Solid European spruce top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides
Lattice braced top and raised ebony fingerboard for easy playability when accessing upper frets
Stunning flamed maple wedge
Hand inlaid Mother-of-Pearl "Esteso" Rosette
Includes hard shell Cordoba humidified arch top wood case
The classical guitar (sometimes known as a Spanish guitar) is a nylon string guitar. Classical guitars are often favored by those interested in fingerstyle guitar, flamenco guitar, and a whole host of other musical styles. Whether playing the Renaissance music of John Dowland or “Shape of My Heart” by Sting, the classical guitar is a mainstay in most guitar collections.
Finding the best classical guitars can be tricky, particularly when you are looking to buy something on the high-end. Unfortunately, many people gravitate toward the big guitar manufacturers e.g. Fender and Martin, although those companies rarely offer great classical guitars. These companies excel in making electric and steel string acoustic guitars, but not so much the traditional classical guitars.
Thankfully, there are some great high-end classical guitar choices out there, and we have selected 5 of them. These have all undergone extensive testing from both us and experienced classical and flamenco guitarists.
Best Seller
Cordoba C12 SP Classical, All-Solid Woods, Acoustic Nylon String Guitar, Luthier Series, with Humidified Hardshell Case
Solid European spruce top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides
Lattice braced top and raised ebony fingerboard for easy playability when accessing upper frets
Stunning flamed maple wedge
Hand inlaid Mother-of-Pearl "Esteso" Rosette
Includes hard shell Cordoba humidified arch top wood case
The Cordoba C12 SP is a thing of beauty and by far one of the very best classical guitars on the market. It isn’t cheap, but if you are looking to play classic flamenco music, we don’t think you’ll find anything much better. It sounds beautiful. It has that genuine classical tone to it as the spruce top makes for a bright, crisp sound preferred by flamenco guitarists. We can easily see this classical guitar being rocked by some of the best flamenco guitar players in the world.
Product Highlights
The Cordoba C12 CP classical guitar is made from a combination of solid woods, each carefully selected to ensure a great tone from the instrument. This means:
Top: Spruce
Body: Spruce
Back: Rosewood
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Ebony
These woods complement each other perfectly to ensure that the player can get that amazing, bright crisp tone that is expected when you play flamenco guitar. Pure classical players are going to love the brightness of the tone, especially when playing fingerstyle. Although, the guitar’s sound is just as amazing when you decide to employ heavy rasgueados as well. Each and every note will sing true.
This isn’t an affordable classical guitar, but it is easily one of the best on the market. When you hold a Cordoba guitar in your hands, you will know that this is a company that strives to produce only quality instruments.
About The Cordoba C12 SP Guitar Features
We’ve spoken about the woods in this nylon string guitar, and you already know how well they work with one another. However, there are a wealth of other features that are worth knowing about:
Comes complete with a hard shell case, humidified to protect your guitar.
Raised ebony fretboard. This makes it easier to reach the upper frets
As the guitar is made only from solid wood, every one looks unique.
Bone nut
19 frets
What We Like About The Cordoba C12 SP
We love almost everything about this classical guitar. We love the way it looks. We love the way it sounds. We love how this is the perfect accompaniment to any music that demands a nylon string guitar.
This is a guitar that feels great to hold in the hands and play. The solid construction ensures that it will sound just as great in a few decades as it does the day that you pick it up.
Of course, it also comes with the Cordoba seal of quality. It may be a newer company than some of the other guitar manufacturers (formed only in 1997), but they are a company that is well-regarded by modern flamenco guitarists.
What We Don’t Like About The Cordoba C12 SP
The only major issue (and we are really clutching at straws here), is the price. It is significantly more expensive than most of the other high-end classical guitars that we’ve featured on this list. Although, there is a reason for it. This guitar is constructed to an incredibly high quality. All classical guitarists love it, even if it is going to make a healthy dent in their wallets.
Other guitar reviewers agree with us. There isn’t a whole lot wrong with the Cordoba C12 SP. You won’t find a better high-end classical guitar.
Do you know what irritates us? The fact that people rarely talk about Godin guitars. It is a shame, really. Godin produces some of the best classical guitars in the world. The Godin Arena CW is proof of this. If you are looking for an electro-acoustic guitar, then we doubt you’ll find something better than this one.
Product Highlights
Perhaps the real highlight of the Godin Arena CW is the inclusion of the preamp system. The Godin Arena CW makes use of a Godin-designed pickup and preamp system, and it is remarkable. There are some acoustic guitars, particularly Spanish guitars, that are electro-acoustic and they sound very ‘tinny’. Not the Godin Arena CW. It may be an acoustic-electric, but the expressive sound still shines through. It really offers a superior tone.
That’s just the electric part. Even if you don’t have the electronics turned on, the Godin Arena CW shines. The nylon strings being plucked against the beautiful mahogany neck and rosewood fretboard sounds beautiful. The solid mahogany neck offers a real depth to the tone, allowing anyone who listens to you strum this quality guitar to get lost in the music.
In the right hands, this modern classical guitar can hit a wide variety of tones. If you are ever lucky enough to get your hands on this nylon-string gem, you will enjoy a beautiful percussive sound, allowing this guitar to be the centerpiece of any solo composition.
Features
As one of our top classical guitars, the Godin Arena CW makes use of a wealth of features to ensure that it offers some of the best sound quality in the classical guitar world, including:
Solid spruce top
Mahogany wood back
Wild cherry sides
Mahogany neck
Rosewood fretboard
25.66″ scale length
2″ nut width
Cutaway to allow you to reach the upper frets with ease.
If you’ve been looking into classical and flamenco guitars for a while but don’t want to spend the cash needed for the Cordoba C12 SP, then this is one of the best classical guitar deals.
What We Like About The Godin Arena CW
We love the sound. Although, let’s be honest, all of the best classical guitars are going to have a great sound. It is just that we enjoy how the Godin Arena CW sounds even when you have it amplified. Normally when an acoustic guitar features electronics, it never sounds brilliant when connected to an amplifier. With a lesser preamp, you can lose some of the beauty and lushness of the natural guitar sound. You can barely tell the difference with the Godin Arena CW.
What We Don’t Like Godin Arena CW
We do wish that this nylon string guitar came with at least a gig bag. All solid wood guitars should have a gig bag or a case with them, seeing as you really don’t want that wood drying out. Still, it shouldn’t cost too much extra to get one.
RCE133-7 - 7-String - Solid Top Acoustic-Electric Nylon String Gutar - Family Series Pro - w/ Bag
Solid Spruce Top, Sapele Back & Sides, Natural Satin Finish
Nato Neck, Natural Satin Finish - Walnut Fretboard & Bridge - Maple Binding & ABS Purfling
Full Body 650 mm Scale - 102 mm Body Depth - 60 mm Nut Width - 19 Frets - 2-Way Truss rod - Gold Plated Tuning Machines w/ Black Buttons - Fan Bracing - Ortega MagusPro preamp/pickup system with built-in tuner - Venetian Cutaway
Includes Free Deluxe Gig Bag
The Ortega Guitars RCE133-7 is considerably cheaper than the previous two options. This is because Ortega isn’t quite as big of a brand. However, if you are looking for high-end classical guitars where you won’t be blowing a hole in your bank account, then the RCE133-7 may be perfect for you.
This is a 7 string guitar, so it offers something a little bit different from what we have already discussed.
Product Highlights
As mentioned, this is a 7-string guitar. Since a lot of flamenco styles require heavy arpeggio usage, the 7 strings make it a touch easier to pull off some sounds. That 7th string will reduce the need to have awkward finger placement. Although, it can also contribute to the guitar’s unique tone.
This is another one of those acoustic electric guitar options, and while it doesn’t sound as beautiful as the Godin Arena CW does when amped up, the sound still does sparkle. We can’t help but feel that this classical guitar may be the perfect choice for the classical guitar student who is looking to break into performing for the first time. As we said, it isn’t expensive, but it still has that mellow sound that many flamenco classical styles demand.
In order to keep the price of the Ortega Guitars RCE133-7 low, some compromises have needed to be made with the wood selection. While this nylon string guitar is still going to have solid wood, it is mostly walnut, nato, and spruce. Although, they do offer great sound quality. and you can still get that traditional classical sound from it.
Features
Here are the features of the Ortega Guitars RCE133-7:
Top: Spruce
Body: Nato
Neck: Nato
Fretboard: Walnut
Scale length: 25.5″
Included gig bag
It comes with a basic set of nylon strings, although we recommend that you upgrade to some thicker nylon strings if you want to get the most from the guitar. Acoustically, the guitar sounds as if a little is ‘trimmed off’ of it when you use thinner nylon strings, particularly when you are amplified.
What We Like About The Ortega RCE133-7
As a 7-string flamenco guitar, the Ortega RCE133-7 gives you much more range when you play. If you have never played a 7 string guitar before, then you’ll be in awe at how easy it is to hit more complicated arpeggios and chords.
Considering the Ortega RCE133-7 doesn’t use optimal woods for classical guitars (to keep the costs down), it does offer a surprisingly balanced tone. So, you’ll have no issues playing traditional classical music, or sprucing things up to be a bit more modern.
What We Don’t Like The Ortega RCE133-7
We’ll put aside the fact that not everybody enjoys playing a 7 string guitar. We understand that it can be a completely different experience if you aren’t used to it. This isn’t really a major issue with the Ortega RCE133-7 as you know what you are getting into.
The problem is the strings that it comes with. We wish that Ortega would have included thicker strings on this guitar, just to show how great it sounds. Alas, they didn’t. We can’t help but feel that many people will test this guitar, hear the thinner tone, and not realize that they are holding one of the best nylon string guitars. Such a shame.
Pros:
Affordable high-end classical guitar
Sounds good when amped up.
Can work with a range of different musical styles.
6-string Nylon-string Classical Guitar with American Cedar Top
Ebony Fretboard - Natural
Rosewood Back and Sides
Mahogany Neck
Moving swiftly on with our list of the best nylon string guitars, we have the GC22C from Yamaha. Yamaha is a company that has its fingers in a lot of pies in the instrument world (and outside), and it doesn’t matter whether they are making a steel string guitar, electric guitar, or a nylon string guitar, you know that you are getting something brilliant from them. The Yamaha GC22C is easily one of the best classical guitars on the market.
Product Highlights
We have seen some people argue that Yamaha over-engineers their classical guitars, although we dispute that. Yes, Yamaha puts a lot of effort into designing their guitars. They take a lot of time selecting the right materials, components, etc. However, it is all worth it. The end result is a traditional classical guitar that produces a good sound.
Yamaha Guitars don’t quite have the beauty that some of the other guitar manufacturers do, but that’s fine with us. With the GC22C (and their range of other classical guitars), it is certainly a case of function over beauty. This guitar sounds wonderful, and we reckon that any person with experience with flamenco guitar could get their hands on this and agree that it is one of the best classical guitars around.
That’s not to say that this classical guitar doesn’t look good. It does. It is hard not to look good when you are made from a stunning hand-selected solid rosewood back and sides, solid cedar top, solid mahogany neck, and an ebony fretboard. We suppose that you can say that the GC22C has an understated elegance to it. Not the most beautiful of classical guitars, but one that you won’t be able to take your eyes off of.
Features
We have already talked about the woods that make up the Yamaha GC22C, so you already know the main appeal of this guitar; solid woods that help offer a balanced tone. The combination of woods ensures that you are going to get a lot of volume popping out of that sound hole too.
Outside of this, Yamaha doesn’t include any ‘major’ features. This is just your standard, albeit very good, classical guitar. You get 19 frets over a 25.5″ scale length. Perfect for classical and flamenco styles (or just about any other acoustic style you want).
The Yamaha GC22C also comes with a gig bag, letting you keep the GC22 in great condition. Although, you may want to give it an upgrade to a proper case later on.
What We Like About The Yamaha GC22C
We’ve always enjoyed Yamaha instruments, and the Yamaha GC22C is no exception to that rule. While their guitars rarely are the most beautiful options on the market, there is no denying that Yamaha knows how to source the right woods to build a guitar. You won’t be blowing minds with the looks, but you’ll be blowing minds with the gorgeous tone. Pick this up, and you will see why so many people regard Yamaha instruments as quality instruments.
What We Don’t Like About The Yamaha GC22C
The Yamaha GC22C doesn’t have a truss rod, which provides little adjustment on the neck. This is typically the case with most classical guitars. It is a bit annoying, but as long as you keep the Yamaha GC22C in the right conditions, it isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker.
Savarez Cristal Corum strings in High Tension, 500CJ
We couldn’t help ourselves, we had to wrap up our list with another classical guitar from Cordoba. This company truly is the best when it comes to making classical guitars, and the Cordoba 45 Limited is more evidence of that.
Product Highlights
Where do you go to hear the best flamenco classical guitars? Spain. That’s right. Guess where the Cordoba 45 Limited is handmade? Yep. Spain. Some of the best Spanish luthiers have poured their hearts and souls into ensuring that the Cordoba 45 Limited is up there with the best classical guitar options in the world.
The Cordoba 45 is visually striking. You perform with this in your hands, and people won’t be able to take their eyes off of you. This is a guitar that you’ll proudly want to have on display. Just look at that beautiful black and white ebony headstock. You won’t find that on many other classical guitars. It also really helps to add to the tone and, in our opinion, the sound from the Cordoba 45 Limited is unique. Unique in a good way.
The Cordoba 45 offers a crystal-clear tone, coupled with a good amount of bass and heavy sustain, something that you will rarely find on other classical guitars. So, you can really experiment with the sounds that you produce from the Cordoba 45.
Features
Cordoba produces the best classical guitars in the world, so it is clear that a lot of thought has been poured into producing this guitar. Here are the feature highlights:
Bone nut
25.6″ scale length
Solid European spruce top
3.5″ soundhole
Black and white ebony sides
Cypress interior
Spanish solid cedar neck
Ebony fretboard
Indian Rosewood bridge
All in all, this is a tremendous guitar.
On top of all this, you get a brilliant case from Cordoba that will keep your 45 Limited in perfect condition.
What We Like About The Cordoba 45 Limited
Seriously? Everything. It is one of the most beautiful classical guitar options. There aren’t that many other companies using the black and white ebony as a tonewood, so not only does the Cordoba 45 look good, but it sounds beautiful too.
This is a guitar that you will truly treasure for the rest of your life.
What We Don’t Like About The Cordoba 45 Limited
It is a Cordoba guitar, so you already know that it is going to be a bit more on the expensive side. Our main issue is that the Cordoba 45 Limited is tough to get your hands on. It is a limited edition model. So, if you want to get your hands on what we believe is the best classical guitar option for unique tones, then you’ll need to snap it up quickly.
Pros:
Unique tonewoods
Comes with a tremendous case
Beautiful fretboard that ensures the best sound
Large soundhole with a gorgeous cypress interior offering great tonal quality.
Cons:
Limited edition
High cost
How To Choose Classical Guitars
We have given you plenty of classical guitar choices. Since you are looking for the best classical guitars at the upper end of the price spectrum, chances are that you already know how to choose a classical guitar. However, we figured we would wrap up with a few tips to help make your purchasing decision easier.
We aren’t going to bore you with details about action, nuts, etc. here. That is basic stuff for anybody that is experienced with a guitar. We just want to give you a few additional things to think about.
Stick to Reputable Classical Guitar Manufacturers
As you went through this list, you will probably notice that outside of Yamaha, we haven’t mentioned any of the ‘big’ brands such as Martin, Fender, etc. We know that they produce great steel string guitar choices, but they make terrible classical guitars.
When you are looking for the best classical guitars, always purchase from companies known only for their classical guitar options e.g. Cordoba, Ramirez, Esteve. The problem with non-nylon string guitar specialists is that they often make nylon string guitars to steel-string standards, and it rarely sounds good. This is because the strings demand a completely different set-up, types of wood, etc.
We are sure that you already knew this, though.
Do You Need An Acoustic Electric?
While it is nice to hook up your classical guitar to an amp, you have to consider the extra cost. While we have highlighted a few classical guitars with preamps built into them, we are aware that this adds to the overall cost. This means that there is no sense in getting an acoustic electric classical guitar if you are never going to be hooked up to an amp Sometimes, if you want to keep that great tone, sticking a microphone in front of your guitar will be better.
Always Opt for Solid Woods
Whenever you buy a classical guitar at the upper end of the pricing spectrum, always get a solid wood guitar. Solid wood guitars are perfect for flamenco and general classical guitar music and they have far, far better sustain and volume. Your music is just going to sound so much better.
For a good comparison of the tonal differences between solid and laminate wood, watch this YouTube video:
We know that 7-string classical guitars are not for everybody, hence why we only included one on this list. However, if you are looking to expand your guitar arsenal, it may be worth considering a 7-string, especially if you play a lot of fingerstyle guitar. The extra string makes hitting certain sounds so much easier.
The Best Traditional Classical Guitars – Our Verdict
If you’re looking for the best classical guitar, then you need to pick up the Cordoba C12 SP. It is virtually unbeatable, and considering the quality of tone that it offers, very affordable. If you are looking for something ever so slightly cheaper, then the Godin Arena CW could also be an option.
FAQs
Which company makes the best classical guitars?
Cordoba, by far, produces the best classical guitars. Although, you shouldn’t expect anything less from handmade guitars made in the home of Flamenco music, Spain.
Is it worth buying a classical guitar with a pre-amp?
If you want to hook directly up to an amp, then yes. Although, if you aren’t connecting up to an amp and mostly playing acoustic, it may not be worth the extra cost.
Which wood offers the best tone for a classical guitar?
Any denser wood that offers great sustain would be good for a classical guitar. Mahogany, cedar, and spruce work well. Always opt for solid wood.
Chas Evans is a guitar teacher on social media with over 30 years of experience specializing in beginners! Chas is an award-winning guitarist and songwriter with bachelor and Masters Degrees in Guitar Performance.
