how do I know if I have a classical acoustic guitar?

[samal50]

I think I bought this acoustic guitar years ago and it may have been a classical one. How do I determine if it is or not? I noticed it would not stay in tune using standard tuning EADGBE. Are classical acoustic guitars tuned differently?

[1001gear]

They would have nylon plains and the headstock is almost guaranteed to look like this:

 

[Grant Harding]

A picture would really help. Does it have nylon treble strings and are they tied at the bridge end?

 

Nylon strings take days of retuning before they settle and might not ever settle if they aren't put on right. Tuning is the same as a normal steel string.

[Freeman Keller]

The important characteristic of a "classical" guitar is that it is designed and braced to be used with nylon strings (originally gut) rather than steel strings. Nylon strings have about 120 pounds of total tension on the top whereas steel are 170 or so - therefore nylon string guitars are much more lightly braced. (In fact, if you put steel strings on them you'll probably destroy it).

 

Visual characteristic are a small to medium sized body, usually a fairly wide flat neck (about 2 inches at the nut). The peg head is usually slotted had has larger nylon rollers for the string (rather than small metal ones). The strings are frequently tied at the bridge (altho a few classicals do have pins). This is a typical classical on the left and a similar sized steel string on the right

 

 

Classical guitars are normally intended to be tuned to concert pitch, EADGbe but the strings do stretch a lot so you frequently have to retune them.

 

A picture of yours would help

[samal50]

is tone different in a classical guitar than a regular one?

[samal50]

the left looks like my guitar.

[Freeman Keller]

is tone different in a classical guitar than a regular one?

 

 

Some would say that a classical guitar is the "regular one". It is the oldest design, dating back to the 1600's and was derived from lute like instruments (in the olden days almost all strummed instruments used gut strings). Steel strings are a relatively new phenomena - they were introduced at the turn of the 20th century by companies like Washburn, CF Martin and Gibson.

 

Most people associate classical guitars with classical music (duh) - players like Segovia and Breem, but they have also been used to play jazz (Earl Klug) and Willie Nelson's iconic Trigger is a nylon strung guitar. The converse is rarely true - you almost never hear classical or flamenco played on steel strings.

 

A classical (nylon strung) guitar has a warmer complex tone compared to the more bright sound of steel strings. They are almost always (Willie is an exception) played strictly with flesh and nails - with a steel string you can either use a pick (or picks) or your nails.

 

Here a typical (and beatiful) Bach piece played by Segovia

 

[video=youtube;eBQfHJA2Lng]

[Delmont]

is tone different in a classical guitar than a regular one?

 

Yes. It's warmer, pluckier, and glassier.

[Delmont]

Then it's a classical guitar.

[Nabisco]

Here is a clip of a Flamenco piece done on a steel string guitar. Enjoy!

 

 

[samal50]

I see. I thought it was just the style or design that makes it "classical".

[Delmont]

You're right. It is. "Classical" is a guitar design style..

[Freeman Keller]

Just goes to show you that you can play any kind of music on any kind of guitar. However I think its a stretch to call Malaguena a "Flamenco piece"

[Nabisco]

No, you can play any kind of music on any kind of guitar. Me, I can strum pop songs competently and that is about as far as it goes. As for Flamenco, I defer to your knowledge on the subject. My understanding (if you can call it that) of Flamenco comes from watching Charo in the Mike Douglas show.

[Freeman Keller]

There is a side bar review of this by one of our mods right now

 

http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/benefits-of-classical-guitar-techniques-with-grant-ruiz