Many classical guitars out there are pretty weak instruments intended for beginners. Some of the problems ascribed to classical guitars as a category won't be true of decent classical guitars. They can be fairly loud. I'm strictly a steel-string guy and I prefer all of the characteristics that distinguish a steel-string flat-top from a classical guitar. But I know serious classical guitarists and they can get amazing sounds from their instruments that a steel string just couldn't produce in the same way. If your target is to become a classical player, then I'd get a classical guitar from the get-go. The neck profile is more conducive to good classical technique than the neck of a nylon-string folk guitar would be and the voicing will be more, well, classical (assuming it's a decent quality guitar). A classical is a more purpose-built instrument arguably but that should be irrelevant if your intention is to play classical music.
A modest instrument will get you started but the serious classical guitarists I've known are even more keenly attuned to tone than the good steel string guitarists I've known. They really want a specific sound from every note, and that involves a good deal more than just the correct pitch. They usually feel a need to upgrade to a high-quality guitar at the soonest possible time so that they can get all those nuances of tone. Steel string fingerstylists certainly care about tone, too, but it seems to take on a whole new dimension for the accomplished classical players.
__________________
Bob DeVellis
|