The guitar is one of the world's most popular musical instruments and there have been plenty of musicians who've helped make it so popular.
A lot of young people take up the guitar because they want to be like their musical idols and while they make it look effortless, learning the guitar is tricky.
Before you can even start learning how to play, studying music theory, or taking lessons, you'll need a guitar that you can play. In this article, we'll be looking at classical guitars, what to consider when buying them, and how much you can expect to pay.
What Is a Classical Guitar?
A classical guitar is often recommended for anyone wanting to learn how to play the guitar because there are certain techniques you can only learn on such a guitar and learning them generally makes you a better guitarist.
A classical guitar is a type of acoustic guitar with nylon strings and is often used for the genre of music that bears the same name. It's unlikely that you'll be playing the latest rock anthems on one of these but instead try to play like great classical guitarists like Andres Segovia, Ana Vidovic, and Paco Pena.
The classical guitar is usually played by those with a formal music education. You'll learn classical guitar at a music school or conservatory and while your teacher will likely recommend which classical guitar you should buy, you should still find out more about buying a guitar and what you should be looking for so that you don't go over your budget.
How Much Classical Guitars Cost and Where You Can Buy Them
As with almost any industry, beginners can be taken advantage of since they don't know what they're looking for or how much they should spend, and there's always the temptation for enthusiastic beginners to feel like they need to spend big.
Buying a Classical Guitar Online
The internet is arguably more reputable in many ways than it was 20 years ago, but you still need to be cautious when buying online. The internet can give you a decent idea of how much a classical guitar costs, but it can also inundate you with information and prices so that you can't see the woods for the trees.
If you look for the cheapest classical guitar you can find online, you may think that you can pick up a brand-new classical guitar for $50, but you'll likely find that these are little more than mass-produced guitar-shaped toys and not anything you can learn to play the guitar on.
You can find classical guitars for closer to $150, but this still would be on the cheap side. We're not suggesting that a complete beginner spend thousands on their first guitar, but you probably want to consider double that amount for a decent brand-new classical guitar that would be suitable for a beginner.
We wouldn't recommend buying your first classical guitar online. You should try the instrument, even if you can't play it, and by buying in person, you can get advice from real people and see what options you have.
Buying a Classical Guitar in a Shop
There are a lot of advantages to buying your first classical guitar from a music shop or store. For one, you can speak to a real person and get advice on what to look for.
You'll be able to check the size of the instrument, feel the nylon strings under your fingers, and inspect the finish of the instrument; all things you can't appreciate online.
When it comes to guitars, you'll find that you don't save that much money by shopping online either and while a smaller music store won't be able to offer the same low prices as a massive online retailer, we're only talking tens of dollars, not hundreds.
What About Buying a Used Classical Guitar?
You can save a lot of money and pick up a fairly special musical instrument by buying one second-hand. Whether it's online or at a flea market, the second-hand guitar market is a great place to pick up bargains on all kinds of quality instruments.
That said, it can also be quite risky, especially when buying online, so you must check what state the guitar is in. If you're buying in person, go along with somebody who knows what to look for like a fellow guitarist or your guitar teacher.
While the cost of a classical guitar isn't the same as the cost of an electric guitar, you can find pretty good deals on both. Since guitarists are usually quite precious about their musical instruments, you'll usually find that even online, they're particularly honest about any imperfections or damage to the finish.
Why You Should Buy a Classical Guitar
Most aspiring guitarists need to consider whether they want to play acoustic or electric guitar. If they choose the former, then they need to think about whether to play an acoustic guitar with steel strings or a classical guitar with nylon strings.
A lot of people would rather play electric guitar or folk guitar, but there are so many advantages to learning how to play classical guitar.
For one, the gap between the strings and the fretboard is much greater on a classical guitar and it provides learners with a great opportunity for learning how to correctly position their hands and fingers.
With an electric guitar, there's the temptation of playing with different effects, but you'll find that if you can play well without effects, you'll sound good with them, too. However, the inverse isn't necessarily true.
Classical guitars tend to start cheaper than electric guitars, too, especially once you factor in buying an amplifier (amp), cables, etc.
Just because learning to play a classical guitar is recommended for beginners, it doesn't mean that classical guitarists are beginners, though. Classical guitarists are often the most technically gifted guitarists and can play pieces that even the best guitarists in the world could only dream of playing.
Despite classical guitars being slightly bigger than electric guitars, you'll find that because they're hollow, they're much lighter, making them a better choice for travelling with. Similarly, you won't have to bring an amplifier with you, either.
The Prices You Can Expect to Pay for Classical Guitars
There are so many factors that will affect the price of a classical guitar. To make things a little simpler, we'll look at a few recommended classical guitar models for beginners and how much they cost (in NZD).
Fiesta Satin Series C-53 (by Aria) - $129
Fiesta Guitars are a cheaper version of the Japanese Aria guitar brand. You'll find that a lot of guitar manufacturers offer an entry-level or cheaper brand for beginners. For example, you'll find Epiphone selling cheaper versions of Gibson guitars, Squire by Fender, etc.
For Aria, Fiesta Guitars are one of the most popular entry-level classical guitars in New Zealand and the Satin Series comes in various sizes and finishes and offers a very affordable choice for a beginner looking to play a guitar with nylon strings.
Valencia VC104 - $139
This is another affordable classical guitar for beginners. While this isn't the finest classical guitar that Valencia makes, it's a very nice entry-level model and for a little extra, can be bought as a beginner's pack with a guitar tuner and a case.
Aria AK25 - $249
The Aria AK-25 is another nicely-priced classical guitar that would be suitable for beginners. For the extra investment of around 100 NZD, you probably won't outgrow this model as quickly as you would with the cheaper Fiesta Guitars.
This model is available in several different finishes and there are 1/2-size, 3/4-size, and full-size models.
Washburn C5 - $249
Washburn is a reputable American guitar brand, especially for acoustic and classical guitars, and their C5 classical guitar is another affordable option for beginners.
What to Consider when Buying a Classical Guitar
You can save yourself a lot of money when buying a classical guitar simply by taking into account several factors. Here's what you should look for when buying a classical guitar.
The Price
The price is generally an indicator of quality, but there are also a lot of things that will affect the price. Remember to set yourself a budget and don't get lured into spending more than you planned, which is easily done when you're excited about buying your first classical guitar.
Similarly, don't fall into the trap of falling for a deal. Very cheap guitars will likely be of a lower quality and in some cases, the product will be so poor that you'll quickly find yourself searching for a replacement and spending even more money on just getting a regular classical guitar.
The Brand
As with any purchase, different brands are offering a range of different products. While every single guitar produced by a single brand won't necessarily be amazing, a recognised brand tends to be a sign of quality.
Popular brands include Yamaha, Washburn, Cordoba, and Taylor, for example, but there are many more and beginners will likely look to the brands that offer affordable entry-level options like the ones we mentioned earlier.
Materials and Build Quality
The wood a classical guitar is made of will affect how it plays and how it sounds. Classical guitars are usually made using rosewood, spruce, cedar, mahogany, and ebony.
Understanding how all this affects the sound and the price can get quite tricky so we'd always recommend talking to a staff member in your local music shop about it.
Even if you're not buying a guitar made with a particularly expensive wood, they can always show you a model they have in stock for an example of how different woods sound.
Shipping or Postage
Buying online will greatly broaden your options for which classical guitars you can buy, but don't forget about shipping or postage fees. Guitars are made all over the world and different brands tend to sell in different markets.
Since a classical guitar is quite a bulky purchase, shipping and postage fees will add up, especially if you try and buy a classical guitar and have it shipped internationally to New Zealand. Don't be surprised if you get charged GST by New Zealand customs when your guitar arrives, either.
For beginners, we'd recommend that you avoid shipping and postage by buying in your local music shop.
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