The Classic Guitar

Classic or concert guitars are acoustic guitars with nylon strings. Most guitar novices start learning to play the guitar on one of these guitars and this has a simple reason:

1. The nylon strings are softer and don’t cause finger tip pain when starting.
2. The fretboard is wider and the chance to hit the right note is bigger without the fear of unintentionally touching the sidestrings.

All in all classic guitars have a softer sound and are therefore used a lot
in many classic compositions and folk music.

The bass strings of the classic guitar have a nylon core and are covered with silver or copper. The descant strings are of nylon or from PVDF (Polyvinylidenflourid). The string fixation is different to that of the western or electric guitar. Whilst western guitars usually need strings with a ball end that are simply pulled tight, the strings of the concert guitar are tied at the end, meaning that the strings have no beginning and no end.

The body of a classic guitar is normally made of rosewood, mahogany or other tropical woods. The top is made of cedar or spruce. The neck of a classic guitar has no truss rod, as this is unnecessary due to the much lower string tension compared to a electric guitar or western guitar.

The concert guitar is very similar to the flamenco guitar. The main differences are the reduced string length of the flamenco, its thinner bottom and top and the slightly flatter body. The top is made of spruce, sides and bottom is usually made of cypress.

The concert guitar in its modern shape and size was adopted in the mid 19th century from Spain. Even today many of these instruments come from southern Europe.