Deciding on the best classical guitar under $1,000 that is perfect for you can be challenging. Pretty much every nylon string guitar in the $1,000 price range is built from quality tonewoods, but not all of them are a good fit for you.
Every tonewood has a slightly different sound, texture, and character to it and each pairing of top and back woods creates more tone. For instance, a guitar that has rosewood back and sides and a cedar top will create a warm, rich tone. This is a much different sound as compared with spruce, koa, and mahogany guitar. That’s why we’ve looked at all the tonewood combinations and picked out the best ones to recommend.
Let’s review the top-rated classical nylon string guitars under $1000, so you can compare their tones and find the perfect one for your playing style.
Compare the Top Classical Guitars Below $1,000
Contents
- 1 Compare the Top Classical Guitars Below $1,000
- 1.1 Kremona Verea Performer Series Classical Nylon String Guitar
- 1.2 Taylor 114ce-N Classical Guitar
- 1.3 Yamaha NTX1200R Acoustic-Electric Classical Guitar
- 1.4 Cordoba C9 CD/MH Acoustic Nylon-String Guitar
- 1.5 La Patrie Collection Classical Guitar
- 1.6 Yamaha CG-TA TransAcoustic Nylon-String Guitar
- 1.7 ESP LTD TL-6N Electric Nylon String Guitar
- 1.8 Godin Multiac Encore Nylon Acoustic-Electric Guitar
- 1.9 Kremona Fiesta FC Nylon String Guitar
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
Here’s a list of the best $1,000 classical guitars with incredible tonewoods and presence that will take your playing to the next level.
- Kremona Verea Performer Series
- Taylor 114ce-N
- Yamaha NTX1200R
- Cordoba C9 CD/MH
- La Patrie Collection
- Yamaha CG-T
- ESP LTD TL-6N
- Godin Multiac Encore
- Kremona Fiesta FC
Kremona Verea Performer Series Classical Nylon String Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
When Kremona was founded almost 100 years ago by Dimitar Georgiev, a master luthier, it was a simple establishment located in Bulgaria. Today, the brand’s products have spread across Europe and the rest of the world and for good reason too.
A look at the Verea, from the brand’s performance series, will give us an insight into the quality that has earned the brand its current reputation.
The Verea is a classical guitar created for performance. It features a solid cedar top and rosewood sides and back. For the neck, the brand went with Honduran cedar with the fretboard made from Indian rosewood.
All these different components are well put together, combining nicely with the wood binding and the hand-laid wooden rosette pattern around the soundhole to deliver an understated classy look.
We already mentioned that it is an acoustic-electric guitar so let’s look at the electronics section. It features the really high performing Fishman Presys Blend active system. This system combines an integrated condenser microphone with an under saddle piezo transducer to deliver incredible tonal versatility. The included controls provide the means to dial in the exact sound you want.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Has a deep, rich and clean.
- Electronics – Adds amazing versatility.
- Playability – Plays really well.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Nut – Has a plastic nut. Doesn’t make too much difference though.
Bottom Line
This guitar will do great on stage. It offers amazing tonal capabilities that you can tweak to your heart’s content. It’s worth a check.
Taylor 114ce-N Classical Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
You may be a little surprised that Taylor is offering a nylon or classical guitar. Be advised that this is not your conventional classical guitar but more of blend of both nylon and steel.
Actually, what you have here is a guitar with nylon strings but a body and neck that features the grand auditorium-style. The body with its solid Sitka spruce top and layered ovangkol sides and back is what you will expect from a Taylor.
The neck is made of mahogany with a fretboard made of ebony. This neck is easy to play and the single cutaway grants easy access to the higher frets. You will however find it to be a little different from the usual build of classical guitar necks. This is not as wide or as flat as with most classical guitars.
A look at the electronics section will reveal Taylor’s ES-N system which was specifically designed for use with classical guitars. It comes with a simple 3-band EQ and a master volume. Sadly it does not have an on-board tuner.
The tone you get from this guitar is full and warm. Thanks to its body style, you will enjoy a louder volume than most classical guitars will offer.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm, full and loud.
- Playability – Plays smoothly.
- Gig bag – Good quality.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- On-board Tuner – None.
Bottom Line
This guitar is a blend of a nylon-string and a steel-string guitar. It opens new vistas in the world of classical guitars.
Yamaha NTX1200R Acoustic-Electric Classical Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Yamaha is one brand that practically has something for everyone. Its NTX1200R offers electric guitar or steel-string guitar players an easy way to switch to classical guitar. This guitar has a slim body, a 1.89” nut width (which is narrower than your traditional classical guitar) and a pretty deep cutaway which provides comfortable access to the 22 frets on the ebony fretboard.
The body is made up of a solid Sitka spruce top and solid rosewood sides and back. The top has been put through Yamaha’s amazing Acoustic Resonance Enhancement treatment which practically ages the wood from day one, pulling from it that aged-wood tone from the very first day of play.
The neck is made of African mahogany and this is nicely fitted into the rest of the body, delivering a complete top quality product.
Taking this guitar to even greater heights is the ART two-way pickup system from the brand. This system comprises of two pickups, placed at the treble and bass sides of the guitar respectively. These pickups are powered by the System 61 preamp which offers advanced performance.
For precise control, this system offers individual controls for each pickup, a 3-band EQ, master volume and a digital tuner.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm and smooth.
- Playability – Top scores.
- Electronics – Top quality.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Batteries – May drains batteries quickly when left in it.
Bottom Line
This is a great guitar for anyone making the switch from either electric guitars or steel-string guitars to classical guitars.
Cordoba C9 CD/MH Acoustic Nylon-String Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
When it comes to classical guitars, few brands can compete with Cordoba. This Spanish brand practically has this segment of the guitar market all locked down. It offers some of the best guitars in the niche.
This guitar was handmade to deliver a solid performance on any stage. It features a solid Canadian spruce top and a solid mahogany back and sides. This is a traditional style guitar at its very best.
The hand-laid pearloid rosette which is reminiscent of the 1920s provides subtle vintage hints while the wooden purfling around the body completes its soft elegance.
The neck which is made of mahogany has the traditional C-shape of classical guitars plus a flat ebony fingerboard. This however features a modern addition in the two-way truss rod that provides stability and easy adjustability.
If you’ve never really heard a true classical guitar tone, this guitar here offers this and more. You will most certainly love the warm and well-balanced tone.
As a bonus, it comes with a Cordoba Polyfoam case for safer transportation.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm and well-balanced.
- Build – Beautiful and very well-made.
- Playability – It plays nicely.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- You may need to get a humidicase to keep it in good shape. This is not really a con but a maintenance tip.
Bottom Line
This is one guitar that will serve the serious classical guitarists on almost any stage. You can also rely on this for your jazz, flamenco or fingerpicking styles. It is very well-made.
La Patrie Collection Classical Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
LaPatrie is a village somewhere in Quebec Canada. This village is known for building great guitars under the brand name LaPatrie. Just so you know, this brand is owned by Godin Guitar Company. There are seven classical guitar models offered by the brand and one of this is the Collection.
This guitar features the usual body shape you will expect of a classical guitar – that’s the concert body shape. Its top is made of solid select cedar that has been pressure tested while the sides and back are made of solid rosewood. The neck on the other hand is made of mahogany while the fretboard is made of rosewood.
One thing that stands out with the build of this guitar is the craftsmanship. You most certainly cannot expect anything less for a handmade instrument such as this.
Another important point is the unlikely choice of tonewood. Classical guitars are associated with soft warm tones. Rosewood as a tonewood is however known for being hard, giving off a sharp tone. Interestingly, the luthiers here again showed their skill in how they combined the hardness of the rosewood with the softness of cedar to deliver a well-balanced tone that classical guitarists will appreciate.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Well-balanced.
- Build – Great craftsmanship.
- Playability – It plays well.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Low notes – Not as pronounced as the highs.
Bottom Line
This guitar may be regarded as a low to mid-range instrument but it offers real value. You can comfortably perform with it.
Yamaha CG-TA TransAcoustic Nylon-String Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Yamaha is known for adding some technological innovations to its guitars. We know of the Acoustic Resonance Enhancement treatment that turns fresh tonewood into a nicely seasoned vintage tonewood. Here, we see the Trans Acoustic technology at work. More on this later.
Construction-wise, this guitar’s body is built to the traditional classical guitar shape. It features a solid Engelmann spruce top with sides and back made of ovangkol. The neck is made of nato and has a rosewood fretboard that holds 19 frets.
Now let’s get to that Trans Acoustic technology we mentioned earlier. This is a really innovative step by Yamaha. This technology adds reverb or chorus effects to the acoustic sound of your guitar.
Get this, you do not have to plug the guitar into any amp to enjoy these effects. As you adjust the knobs, you hear the effects on the acoustic sound of the guitar.
The benefits of this are immense, one of which is that you can achieve a live feel even in a “dead” sounding room.
In addition to this effect, this guitar also comes with Yamaha SRT piezo under-saddle transducer, giving you the option to plug the guitar into an amplifier.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm and balanced.
- Electronics – Adds tonal versatility.
- Build – Great craftsmanship.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Digital Tuner – Doesn’t come with one.
Bottom Line
This is one great guitar that harnesses the power of technology to take an already great tone to a greater height. You won’t regret getting it.
ESP LTD TL-6N Electric Nylon String Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
What’s an ESP guitar doing on this list? The brand is better known for its electric guitar right? Yes it is but it has made an effort that is worth a mention here.
LTD TL-6N Thinline is anything but your traditional classical guitar. First, it has a very thin body depth, a scale length of 25” and a really deep cutaway that is reminiscent of a Les Paul. Truth be said, when you hold it, it feels more like an electric guitar than a classical guitar.
One very obvious feature of its design is the absence of a soundhole in the traditional sense. This is replaced with a hole on its lower bout shaped like a thorn. This semi-hollow body guitar features a top made from spruce with sides and back made of mahogany.
Continuing in its disruptive mode, the neck is thin with a U shaped design and a reduced 1.89” nut width. The fretboard is made of rosewood and holds 22 frets.
For the electronics, it comes with a B-Band T-7 preamp that powers a B-Band under saddle transducer. This provides additional tonal options especially for live or studio play. It includes a 3-band EQ, volume and digital tuner.
That said, this is not a guitar for traditional classical guitar lovers.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Versatile.
- Playability – It’s comfortable.
- Build – Well-made.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Case – None.
Bottom Line
This guitar is quite comfortable with loads of attitude that traditionalist will likely disdain. It sounds lovely and will do great on stage.
Godin Multiac Encore Nylon Acoustic-Electric Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Is this offering from Godin really a classical guitar? Well, the Multiac Nylon Encore really does not look like one. It is however an acoustic-electric nylon-string guitar even we find it difficult to call it a classical guitar.
This is one of those guitars commonly referred to as crossover guitars. This is because its design makes it easier for those switching over from steel string guitars to do so.
The brand describes this guitar’s body as two-chambered. The top is made of solid cedar while the back and sides are made of silver leaf maple. The neck with its “D” profile design is made of mahogany with a with a rosewood fretboard. It has a nut width of 1 9″ and a scale length of 25.5″.
For electronics, it comes with Godin’s custom Dual Source System built by Fishman. This system features five slider controls for master volume, 3-band EQ (treble, mid and bass) and blend.
While this may not be your traditional classical guitar and while it may not excel when played unplugged, this baby will perform excellently when plugged. It makes playing acoustic guitars on stage a lot easier.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Clean and sweet.
- Playability – Plays well.
- Build – Well-made.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- Batteries – Drains batteries quickly.
Bottom Line
This is not your traditional classical guitar. Its acoustic sound is very low and only suitable for practicing. However plugged in, it takes on a new life. Thinking of crossing over to nylon strings? Try this!
Kremona Fiesta FC Nylon String Guitar
Specs, features, and benefits
Kremona may not be a brand with a lot of worldwide popularity but it does make some mean guitars. This Bulgarian brand can boast of some really top quality acoustic guitars, one of which we want to look at now.
The Fiesta FC is one of the guitars from the brand’s Artist Series for professionals. This is a guitar designed for serious performing artists.
It has a simple classical design which also subtly reveals some top quality craftsmanship. The top of the body is made of solid Western cedar while the back and sides are made of solid Indian rosewood.
For the neck, Kremona uses Honduran cedar while for the fretboard it again uses Indian rosewood.
The lovely high-gloss polyurethane finish provides a fitting base for the birch purfling that adorns the guitar’s edges while the exquisite wooden rosette provides a beautifying accent to the entire setup.
This is a handmade guitar and its class shows from every angle. Thankfully, it not only looks great but also sounds great. Combining the mellow tones you will expect from cedar with the more vibrant tone from the rosewood, you have a tone that’s a balance of warmth and brightness.
Pros and Highlights
- Tone – Warm and bright.
- Built – Handmade.
- Playability – Easy and comfortable.
Cons and Potential Flaws
- No real cons have been reported aside from not having a pickup.
Bottom Line
Need a top-end classical guitar for less than $1000, this is it. You can’t beat the quality and performance at this price.
What We Recommend and Why
We’ve come to end of this exciting journey. After looking at these nine classical guitars, all wonderful in their own rights, it’s now time for use to choose the one we feel deserves the top spot. Considering a mix of quality, build, tone and value, we chose the Kremona Verea Acoustic-Electric Nylon String Guitar as our Top Classical Guitar Under $1,000.