I started with the Cordoba C5 and its an amazing introduction instrument. Moved up to the C12 and have zero regrets. Fantastic instruments

Thank you. My guitar is a Yamaha C40. And I'm just returning to playing after a 50 year break. This time my goals are considerably more mature and much better informed. It's good to know something about "my" guitar, which I bought from a friend some ten years ago, and my granddaughter used in her guitar lessons and now it's back with me. Very comforting to know it met the qualifications for this video and hence is appropriate for me. Thanks again!

I have recently replaced a Hohner 4/4 classical giutar that I'd had for over 40 years! It had been used, abused and lent out numerous times. The last time I got it back after not seeing it for 4 years, it came back with steel strings on, and damaged beyond repair. It wasn't a great guitar to start with, and I had been given a Yamaha C40 since then, which was good. However, this too wasn't in great condition when I got it. It had been spray painted red and black, and knocked about, but still played OK. During lockdown 2020, my local music shop was closing down and selling off stock. So I went in to see what bargains they had on classical guitars. They had sold nearly 2/3rds of their stock already, and had about 9 classical guitar models left. 6 of them were way out of my price range (over £1000 to 3000). Of the 3 that were left, they were cheap chinese brands I'd never heard of, snd they weren't very good build quality. I thanked the man for his time and was about to leave when he asked me to hold on while he checked upstairs. After some bumping around noises and 10 minutes later, he emerged with a boxed Valencia VC 304ASB 4/4. It had been put away for a customer months ago but they never paid or returned for it. I had to tune it to try it and checked it over. It sounded really nice despite the light guage discoloured strings. The action was perfect if a bit low (3mm low E, 2.5mm high E at 12th fret), but none of the strings buzzed anywhere on the uncoated Teak fretboard. The body was matt finish antique sunburst with a solid Sitka Spruce top and Teak bridge and bone saddle. He had a box of accessories that had been put away with it and were all Valencia brand too (foot rest, DVD, pitchpipes, string winder thing, clip on electric tuner, capo and a Dunlop set of 2 bottles of fretboard cleaner and wood oil). Oh, and it had the thin canvas Valencia carry bag too. After a few quick trial tunes I decided I wanted it. The price on the paper note was £175. I could sense that he wanted me to take the guitar and all the other stuff too, so I asked how much for just the guitar? He mumbled something and said this lot has to go with it or I'll never sell it before we close down. He pulled the note off the box and said "if you take it all with you right now and give me £100 in cash it's yours"! I just had £115 and some change when I left home, and I'd been for a coffee with a friend, so I was lucky that I still had enough when I paid. There wasn't time to get more money from the cash machine before closing time. I have to say that it was a real bargain! I'm not sure of the list price of this model, but it's a really good quality guitar. I replaced the strings with some Daddario medium guage ones which sound even better than my Yamaha guitar! So I can definitely recommend the Valencia VC304 as a good guitar.

Excellent video. Yamaha, Yamaha, Yamaha.

Cordobas have truss rod. I have the cheapest C1M-CE. Love it.

Started with an Alhambra C4, great value and great Spanish brand.

I have watched dozens of these information videos. This one is the BEST.

Excellent recommendations that’s exactly what I need thanks a lot

My wife bought me the Yamaha c40, nice little guitar, started playing, its not that bad for learning on

Amazing information here! I had a yamaha classical for years since taking one year of guitar class and stopped. Hoping to get back into it, but don't know where to start. Would be amazing if you do tutorial classes on classical pieces!!

I've just bought a C40 BL, still waiting for it to show up. I am happy that you confirm my choice of a first classical guitar.

The worth thing to make you give up is when bar chords (simple F) is near to impossible just because of a bad guitar... When you discover a well adjusted guitar and discover that this bar chord was not that so much hard to make... You are relieved... And the sun comes back in the sky of your mind...

My only classical guitar was a medium quality Ramon Angles guitar from Paracho, Mexico that I selected and purchased there in Paracho from his shop in 1968 when I was a teen. I remember I paid $60.00 from my allowance and my parents added another $20.00 so it came out the shop door for $80.00 U.S. currency. I had the instrument until 2009 and gave it to a relative. If one could purchase the same instrument now, it would run about $600.00.

I have three La Mancha guitars. One of them is EGTA recommended. I think they’re good value for money for beginners. They’re also a joy to play with.

I'm a luthier that sets up a lot of classical guitars. I'm rather surprised about your Valencia recommendation as the ones I've had have been rather average with not much tone. Yamahas are always desirable but here in the US we don't see too many Ferrer or Admira guitars. I've set up 3-4 Admira guitars and they seem quite decent at those price points. The big champion budget model here is the Cordoba C5, which I've sold tons of. I also have good success with Kremona guitars, which being made in Bulgaria are probably available there in the UK too. J. Navarro guitars are decent - as are the all solid wood model guitars now being made by Thomann, which are incredibly under $150 for all solid wood. The Godin brand, LA Patrie, also makes nice nylon models made with all Canadian wood. For really cheap laminates it's Cordobas, Yamahas, Takamines, and the odd Washburn. There are a few smaller brands like Lucida and Antonio Hermosa but I find them rather inconsistent and a bit risky. Great video.

I am an experienced guitarist with a few performance degrees who had just gotten back into playing again after a 40 year hiatus. At any rate, I believe your suggestions are excellent ones. I had recently purchased from an establishment that I had not heard of before (Musician's Friend) a Yamaha CG192 Spruce top that was out of box for the remarkable price of $365 due to a tiny scratch (which you can't even see unless you are searching for it) on the back. I am in no way affiliated with Musician's Friend. However, I am completely enamoured with the guitar they sold me now. Having said that... the guitar had a terrible set up upon arrival. The saddle was WAY too low and consequently, the instrument buzzed. (A new student might simply feel that there was something wrong with the guitar and not realize that the issue was completely due to the saddle.) First thing I did was change the low action strings, replacing them with higher action. This hardly helped at all. I knew that I must replace the saddle. Thankfully, I had an old unplayable guitar from which I could switch out saddles. Now, the guitar is the best one I've ever owned. It plays amazingly well, with a rich, loud but warm tone and I absolutely love it! Who would think that the cheapest guitar I've ever purchased would wind up being my favorite?

Thank you for this informative video. I am glad that the guitar brand I have on my radar (Admira) was mentioned.

For a beginner with the Valencia guitars I would really recommend the 3/4 size ... Easier to learn chords and transition... And the smaller size makes it more intimist when you hold it in your hands...

I’ve played electric and steel string acoustic guitars for many years but I recently decided to buy my first classical guitar to see if it would be something I’d enjoy and could branch out with. I didn’t want to spend much so I went with the Yamaha as I’m a big fan of their steel string acoustics and have a couple of them. I bought the C40ii after trying it out in store and I’m very pleased with it. I don’t think I’ll go the full classical route with it but it will help me develop my finger picking skills better and it inspires new styles of music for me. At the low price, it’s a fine quality instrument that is giving me exactly what I hoped for and expected from it.

The cheaper All Solid Modell from Thomann is also nice, i think. Got one, and i think it is a nice Instrument.

I started with the C40 and it was an amazing beginner guitar

Thank You for your recommendations. Really good quality video too.

Almansa/Alhambra basic models are excellent value for money.

Thanks for this vid. I play steel string acoustic, electric and bass guitars. I used to have a 3/4 classical guitar but gave it away when I was downsizing my collection. Have always regretted it and have been looking recently to purchase another one. Was going to buy a Yamaha CS40 but will now check the C70. Cheers bud!

Love this video! So informative and honest! Thank you.

I'm subscribed to your channel now. You have some high quality content! You deserve more views! 😊

Very good information!

Yamaha has standardised their manufacturing process for many years. The cheap and expensive guitars are made the same way. The difference is only in the material. Of course I'm not talking about their GC concert models, which are handmade by their luthiers.

I've been looking at the GS40 yamaha and also the vangoa 3/4 with pickups

Thanks for posting this, I have two acoustics, a half size, and a full size, which someone gave me, I need a more playable one, this was very helpful.

Nice. Which microphone is this ? Thank you.

Great information for the beginner here!

looking at this video, I think I'm too old to learn guitar at age 29 but I believe I can learn it.

I am gonna buy an Ibanez GA6CE .Is this one a good classic ?

i started at acoustic so my callusses and my fingers are armored up to use some classical guitars and thank you the advice

Good VDO, I'm 50 selft learning beginner almost 2 years for classical guitar. my first guitar is Yamaha C70, I think quite good. But next time I try to looking for other band. Martinez and Gotar hot in Thailand ad. Need some advise. Otherwise, your Videos useful for me. Thanks, VTE, Laos 🇱🇦

I think I'll get a yamaha c-70 and thank you.

Here in india we get. Yamaha c40 for about 70 pounds converted from rupees

Hello, for start, prefer Yamaha or Valencia?🙏

It seems contradictory but with any instrument not just guitars the best instrument for a beginner to start learning on is the best quality instrument they can afford. Learning on bad instruments just inhibits your learning. learning on good instruments helps the learning process

Does anyone have experience with the Thomann Classic Guitar S 4/4? It seems to be getting good reviews for beginners.

Will i regret ordering Valencia over Yamaha? 😒🙄

If it had to be an Aria, which one would it be please????

Hi Andrew, great video. Out of these, which one would you recommend the most. I have budget for each one of the list you mentioned so would rather buy something of good quality?

What's the song that starts at ~ 9:56? Thanks for the recommendations, great video!

Thank you about explanation

Good

Just discovered your channel so late to the party…. Thanks very much for such an informative and really great channel. Do you have any experience with Alvarez guitars? They seem to use LR Baggs Stage Pro EQ. Wondering if the guitars are good too… All the very best

Hey sir what do you think about Epiphone pro-1 classic an 2.0 ? Which is your choice Yamaha C30 or Epiphone pro-1 classic an 2.0 and why ?

song at 7:59????

What is best Nylon classical guitar for beginner 10 years old girl,

Can you please share the background music you used?? 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Hi, have you tested the fender FC-1? I'd like if that's as good as or better than the C40, thank you

Nello What do you think about Corts? AC100 and AC200?

thanks for the video sir and very good recommendations and what are your views on Manuel rodriguez guitars?

Hi, Can anyone tell me if the Admira Junita or Admira Paloma are good guitars

Hi, I would like to know if you were me, which one would you go for Yamaha c40 or Cordoba c1m? (P.S. I am student and beginner, would like to buy a guitar that I can enjoy learning and playing while with decent quality and at the same time reasonably inexpensive.)

I didn’t see a Cordoba I the list which’s also more available

I have purchased the yamaha C40, C70 and C80 they are great. I want to try the Valencia VC564 but can't seem to find a review on that one. My friend says that it is better than Yamaha C40. Do you think so???

What would you recommend after having Yamaha beginner models for 5 years? Thinking about Godin guitars, but want to make sure I am not losing in resonance full sound of classical guitar. I play classical, fingerstyle, flamenco, pop, rock, rap. I would like to start performing in the streets of my college too. Thank you so much in advance Andrew!

I disagree. A wide, flat classical guitar neck is harder to manage.

If you live in Europe the Thomann Classica S is also a solid option (pun intended). It is in fact fully solid construction, decent strings, good construction and only 190-200€!

Thanks for the video, Andrew. It's a joy to hear your recommendations. I'm more of a steel string player myself but I dip in and out of classical/flamenco playing from time to time. I've always found it far more daunting to find a good nylon guitar over its steel string sibling. I suppose because it's a more niche area - though perhaps you feel differently? Certainly, there are plenty of options to choose from in this list and I'm very tempted to buy the Yamaha C70 after hearing your glowing review! After some research, I came across the Thomann Classic 4/4 Guitar and wonder if you know about it? In any case, I've done a review which you can find here if you're interested: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a5aTl7hmma-wh58.html. You're right, there's a great guitar community on KZfaq and I hope it's a useful addition to new buyers and more seasoned players alike! Thanks again for the video 👍

Need a recommendation between Valencia VC 204 and Yamaha C40 ?

🙏🥰👍

What can you say about Almansa guitars??? Study 400, 403?

Hi sir is there spud difference between c40 and c70 ?

Question: " how can I amplify my classical guitar what's the best budget option"

What do you think about Cort ac100 is it better than Valencia or Yamaha

Hello, Pls, help me ! I have 59 yrs and started to play guitar again after the 30 yrs of pause! I have a guitar from China, Classico model CG303, bought it 10 yrs ago and it was very cheap. The price of € 50 tells you a lot. I noticed the damage on the body in front between the hole and string bridge. Can you recommanded me some cheap but good classical guitar for playing who has a good sound ? I'm playing only on metal strings. Thank you! Regards from Zagreb, Croatia, Europe. Btw, if you can find some cheap , limit is the € 150.

Corboba c5 vs Yamaha CG182s, which one do I choose?

Does the Yamaha also produce good quality guitars in tbe 1/2 and 3/4 sizes that you wod recommend ?

Hi is there a truss rod in Yamaha? If not how to adjust the action

How about cordoba cp 100, is it good enough for beginner

I tried few very cheap guitars and not very good experience. What you recommend from these little bit more expensive, but anyway for beginning trying to find as cheap as possible but good enough. Valencia or Yamaha better for flamenco? I am now in India so I have limited guitars in a list to buy, can you tell which would be better? When I will come back to Europe there will be more other options, but now in India need a guitar :) Yamaha few models: C40 (97$) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ba2Hot2Gq7rIqn0.html C40M (95$). Does M means Matt Finish? C40II, mark 2 I don't know what is the difference these are little bit price higher but I can afford. There are few Valencia, heard they are also good brand, less price, 200 Series Full size (62$) this one I don't know if neck is normal 4/4 size, need to check 3000 Series Full Size (75$) VC564 4/4 Series 560 (85$) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bLNpnctl3N7Sd6c.html

Is Yamaha C40 MK 2 largely different from regular C40?

Hey Andrew, as a beginner who wants to learn flamenco, what classical guitars do you recommend under 300€? I've seen a couple of reviews and a lot of them recommend Yamaha and Ortega guitars like (Yamaha C40II, Yamaha CGS104AII, Yamaha CG122MCH and Ortega RCE125SN ) I'm afraid of buying the wrong guitar that doesn't sound like I expect. Also I love the content you put, you really have some quality videos! Cheers

What are your thoughts on epiphone pro 1 classical guitar?

Stagg SCL60 TCE ?

how about martinez ??

Finally starts at 04:05

Is yamaha c70 better than c80 for you?

Jose Ferrer vs Yamaha csc40ii for a first guitar for a child. Her teacher suggested Jose Ferrer but I am more thinking about Yamaha csc40ii, what is your recommendation? Thanks very much

Rob Chapman...?

If you want time stamps, and want avoid the opening chat then please follow here: Introduction: 0:40 Why Nylon Guitar: 3:42 Valencia Guitar: 4:06 Jose Ferrer Guitars: 8:00 Admira Guitars: 10:00 Yamaha Guitars: 12:07 Outro: 15:08

Funny how none of these guitars are available

What if i'm not a beginner, but rather a tight ass 😂

@they have left handed guitars if that's really what you want to go for@. Scratches head trying hardnto think of one naturally right handed player who had any great impact on the world of music.

This sounds like a bad disguised ad.

decent video but get to the point man

I make it sound like I'm unbiased and neutral in tone and opinion, but.... Heres my link m8. Downvote

How a bout Alhambra 5p