If you are a beginner guitarist and want to learn how to play, finding the perfect musical instrument for your skills and needs can be quite a challenge.
Each musician has different preferences in tones, type of wood, guitar style and aesthetics, and this will affect your choice. But any guitar has the basic characteristics that should be considered when choosing this instrument.
What does a classical guitar consist of?
To be able to choose a guitar, you need to imagine how it works.
The most important thing about classical guitar is the deck, the top piece of wood on a classical guitar. There are two types of decks: plywood and solid wood.
Plywood decks are made of three thin layers of wood that are glued together. Usually the top layer is made of fine-grained wood, while the lower layers are made of low-quality material. Plywood decks provide a strong and stable upper case, but a slightly dimmer sound and less resonance.
Although guitars with plywood decks are cheaper, solid decks are more sensitive to string vibrations, so the sound of such guitars is much better.
Solid wood decks are assembled from two single-layer wooden plates, usually cedar or spruce, and joined together by a seam in the middle of the guitar. Both types of wood give different qualities to the sound of the guitar.
- Spruce firmer and less bent, which gives a bright clear sound.
- The cedar is softer, the cedar deck will sound languid, soft and warm.
Solid decks are always on the highest quality (and most expensive) classical guitars. If you are very limited in budget, guitars with plywood decks will be a great option, but when choosing a guitar it is still better to give preference to high-quality sound.
Classical guitar also consists of:
- Kolkov. (ring mechanism). These are a kind of screws that regulate the tension of strings on string instruments and are responsible for their tuning. Pegs are an indispensable device on any string instrument.
- The lap. A part that lifts a string above the bar to the required height. Guides on the guitar are upper and lower.
- Okay. These are parts located along the entire length of the guitar neck. They are bulging transverse metal strips. Also called the distance between the two parts.
- Neck An elongated wooden part, to which, when playing, the strings are pressed to change the note. When choosing a guitar, it is important to check whether the fretboard is warped. Neck warping greatly affects sound quality.
- Fingerboard heels. This is the place where the neck and the guitar body are attached. It can be beveled for easier access to frets.
- Shells. The side of the body. The shell is both bent (from a single piece of wood), and composite.
Classical vs Acoustic
It is important to make sure that you choose the right type of guitar. There are two main classes of acoustic guitars: nylon string classical guitars and steel string acoustic guitars. It is very important that you understand the difference, because they have completely different functionality, despite the fact that they are almost identical in appearance.
So, how to distinguish a classical guitar from an acoustic one?
Vulture
Firstly, the neck of a classical guitar is much wider than that of an acoustic one. The fretboard of a classic guitar may not have fret markings, while the acoustic frets are always marked.
Body
Secondly, the case of a classical guitar is usually very symmetrical, there are no resonators (curly cuts) to expand the register of the guitar (although there are some models of modern classical guitars that have resonators). Acoustic guitars are most often found in the form of a dreadnought.
Not all acoustic guitars have resonant holes of a special shape, therefore, when choosing a guitar, you do not need to rely solely on this.
Strings
Thirdly, the biggest difference between a classical guitar and an acoustic guitar is the strings. Nylon strings are stretched on classical guitars, and steel on acoustic guitars.
If steel strings are worn on a classical guitar, higher tension will cause damage to the neck, neck head and sills. Installing nylon strings on an acoustic guitar is unlikely to damage the guitar, but the sound will change for the worse.
As a rule, due to the difference in the material of the strings, playing the classical guitar is much easier because nylon is softer. Novice guitarists should still choose classic guitars.
Sound
A classical guitar has a soft tone and is most often used with a finger style of play (i.e., without a pick - a special record). Acoustic guitars have a sharp, bright sound.
Acoustic guitars have a special connector for connecting to an amplifier for guitars. The sound in this case becomes louder due to amplification through the speaker, but remains more chamber in comparison with electric guitars.
Budget
Classical guitars are popular among beginner players because they are usually much cheaper than acoustic ones. They come in a wide price range: for beginners, a guitar in the region of 6000 rubles is suitable, more advanced players can find models several times more expensive.
Choosing a classic guitar depends a lot on your budget. It is worth buying the best tool you can afford.
Should I buy a supported guitar?
If you have a limited budget, buying a used instrument can allow you to purchase a better instrument than if you spent the same amount of money on a new guitar.
Unfortunately, a good used guitar will be much harder to find than a new one, and you will need to carefully inspect the instrument to make sure that it is not damaged too much. Chips of paint or the ends of strings sticking out on the head of the neck are not significant defects and do not affect the sound quality.
This acquisition has one significant plus: when you buy a guitar in a store, you don’t know how it will behave in the future. About the same supported guitar you can tell its previous owner.
You can bring along a more experienced guitar player to help determine the quality of the instrument. This applies not only to the purchase of a guitar "with hands", but also to the choice in the store: not all new guitars are of sufficient quality. Some stores may even sell used guitars.
Handmade vs factory production
The method of manufacturing a classic guitar will have a noticeable effect on price. Classical guitars can be either factory-made or handmade. Lower price guitars are always made at the factory.
Handmade guitars are made by a manufacturer who carefully selects wood, cuts it to size, joins all the parts together manually and gives a unique design to its products. Of course, handmade guitars will be much more expensive than factory-made guitars. But even if you have the financial ability to purchase a handmade guitar, you cannot be as sure as possible of its quality. Always choose a trusted manufacturer, wherever you decide to buy a tool.
What to choose a child?
Many guitar models come in 1/2 or 3/4 size options. If you choose a classic guitar for a child, then it is better for him to choose a guitar size that is comfortable for himself. It should always correspond to the height and distribution of the weight of the person, the neck should comfortably lie in your hand.
How to care for a guitar?
A guitar, like any other instrument, must be properly looked after.
Lubricating the string grooves will make tuning easier and help reduce the creak that often occurs when tuning a classic guitar. A simple way to lubricate these cracks is to paint them with a graphite pencil.
Keep the guitar away from heat and moisture, do not drop or drop the instrument. It is worth purchasing a special water-repellent insulated cover to transport the guitar in rain and cold.
Do not sit down to play the guitar immediately after it has undergone a temperature difference, otherwise it will adversely affect its condition.
The choice of a classical guitar is a difficult and responsible matter, but it is worthwhile to understand this issue in as much detail as possible so that the music brings pleasure.