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A concert guitar, also known as a classical guitar, is an acoustic guitar that originated from a form developed in the 17th century in Spain from the lute and vihuela. The strings were previously made of silk wrapped in fine wire. Today, concert guitars are played with nylon strings or carbon strings. Nylon strings are also much more durable and long-lasting than the original gut strings. Compared to western guitars, concert guitars are quieter due to the nylon strings and have a distinctly different sound character. While a western guitar is valued for its bright, overtone-rich sound, a concert guitar focuses on the quality of each individual tone with an almost lyrical sound character.
The decisive factors for the sound characteristics and quality of a concert guitar are the wood selection, especially for the top, the craftsmanship of the maker, and the type of finish. For high-quality instruments, the top is primarily made of spruce with fine, evenly spaced growth rings. Depending on the desired sound characteristics, other types of wood are also used. Cedar provides a slightly warmer sound with complex overtones. Mahogany sounds warmer and less overtone-rich than spruce. Therefore, the choice of top wood depends on specific sound preferences. In beginner concert guitars, the top is made of cross-laminated plywood, which is resistant to moisture and produces an overtone-rich sound with a lot of sustain. Mahogany, rosewood, cedar, or maple are used for the sides, top, and back. The neck is usually made of mahogany or another wood used for the sides. The preferred wood for the fingerboard is rosewood, less often ebony. Recently, the densified wood composite Richlite is increasingly being used for fingerboards, as its uniform density transfers sustain evenly across all positions. Walnut, Indian laurel, and micarta are also increasingly used in fingerboards. It is also significant that rosewood has been listed in CITES Appendix II for protected species of wood since February 2017.
About 30% of the total resonance volume of a concert guitar is determined by the choice of sides and back. Mahogany, rosewood, and maple are commonly used. Rosewood, in combination with a spruce top, provides a very balanced sound due to its very high wood density, while the same model with mahogany sides and back has a noticeably warmer sound in the bass and midrange but less brilliance in the highs. Maple sides and back provide a very clear sound with direct response.
A concert guitar is the perfect entry into playing guitar because the much softer nylon strings are much easier for beginners to press than the thin and stiff steel strings of a western guitar or electric guitar. Additionally, concert guitars are available in sizes 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 4/4, and 7/8, which also allow the youngest players a comfortable and ergonomically fitting start. The scale length varies from about 40 cm in 1/4 models to about 60 cm in larger 7/8 concert guitars. Many models are also offered as concert guitar sets, with accessories such as a bag, tuner, stand, and footstool to provide the young guitarist with a perfect start.
In our guitar shop, you will also find more unusual instruments, such as the Silent Guitar models from Yamaha. Without a body, with a pickup and cutaway, you can practice in silence while the instrument delivers a convincing concert guitar sound through the pickup. Or how about a fretless guitar? Godin offers a unique instrument, the Multiac Nylon Fretless, with a high-quality pickup/equalizer system and a unique look without a soundhole. MUSIC STORE also offers left-handed concert guitar models in all price ranges.
If you want to buy a concert guitar or a western guitar with a pickup, you should have a clear intention of conquering the stage. Installing a pickup incurs additional production costs, which are also reflected in the selling price. In the entry-level and mid-range segments of concert guitars, simple piezo pickups are more commonly found, which work wonderfully on stage because they are relatively feedback-resistant. However, the body resonance is barely captured because a piezo pickup is mounted under the bridge and only transmits the direct string vibration. Membrane pickups and condenser microphones mounted in the body are significantly warmer, more natural, and dynamic. These pickups are more commonly found in the premium segment of concert guitars and are also excellent for direct recording in the studio. However, the aforementioned technology is also more prone to feedback because both the condenser microphone and the membrane pickup transmit body resonance. This problem is often addressed with built-in notch filters, phase switches, or compressors. Most modern pickups are connected to an active preamp, which amplifies the relatively weak output signal of the pickup and is often equipped with a built-in tuner and equalizer for individual sound control.
A cutaway is a cutout in the body at the lower side of the concert guitar or western guitar, allowing for comfortable playing in the higher positions. Since a small part is cut out of the body with a cutaway, the acoustic resonance is slightly reduced compared to a body without a cutaway. There are two basic cutaway shapes. The narrow-tapered cutaway is called a Florentine cutaway, while the rounded cutaway is called a Venetian cutaway. Both cutaway shapes can be found in both steel-string and concert guitars.
In concert or classical guitars, there are two types of top wood, each producing a fundamentally different tone. The widely used spruce top has a brighter tone than the significantly darker-sounding cedar top, and the same goes for the acoustics. In classical guitars, the solid spruce top sounds brighter and more brilliant in the higher frequencies and takes much longer to develop a fuller overtone spectrum. Cedar, on the other hand, has a very direct and overtone-rich response from the beginning. It resonates much more volumously and warmly than spruce, but even after long playing, it does not develop the clear brilliance in the high frequencies.
Whether you prefer the tone of the brighter, solid spruce top or the warmer and more voluminous sound of the solid cedar top is a matter of taste. In the premium segment of guitars, you can find fully solid concert guitars. In such models, not only the top but also the sides and back are made of solid wood. Fully solid guitars resonate louder than models with only a solid top and produce about 30% more overtone spectrum. The finest wood selection for the top generally has denser and more parallel growth rings. Due to the higher wood density, a well-selected solid wood top sounds fuller and more balanced than a simple solid wood top.
Alhambra, Godin, Ovation, Fame, Sigma Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Ortega, Hanika, Höfner, Martin Guitars, Takamine, J & D, Ibanez, Yamaha
