Classical vs Flamenco

[jim1960]

In terms of how they sound in general terms, what are the differences between a classical guitar and a flamenco guitar? I've never played a flamenco so I don't know what's different.

[jrethorst]

A flamenco, with back and sides often made of cypress, sounds sharper and brighter and has less sustain.

[Bax Burgess]

Flamenco music employs some very aggressive strum patterns and rapping percussion, so a more sonorous classical would sound mushy, less clear. The Flamenco action is lower for speed purposes, and strings slapping on the frets, when things get going, is not considered a terrible thing. Paco De Lucia preferred, for whatever reason, the flamenco negra.

[jim1960]

Thanks for the replies. I was thinking along those lines but I wanted some confirmation as I have never played a flamenco guitar.

[bobotar]

Flamenco: sharp quick attack and less duration. Think of it as an acoustic jazz solo guitar for unusual clarity of very fast runs and melodic line. A gross overstatement would be to compare a harpsichord and a piano forte.

I had two flamencos (now on consignment in SF), both blanca (cypress), and extremely lightweight. Immediately responsive. deep bass. VERY low string height. Everyone has their own favorites: mine were Madrid style, and I couldn't have been happier. I'm going to miss them both.

Rosewood or cypress, probably doesn't matter much: you want light and responsive. I have an old (1963) all veneer Japanese classical built very lightly, with string height lowered, that I use for a travel flamenco. The notes just jump out of it, and have the appropriate short sustain. My 1968 all solid Italian (spruce/rosewood) classical, by contrast, has a very sonorous quality to it, but its sustain makes very fast runs and rasgueados tougher to effect with equal clarity. And it must weigh 1.5 pounds more.

Either way, make sure you get a thin clear tap plate, or you'll tear up the finish and wood on the treble side of the strings. And make sure you're comfortable with the scale and nut width. Some flamencos (like mine) were built to cut through the sound of dancer, so they are loud. To get there, the scale is a little longer, and the strings are higher tension. So your fingers need to make the stretch. Perhaps you don't need a full size concert model, and could use an easier scale length. Your needs will dictate.

[cobalt60]

In addition to the sustain, action, and tonal differences noted:

-- A flamenco can "growl" which is not considered a good thing on a classical

-- string buzz and slap is acceptable on a flamenco, to a degree that would be considered faulty on a classical.

-- A flamenco is more likely to use pegs as tuners (even geared pegs).

-- Tap plate on flamenco is seldom seen on classical

-- Some might say that the traditional flamenco is less adorned (e.g. complexity of purfling, binding, rosette, inlay) than a classical, on average, but this probably isn't a good rule to apply to all instruments