This is a loaded question with a long history of distinctions to consider, but I’d like to highlight some of the key differences when talking about classical versus acoustic guitar.
Ultimately, the goal is to better understand these different types of guitars, and help you make the decision of which style guitar is right for you!
Acoustic Guitar vs. classical guitar: Summary of Differences 1. Classical Guitar Strings vs. Acoustic Guitar Strings 2. Guitar Anatomical Differences 3. Differences in Guitar Tonality (timbre) 4. Differences in Guitar Playing Styles
Flamenco Guitar Vs. Classical Guitar: Which Is Right For You?
Can classical guitar be played as an acoustic guitar and vice-versa? You bet! Check out my blog post here for more info.
When people refer to ‘acoustic’ guitars, they are likely referring to a “steel string acoustic” guitar with strings made of metal, whereas classical guitars use nylon strings which have a silky, smooth, plastic-like feel.
Steel string guitars can be described as having a bright, twangy sound, whereas classical guitars are described as having a mellow, resonant sound.
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Today, people consider a ‘modern classical guitar’ one that follows the innovative and revolutionary designs of the 19th-century Spanish luthier Antonio Torres Jurado.
Prior to the introduction of steel strings in the early 1900s by C.F. Martin & Company and the invention of nylon guitar strings in 1947 by Albert Augustine Strings, ‘gut’ or ‘catgut’ was the most commonly used string material (read more on catgut here).
However, once the new and improved steel and nylon string materials became available most players moved away from using catgut strings entirely.
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The rising popularity of steel strings in the early 1900s can be credited to their creators at C.F. Martin & Company. The new steel string material paved the way for other changes and experiments with guitar anatomy, and led to the production of various steel-string guitar models that are known today (
Steel-string guitars were further popularized by infamous guitar luthiers such as Gibson, and Taylor. Most folk, acoustic rock, and jazz guitarists prefer the sound and quick response playability of steel string guitars, though steel-string guitars typically require more tension (finger/hand strength) when pressing strings onto the fretboard.
If there’s one other main distinction to be aware of between classical and acoustic guitars, it’s the fact that classical guitars tend to have a thicker neck than steel string acoustic guitars, meaning the distance between strings is also greater.
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If you have medium to large sized hands, a wider guitar neck can feel more comfortable. You will feel the space between the strings helpful for both the right and the left hand fingers, as there’s less chance for interference or accidentally touching multiple strings at once.
Conversely, if you have relatively small hands then you may feel that a standard body classical guitar is too difficult to play with the wide stretches that are sometimes necessary between frets and strings.
Lastly, classical guitars tend to have a flatter back of the neck, whereas acoustic guitars have a more rounded back. This accommodates the different playing styles between the two in relation to the left hand thumb (see section on playing style differences below).
Classical Guitar Vs Acoustic Guitar
Guitar neck width is usually measured where the neck meets the ‘nut’ of the guitar. The guitar nut is a small piece of hard material that supports the strings near the headstock. Guitar nuts are usually made of ebony, plastic, or (less commonly) ivory material.
How wide are we talking? According to Yamaha, who makes both steel string and classical guitars, a Yamaha standard classical nut has a width of 52 mm (about 2.05 inches), whereas the standard steel string model has nut a width of 42 mm (about 1.65 inches). This approximately 1 cm width difference.
. Guitar necks taper towards the body of the guitar, meaning the neck width increases (even though the space between frets decreases).
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As the neck gets wider towards the body of the guitar, this creates more space between the strings. As a result, increased width between the strings makes it easier and more comfortable to fingerpick or pluck the strings.
Pro Tip: Do you feel like your classical guitar fret spacing is too wide for your hands? Try putting a capo on the 2nd fret or above. This will help decrease the space between frets.
As mentioned in the guitar string history section above, C.F. Martin & Company began experimenting with the guitar body shape and construction in the early 1900s.
The Differences Between Acoustic Guitar Body Shapes
The ‘dreadnought’ body style became the popular standard for steel string acoustic guitars. Dreadnought guitars are larger, heavier, and generally louder than classical guitar models.
You’ll notice the steel string acoustic guitar has a redish-brown shape on the right side of the sound hole. This is called a “pickguard”, and acts as a plastic shield that protects the wood where the player’s guitar pick tends to hit.
Flamenco guitars on the other hand don’t have a pickguard, but rather a plastic shield known as a golpeador that protects the wood from finger nail taps.
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The term ‘golpe’ means ‘to hit’, and refers to a flamenco technique where guitarists use their ring finger (or occasionally thumb) to strike the body of the guitar. For more info on flamenco guitar, check out my page on the topic.
Steel string guitars usually have dots along the top of the guitar neck as well as on the fretboard (sometimes referred to as fingerboard) itself as seen in the example above. Steel string acoustic guitars typically have markers on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, and (sometimes) the 15th fret.
Classical guitars typically don’t have any fret markers at all. If they do, they may only include the dots on the top of the guitar neck but not on the surface of the fretboard itself.
Flamenco Vs Classical Guitar
Pro Tip: If your classical or flamenco guitar doesn’t have any dots, I recommend you dab some whiteout on the frets of your choice, or use a small strip of masking tip. I personally like to place markers on the 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th frets.
Somewhat related to the strings topic, acoustic and classical guitar bridges are also different. Acoustic guitars use bridge pens to secure the steel string in carved holes, whereas classical guitar strings are tied to the bridge.
The structural differences in the bridge also means that the process for changing strings is quite different for acoustic and classical guitars. Generally speaking, changing strings on a steel string is faster and easier than the meticulous weaving techniques required for classical guitars.
Steel Strings Vs Nylon Strings
Classical guitar tuning pegs are very different than steel string acoustic guitar tuning pegs. Classical guitar pegs incorporate plastic and metal materials, whereas acoustic guitars utilize metal only.
As you can see from the image below, the way the strings are wound and the angle of the tuning pegs is also a point of differentiation:
In addition to the fretboard markers, the shape of classical and acoustic guitar fretboards is also different. Classical guitars often have a flat fretboard whereas acoustic guitars have a slightly curved (or ‘radiused’) fretboard shape:
Classical Vs. Acoustic Guitar: Which One Should You Choose?
So what’s the difference between a radiused and flat fretboard? Acoustic and electric guitar players feel the slight curve is easier and more comfortable for playing chords. Classical players tend to prefer the flatter neck with respect to playing bar chords, bending notes, or securely playing hammer-on/pull-offs.
Pro Tip: Make sure you get a capo that is designed to accommodate not only the back curve of the neck, but also the fretboard radius. You will probably get a buzz or have difficulty securing an acoustic guitar capo on a classical guitar.
The term ‘timbre‘ refers to the quality of sound–the tonality–of an instrument or sound. Timbre is a loaded term but one way to think about it is to consider Louie Armstrong’s voice. Can you hear it in your head? The special quality and uniqueness of his sound is the timbre.
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Which timbre sounds better? This is a personal preference! Acoustic rock bands, pop musicians, and country tend to play on steel string acoustics. Classical, Spanish, some Gypsy-jazz, and folk musicians will typically prefer the nylon timbre.
However, it’s not recommended to play classical or flamenco guitar on a steel string acoustic. Similarly, you country songs might sound a bit “strange” or soft if played on a classical guitar.
Is it physically possible to play these styles on each type of instrument? Absolutely! However, you may find the differences in technique and playing style to not suit the vibe–or accurately reproduce the timbre–of your favorite songs unless they’re played on the appropriate instrument.
My Friend Says He Bought An Acoustic Guitar, But His Guitar Looks Like Classical Guitar With Metal Strings. What Is It?
Pro Tip: you can change the timbre of your instrument drastically depending on the position of your right hand when plucking or strumming the strings. For instance, try playing:
Due to the larger body shape of the steel string acoustic guitars, the volume of sound produced on acoustic guitars is usually louder when compared to classical guitars.
Guitar luthiers have continued to innovate ways to enhance the natural projection of acoustic instruments. Classical and flamenco luthiers such as Manuel Contreras, Jose Ramirez, Robert Ruck, and Mathias Dammann led such innovation in the 20th century with the innovative double tops, “dolble tapa” (slightly different nomenclature, actually meaning double back), resonators, side monitor sound holes, and other guitar
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