short scale classical guitar

domforr · April 2020

Hi, considering getting a classical guitar and wanted some thoughts on good makes etc. I'm happy to buy second hand and would prefer to not spend more than about £600. I also like the idea of a shorter scale guitar (600 - 630 mm), tonally but also because I have reasonably small hands. Something smaller bodied would be fine as well. Would prefer without electrics.

Looking on ebay etc there seem to be many, many guitars in that price range but I really have no idea where to start with classical.

Any thoughts?

earwighoney · April 2020

For around £250, I'd recommend this

Smaller 7/8 sized body, 630mm scale

https://www.cordobaguitars.com/guitars/dolce/

https://www.thomann.de/gb/cordoba_dolce.htm

domforr · April 2020

thanks, that actually looks rather good for that price. Have you played one before?

drofluf · April 2020

domforr said:

thanks, that actually looks rather good for that price. Have you played one before?

I’ve not played one but Córdoba seem to be the “go to” classical guitar recommendation.

earwighoney · April 2020

domforr said:

thanks, that actually looks rather good for that price. Have you played one before?

I've not played that particular model but I have played quite a few Cordoba guitars, and they are very well made and priced; made in the same factory that makes the MIC Guilds from what I remember (I own a MIC Guild which I like a lot).

domforr · April 2020

Okay, sounds like a good option. Would you go for that over a second hand option? There are just so many on ebay that it's hard to make sense of what's decent or not.

earwighoney · April 2020

domforr said:

Okay, sounds like a good option. Would you go for that over a second hand option? There are just so many on ebay that it's hard to make sense of what's decent or not.

Depends really, if you can see a short scale guitar on Ebay then have a look but they seem to be very thin on the ground.

There's also the Cordoba Cadete, which is a little shorter scale as well 615mm with a 3/4 body size.

ToneControl · April 2020

I have an Alto classical guitar if you are interested, it's a little shorter at 54cm

edit, sorry - it's probably beyond your target price range
Aria AC85A

GTC · April 2020

Cordoba guitars are good solid bets for 7/8 size beginner classicals. I have played one at just over £100 which was excellent value for money.

A question though - are you generally looking for a classical guitar to start learning on - or are you looking to switch from steel strings to nylon?

I too have got quite small hands and originally thought that shorter scale lengths were the answer - and found this not to be the case. Going for full scale length opens up a lot more options - particularly in the used market where you can get some absolute bargains.

If you are moving from steel strung then a nylon strung crossover guitar could be the answer. These can have a narrower fingerboard and a more friendly neck and fingerboard profile - which I've found are a greater help for smaller hands.

domforr · April 2020

I play classical/folk on a steel string, but would like to have a gut/nylon option. The short scale is probably more about tone than ease of playing (although that’s a factor as well). It was mainly reading a post by Rob Macillop about how he prefers the sound of short scale with gut strings- similar to a romantic guitar, or one played by Torres. I’ve seen a few short scale guitars on eBay, although I’m driving a little blind in terms of what is and isn’t a good bargain.

domforr · April 2020

A few options:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K-Yairi-Y303-CM-Alto-Nylon-Guitar-1985-ex-owned-by-John-Renbourn/164151808719?hash=item263835d2cf:g:j40AAOSw9jdehH-3
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vicente-Sanchis-Modelo-Torres-1900-bought-new-in-1994-handmade-Spanish-guitar/143290983879?hash=item215ccee5c7:g:pU4AAOSw0xxcvEt6
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Giannini-GN90-nylon-guitar-1972-LR-Baggs-Anthem-SL-C-Gotoh-35G1800-heads/174169668916?hash=item288d523d34:g:Op0AAOSw-c9eLIb0

earwighoney · April 2020

domforr said:

I play classical/folk on a steel string, but would like to have a gut/nylon option. The short scale is probably more about tone than ease of playing (although that’s a factor as well). It was mainly reading a post by Rob Macillop about how he prefers the sound of short scale with gut strings- similar to a romantic guitar, or one played by Torres. I’ve seen a few short scale guitars on eBay, although I’m driving a little blind in terms of what is and isn’t a good bargain.

IMO Gut strings are overkill, not only are they insanely expensive ($99 for a set) but are prone to breaking easily and are prone to humidity/tuning issues (even more so than normal nylon strings).

I think you mean a guitar built by Torres? He's the father of the classical guitar pretty much.

Here's a link for one of his most famous guitars, built in 1884 and a video of it being played - it has a 650mm scale

https://www.flamencoguitarsforsale.net/guitarras-antonio-de-torres/guitarra-antonio-de-torres-1884-la-invencible/

Also, I believe for ease of play unless you're playing true classical music and you need the full 12 frets then you can get by with using a capo.

I've owned flamenco guitars of 650mm, 655mm, 658mm, 660mm and I'd say for playability aside from string height at 12th fret, tension of strings made a lot of difference as well.

domforr · April 2020

Apologies I meant to say fernando sor. Thanks for the info though - very helpful

GTC · April 2020

Gut strings generally have a brighter sound than nylon strings, they are very expensive, are affected by humidity and do not last as long as nylon or composite strings. Aquila's nylgut strungs have some of gut's tonal properties and are reasonably priced. I've no experience of using them on guitar, just a uke.

The best bet would be to try different types of nylon-strung guitars to see what works for you. That is almost impossible to do at the moment but, from my experiences, you might be surprised.

If going for a traditional Spanish classical guitar then check the neck. They do not generally have truss rods and older / cheaper ones do not have carbon reinforcement. Also, be aware that a good action to a classical player is likely to be different (higher) than what a steel string player would be used to.

I hope this helps and good luck.

domforr · April 2020

Yes, I think you're right. As ever with these things it's all quite subjective and there's no substitute for actually playing as many guitars as possible to see what works for you. I think I'm in a more knowledgable place than I was a few days ago though, so many thanks to all of you for your thoughts and suggestions.

earwighoney · April 2020

GTC said:

Gut strings generally have a brighter sound than nylon strings, they are very expensive, are affected by humidity and do not last as long as nylon or composite strings. Aquila's nylgut strungs have some of gut's tonal properties and are reasonably priced. I've no experience of using them on guitar, just a uke.

The best bet would be to try different types of nylon-strung guitars to see what works for you. That is almost impossible to do at the moment but, from my experiences, you might be surprised.

If going for a traditional Spanish classical guitar then check the neck. They do not generally have truss rods and older / cheaper ones do not have carbon reinforcement. Also, be aware that a good action to a classical player is likely to be different (higher) than what a steel string player would be used to.

I hope this helps and good luck.

I play flamenco guitars and they generally have a lower string height at the 12th fret than a classical guitar, and IMO can be a little more user friendly to play as well.

Truss Rod/CF fibre reinforcements don't matter as much for nylon strings as they are quite low in tension in comparison to steel strings.

GTC · April 2020

earwighoney said:

I play flamenco guitars and they generally have a lower string height at the 12th fret than a classical guitar, and IMO can be a little more user friendly to play as well.

Truss Rod/CF fibre reinforcements don't matter as much for nylon strings as they are quite low in tension in comparison to steel strings.

This is true - but I've seen several second-hand neck horror stories with a badly bowed neck and no means of adjustment. This ,of course, could have come from misguided experimentation with steel strings.

earwighoney · April 2020

GTC said:
This is true - but I've seen several second-hand neck horror stories with a badly bowed neck and no means of adjustment. This ,of course, could have come from misguided experimentation with steel strings.

Or with incredibly high tension nylon strings as well? I'm never quite sure about this or whether they had used timber for the neck which was prone to twisting as well.

Faults do happen with any kind of guitar though, and if it didn't have a truss rod if I wouldn't worry if I was buying a nylon string guitar be it a second hand guitar if the action was fine and the guitar was reasonably old it'd probably be ok for a while if taken care of properly and for a new guitar if it was under warranty.

The problem I had with my flamenco guitar, which I later sold was the ebony fretboard shrunk quite a bit and that messed the neck up massively. The guy I sold it to replaced the fretboard then said it was his best guitar. Sigh, I really should have just paid for that repair (I digress, sorry)

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

short scale classical guitar

Comments