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From classical, flamenco and crossover, to acoustic-electric models and beyond, these are the best nylon-string guitars around right now body acoustic
1. Quick list 2. Best classical overall 3. Best for gigging 4. Best flamenco guitar 5. Best on a budget 6. Best for playability 7. Best high-end 8. More options... 9. Buying advice 10. How we select products
Many guitar players will dismiss instruments with nylon strings as something that’s only really for beginners. The truth is that the best classical guitars will give you the same nuance and dynamic response as any quality acoustic, whether you want to play classical standards, flamenco, jazz, or anything else.
Classical guitars will typically have a flat fretboard and strings that are spaced further apart than that of a regular acoustic, which is necessary to allow you to play complex parts from the classical repertoire. Classical and flamenco are typically for solo performers, so you’ll need this flat fretboard to play both the bass and treble parts simultaneously. If you’ve never played this kind of fretboard before it can be a little intimidating at first, but perseverance will reward you with a serious upgrade in your guitar skills.
If this is your first classical guitar purchase then make sure you have a look at our buying advice section before you make a decision, as it features loads of common questions around the subject answered by the expert writing team here at Guitar World. If you already know your rasgueado from your tirando, then keep scrolling for our top picks…
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar gear and synths, to microphones and music production hardware.
Designed to straddle the line between the full-fat Taylor experience at a relatively affordable cost, the Taylor Academy 12e-N is an incredible quality classical guitar with the playability of a regular steel string acoustic instrument.
If you're planning on playing your classical guitar live, the Godin MultiAc Nylon Encore combines an under-saddle piezo with two transducer pickups attached to the underside of the body top, giving you a huge range of plugged-in tones.
Named for the flamenco legend Paco de Lucia and based upon some of his own collection, the Cordoba F7 Paco is perfect for the guitarist looking to play flamenco styles. It's comprised of excellent materials and is competitively priced too.
Found in music rooms all over the globe, the Yamaha C40II is the perfect classical guitar for beginner players, and those on a budget. Don't let the price fool you, this is a fantastic-sounding and playing instrument that will get you off on the front foot.
With its dimensions similar to that of a traditional, steel-strung acoustic guitar and a generous cutaway, the Washburn EACT42S is a brilliantly playable classical guitar. The looks may be divisive and put some off, but we love it
If you want the very best of the best from a classical guitar, it's hard to look past the elite-tier Cordoba GK Pro Negra. Premium tonewoods combine with a thinner-than-usual body depth to give you an ultra-playable, excellent-sounding classical guitar.
You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
rosewood guitar Below you'll find full and detailed write-ups for each of the best classical guitars in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.