb braced top. John Williams plays one of these guitars. Redman also makes this type of guitar. Leave it to the Aussie's to come up with something different in wine and guitars.
The traditional method was invented by Antonio Torres. It is referred to as the fan braced method. Most makers use this method of bracing with various adaptations.
Below is a common example of bracing with two transverse braces. 
The bracing of the guitar is what gives it it's sound. The choice of woods effects the sound but the bracing is done in order to be the cause of the sound the luthier has chosen. If he has chosen to build with spruce then he will brace for spruce if he has chosen to build with cedar or has chosen a rosewood back and sides versus a Cyprus or Maple these all will alter the tops bracing. Tuning the top is where the great Luthiers are separated from the average.This I can't tell you about because I have no idea how it is done. Some flexing of the wood some tapping and a lot of know how is the key. Any guitar that has a properly tuned top will sound better for it. My jazz guitar has a tuned top. It's by Heritage guitars and was custom made by a few great craftsman. Basically it's a Johnny Smith with an ebony tail piece and pick guard,but the top is X-braced and tuned. This gives it a wonderful acoustic sound. Unlike a Classical guitar the X-braced guitar has a different sound and function. Most acoustic steel strings are X-Braced. Fan Bracing is used in Classical instruments and Flamencos. Here is me with my Jazz guitar it has a Benedetto Seymour Duncan ebony pickup and the knobs are those knurled saucer knobs under the guard so things look clean.
Me playing Lola my jazz ax named after my late girl friend Lola Romero a flamenco dancer. AKA Elizabeth Bobiac Ferguson.
The next thing is to decide what you will be using the guitar for. If I buy an instrument for recording I want a sweet guitar that is clear and can capture my emotions. If I will use it for playing parties and weddings it must be playable and sound good miked. If I want a concert instrument it has to be powerful and be able to do anything but it must cut through the audience. My Flamenco must be easy to play and sparkle. It must have that percussive feel and sound for the dancers. This is why guitarist have many instruments. That and we love guitars like women so the more the merrier; but guitars are more reliable. Like Hendrix said in Red house when his key didn't fit the door "That's alright I still got my guitar!"
Guide created: 12/06/07 (updated 10/08/09)
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