The Best 4 Nylon String Guitar : Classical Guitar
- hbbexpress77
- Nov 27, 2020
- 5 min read
Nylon String guitars are often referred to as classical guitars, which is not completely true. There are actually several styles of guitars that normally use nylon strings and we will examine each and the differences between them.
But first, we will look at the best nylon string guitars for the average musician and give you detailed reviews on each, including the pros and cons of each!
Kremona S65C GG Nylon String Guitar.
Taylor Academy Series Academy 12-N Nylon String Grand Concert Acoustic Guitar.
Cordoba Fusion 14 Maple Crossover Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Nylon String Guitar.
Yamaha CG122MCH Solid Cedar Top Classical Guitar.
Our top pick for the best nylon string guitar is the Taylor Academy Series 12-N. This guitar is everything you’d expect from the Taylor name without a huge price tag to go with it. You can follow the link to read reviews or shop this guitar on Amazon, or read on for detailed reviews on all four of our top picks!
The first thing you notice about the Kremona S65G is the special purple heart that was chosen for the fingerboard and bridge, instantly making this instrument stand out. The body on this instrument is made from African mahogany while the top is a red cedar. Lastly a Balkan maple neck finishes the look. For the price this instrument has a dynamic projection and bright sound. The cedar top with the mahogany body produces a great sound, and the look couldn’t be better.
This instrument was also built with forest sustainability in mind, which explains the slightly odd pairing off tonal woods. This didn’t win our budget option for best budget nylon string guitar, but only because the Yamaha is cheaper. A phenomenal instrument that stands out in a crowd.
PRO
Purple Heart Bridge and Fingerboard
Solid Maple Neck
Cedar Top paired with Mahogany Body
Amazing Looking Instrument
Way Better Instrument than Price Tag Suggests
CONS
One customer reported shipping damage issues
It is hard to find a better nylon string guitar than the Taylor Academy Series. This Grand Concert guitar sounds like it would be huge, but it’s actually the smallest full scale guitar. This is a better size for many beginners than a full size nylon string guitar. The neck is also slightly smaller than a 2″ wide classic guitar, measuring about 1 7/8th inch. This guitar is built with a spruce body with a mahogany neck finished with a African Ebony fingerboard. The size, shape and material of this guitar gives it a very responsive sound.
You would expect a Taylor guitar to be extremely high quality and playable. The Academy series is aimed at beginner and intermediate players and giving them great instrument options to support their development.
PRO
Grand Concert Size
Spruce Body
Responsive Sound and Playability
Taylor Quality Instrument
Amazing Value
CONS
Not Currently on Prime
The Cordoba Fusion is the only nylon string crossover guitar on our list. A crossover guitar is the perfect option for someone undecided between steel and classical guitars. It has the sound of a classical guitar with the construction and playability of a steel string. This does have nylon strings, but the nut width is between the two, the fretboard is radiused and the body has a cutaway. From a construction perspective this guitar has a spruce top, flamed maple body and a mahogany neck. This combination results in a sharpe high end and great resonance.
This guitar also comes with on board electronics, giving you the option to plug it in. If we were in the market for a crossover guitar, you would have a hard time convincing us to go with anything but the Fusion series from Cordoba!
PRO
Spruce Top with Maple Body
Bright High End Sound
Classical Nylon String Sound
Cordoba Gig Bag
Great Crossover Guitar Option
CONS
Expensive for a first Guitar
The Yamaha CG122MCH is our pick for best budget nylon string guitar. It is a true classical guitar with a price that is far below its quality. The Red Cedar top is the same as you’ll find on many more expensive instruments, while the 3-ply laminate neck is strong and resists warping. As a true beginner instrument, the CG122 has very low string action, which is much easier to learn with.
Yamaha has been making nylon string guitars for decades, and much of the technology and quality they have learned during that time has been used to bring this great sound, budget friendly classical guitar option to you!
PRO
Solid Cedar Top
Classical Feel and Look
Low String Action
Extremely Affordable!
CONS
3 Ply Neck
Nylon String Guitars Buying Guide
If nothing on our list really hit home and made you want to buy, we put together a list of many of the things we look for when shopping for the best nylon string guitars. You can use this guide to shop at your local guitar store or on other online retailers to find something that is both quality and peaks interest.
Tonewoods
Tone wood is the wood used to make your nylon string guitar. Tone woods are important because they define the resonance and sound of your guitar. There are various tone wood choices in the market today, like cedar, mahogany, maple, and Sapele. Cedar produces a soft sound while mahogany has a defined strong sound.
Some types of guitars, like Flamenco, use specific types of wood, like cypress and sycamore that are not typical, but have specific qualities that make them attractive for play styles.
The best instruments will be made of a solid sheet of each material for each section of the body. Cheaper options will use laminated woods, meaning they have a thin sheet of the advertised wood and then multiple layers of cheaper, ‘filler’ woods laminated together to bring cost down. These can still sound pretty good although will not be as true of a sound as a solid piece of wood.
Lastly, composite materials or plastics should just be avoided. These allow guitar makers to drastically cut the cost of the instrument, but the quality and sound suffer greatly as well.
Acoustic vs. Acoustic-electric
Acoustic-electric guitars lie between electric guitars and regular acoustic guitars. Their pickup is similar to the one found in electric guitars and allows you to plug them in and play through an amp. If you want to record live performances and live sessions, you should go for acoustic-electric guitars.
Brand
Many beginning guitarists feel like they need to buy guitars from individual brands to play the guitar well. This is in no way true, you can play just as well on a cheap guitar as on a high-end Taylor. That being said, they sound you get from a name brand might be quite a bit nicer.
We tend to recommend and buy from manufacturers we know. Guitar brands. Brands that have been making instruments for decades and stand behind their instruments. That being said, these aren’t the only good instruments out there so you can look past brand if it checks the other boxes!
Price
Price is a factor that buyers consider when buying almost everything. When buying guitars, the higher the price, the more likely the quality is higher. We have tried to make sure that all the instruments we found are good VALUES… meaning you are getting a lot of instrument for what you are spending!
The Final Note
There you have it, the best nylon string guitar is the Taylor Academy Series 12-N. Hopefully if the Taylor doesn’t strike your fancy something else on our list does!
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