How to choose the right CLASSICAL GUITAR for yourself

In this video I walk you through on my process of how I test new guitars, what are some of the key things I'm looking for and just how I approach a new instrument in general. Hope this will help you to get some ideas on how you can test your next guitar as well :)

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Timestamps:
0:00 intro and 1st steps
1:26 importance of different woods
3:07 single notes on B and G strings
6:17 alternative option
8:10 single note melody on trebles
10:40 colours and characters
11:11 chords across neck
15:51 playing a SIMPLE piece
18:45 final thoughts

[itstheguitarcollection]

Wonderful video, Beatrix, and thanks for the kind words! Happy to be working with you as well. 🎸

[beatrixguitar]

Hey friends, thanks for watching! If you want to see more videos like this one, please consider supporting what I do on Patreon! Thank you so much!

[johnlay]

You have provided a good set of advice. But, it is good for those who can already play reasonably well to at least intermediate level. Beginners or low level players won't be able to apply your advice effectively. In some countries, good guitar shops are rare, especially for good brands. So, people cannot compare, but go to internet shopping instead. In that case you will be at the mercy of the suppliers. If the supplier is helpfull, he might be willing to do a video recording of the guitar you are interested in. Maybe one spruce and one cedar of the same model. I bought one guitar that way successfully. It happened that the owner of the shop was a good guitarist who could demonstrate some essential aspects of the guitars.
The first thing I worry about when buying, whether new or used, is the straightness of the neck. I will avoid buying a new guitar with cedar neck w/o reinforcement. Mahogany neck is fine in general, but not cedar. Yamaha's Nato wood is stronger than cedar, and it is good.
Another important thing I always check is the relative power of the treble strings, i.e. the e, b, g. They must be equally strong at a given position. There shouldn't be a drop in volume at that same position, especially in higher ones after about the 10th fret. Some guitars could have almost good balance all over, but then suffer badly high position, especially the 'e' string. The bass must also be bright and ringing, especially the E string. The E string is quite often tubby/dull.
I hope those extras, on the top of Beatrix's excellent advice, might be of any help.

[DSW]

Excellent guide! I've collected 5 CG's over the decades, from free to pawnshop to CL to online purchase. My preference is for 50-100 year old CG's- As much for woods and construction as the history- and more importantly the value they represent vs. comparable new instrument.

[jasonnye]

The first thing when picking up a new guitar is always to sniff the sound hole. Lol Seriously, though, very good video and on point. This information is absolutely applicable to steel string guitars as well.

[GregDenver]

I have a custom classical guitar that I purchased 16 years ago. Now I’m retired, play it regularly and love it. I bought a Martin acoustic guitar 5 months ago to complement my classical guitar. I don’t enjoy playing it and it sits in its case. I have fallen in love with classical guitars. I plan on selling my Martin and purchasing a parlor sized classical guitar to complement my current classical guitar.

[oromani]

I’m 6’6” (1.98 meters) tall. Picking any guitar is awkward because they all feel a little cramped. Otherwise, dabbling in both folk acoustic and classical, the action is pretty important to me. I’m a novice so I don’t have a very sophisticated opinion on sound. I know if I like a guitar or not, but it’s hard for me to quantify.

[sergioruiz]

I liked your suggestions. Interesting ideas and recommendations. Perhaps some thoughts on the size/scale length of the guitar would have been helpful. I gravitate now towards smaller guitars - 650-654mm or 24.9 inches. Both, Spanish and acoustic guitars.
Thanks for the video…👍

[susannekalejaiye]

At 15 I HAD to have a guitar, but really knew nothing about them, so a relatively cheap steel string guitar arrived. Somehow it didn't fit my dream. I think it was the following year that I found a guitar which I loved the sound/tone of and fortunately I was able to buy it. However, I never really learned anything, so eventually passed it to a worthy school where it could serve people more talented than me. Fast forward 50 years and I bought a guitar from a friend who was doing exactly what I'd done 50 years earlier. Now, because of the internet, I know what I've purchased is considered a very good beginning student classical guitar. I'll never be good, but I will play, I am learning. Will I buy another guitar? Probably not or maybe a "junior" size as I am getting smaller as I age. But what I have is quite good enough for anything I will ever be able to play. I changed the saddle recently, because the G string never sounded good, and I noticed the saddle had a chip under the G string. Sounds much better now. I especially liked your discussion of how you'd listen and what you would and wouldn't play - and why! very important if considering upgrading an instrument.

[AuditingWithAutism]

Great video! For me, it's octave harmonics and tonal resonation, which are the most important guitar qualities.🎉

[kuntmeister]

How many times am I gonna hear the piece at 16:52 and Asturias on this channel

[endresac]

day 10237 of asking you to eat those kurzgesagt birds🍗

[michellegault]

Nobody wants to be told by other guitarists that they picked the "wrong" guitar. I bought a nylon string guitar with a cutaway. A fellow guitarist told me "well.... that's not really a classical guitar". I didn't give a rats ass lol
I liked it, so I bought it.