Top 13 Best Classical Guitar Under $1000 [Buying Guide]

There will always be people who have a strong desire for high-end classical guitars. If you are one of them and looking for a perfect nylon-string classical guitar at a reasonable price, you have come to the right site.

We have reviewed 13 best classical guitar under 1000 dollars that will satisfy you in every way!
Passion is a prerequisite for choosing a high-class classical guitar.

This is an easy explanation for why we selected 13 different classical guitars that stand out from the crowd. Frankly, these versatile guitars come with all the delicate details that a professional guitarist would expect from a classical guitar.

Excessive craftsmanship, topnotch tonewood, high-quality pickup/preamplifier are enough to see these guitars performing better than others. Let us not waste your time!
Scroll below to discover more about our distinguished classical guitars' collection.    

List of Best Classical Guitar Under 1000

1. Cordoba C10 S European Spruce Top Review

Cordoba C10 S has acquired the first place in our classical guitar collections. This remarkably beautiful guitar gives you the best performance that goes beyond your expectations.

Anyone is bound to admire the rich tone and exquisite craftsmanship of Cordoba C10 S. Besides, this versatile guitar gives you excellent playability regardless of your experience.  

The Cordoba C10 is a result of handcrafted art. Featuring nylon-string that produces an impressive sound which calls anyone's attention.

Also, you are likely to impress with its tonewood selection. A solid European spruce top and rosewood back and sides are responsible for producing a lively, rich tone.

Further improved by a solid African mahogany neck to produce a brilliant sustain and detailed sound.

With extra touches like an ebony fingerboard, Indian rosewood bridge, handcrafted Mother-of-Pearl Esteso rosette, and gold floral tuners, this guitar gets its complete elegant look.

When it comes to beauty, gloss polyurethane finishing, and red purfling gives this guitar a stunning look.

2. Yamaha SLG200NW Silent Guitar Review

Yamaha newly unveiled Yamaha SLG200NW, which is part of Yamaha's silent series. This unique piece of a guitar has made its debut as a modern classical guitar in a completely unique design.

Yamaha's Built-in SRT powered system reproduces a sound that mimics the unmistakable sound of a high-end acoustic guitar. Also, the near-silent feature offers you a distinct practice opportunity.

Yamaha SLG200NW is designed following the choice of a classical guitarist who often travels. The detachable top section facilitates secure storage into the included gig bag.

It allows you to store the guitar in a small place. This top or back free design offers safe transportation.

The Wooden formulation used across the guitar includes rosewood frame, mahogany body and neck, and an ebony fingerboard.

Such a premium tonewood choice produces a warm, rich classical tone. Frankly, this guitar meets all the critical sound requirements required for studio recordings and live performances.

Other extra touches include a chromatic tuner, onboard EQ, aux input, and headphone output. Besides, the thin body and frame of Yamaha SLG200NW are about 3-7/16-inch, which ensures outstanding playability.

Check at Amazon

3. Cordoba C9 European Spruce Top Review

Cordoba C9 looks the same as Cordoba C10 S, but the former one is radically different. Cordoba C9 comes in a different dimension, tonewood choices, and price.

We can say this nylon-string acoustic guitar is offering the most admirable features that your money can buy.

When it comes to tonewood selections, Cordoba wins as they never compromised the quality. The back and sides are made of solid mahogany, which gives a robust tonal foundation for the top part.

Equipped with a solid European spruce top, this guitar gives you a rightly balanced of warm, bright sound.

Also, the mahogany neck transfers maximum string frequency to the top. Finally, its rosewood fingerboard and bridge complete the tonewood selections.

Its other luxury appointments include rosewood binding tuners, ebony buttons, and Mother-of-Pearl esteso rosette.

Furthermore, the glossy finishing enhances the wooden construction that catches everyone's eyes. This classical handcrafted guitar is an ampler musical instrument that meets all your demands.

Check at Amazon

4. Godin MultiAc Nylon Encore Natural Review

This Acoustic-Electric Guitar is a perfect choice for electric guitarists who are intending to explore the nylon-string guitars.

Its uniqueness is guaranteed by solid tonewood and EPM dual-source pickup system. It comes with a custom pickup system that gives you maximum control over the sound.

It allows you to take your Thinline guitar in a live performance.

 Without any doubt, we can say that its electronic system can turn a bad-sounding guitar into a topnotch guitar.

The tonewood of a guitar is mostly responsible for bringing significant characteristics to its sound.
Thus, Godin handcrafted their Multiac Encore from superior tonewoods.

The tonewood choices include a chambered silver leaf maple body, solid cedar top, mahogany neck, and rosewood fingerboard.

Its topnotch tonewood characteristics set this classical guitar apart from others in terms of epic tone.

 On top of that, Multiac Encore has a built-in customizable EPM dual-source pickup system.

This means that this guitar comes with two different types of pickups to intensify the sound quality. The dual-source pickup produces warmer sounds than a single design.

Check at Amazon

5. Journey Instruments FC522 First Classical Cedar Pau Ferro Natural Review

This one combines excellent tonality and easy portability; if you want something exceptional like this one, look no further! Journey Instruments FC522 is a genuinely unique piece that gives you a complete musical experience.

This guitar presents superb functionality, including the collapsible neck system, which takes a few seconds to detach and reattach.  

The FC522 comes in a Torres-sized body along with topnotch tonewood construction. It features a solid cedar top.

It is equipped with a solid pao ferro side and backs, producing a vibrant acoustic tone.

Furthermore, the solid mahogany neck is supplemented with carbon fiber reinforcement, offering superior playability and quick response.

This guitar has Torres bracing that intensifies the balance, volume, and resonance of a sound. Other lavish tonewood appointments include ebony bridge plus bone nut and saddle.  

The FC522 is designed to stay closer to your body, which makes it ultra-comfortable to play. Besides, the bout depth is more in-depth than a dreadnought guitar.

It makes the overall body design of FC522 convenient for added playability. With a passive transducer pickup system, FC522 can turn into your perfect performing partner.  

6. Yamaha GC12C Classical Natural Review

Yamaha GC12C promises its players a fantastic experience and robust sound quality.

This nylon-string classical guitar comes with all the exceptional features, including excellent touch response and a bright and articulate tone.

Yamaha hasn't compromised the construction quality a bit. Topnotch tonewood selection includes solid mahogany back and sides equipped with a solid cedar top.

Such a level of tonewood choices and excessive craftsmanship produce a rich, detailed, and vivid sound quality. And an ebony fretboard completes its elegant look.

It's acknowledged that all solid wood guitars increase in tonal richness as time passes. Thus, your Yamaha GC12C will sound better as the years go by.  

Besides, the matte neck finishing gives your guitar a stunning look. Moreover, it feels smoother in hands. Its ebony fretboard offers excellent playability along with a chic appearance.  

Check at Amazon

7. Yamaha NCX3 Acoustic/Electric Nylon String Guitar

Yamaha NCX3 has taken inspiration from both of the worlds- old-school feel and modern tone.

This finely crafted nylon-string acoustic-electric guitar features solid tonewoods, onboard Atmosfeel electronics, plugged-in sound, and stunning look.

Yamaha has handcrafted its NCX3 guitar from topnotch tonewoods. The reason behind choosing premium tonewoods is to bring the most out of the wood's natural resonance.

The top part is made of Sitka spruce enhanced with walnut back and sides. The solid mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard give the final finish of this excellent guitar.

The NCX3 comes in a modern design, yet it projects a classical feel. The traditional curved neck seems quite wide and flat in the hands.

Besides, the flat-radius ebony fingerboard offers plenty of space between each string. Other artistic traces include slotted headstock, traditional 2-1/16-inch nut width, and the carefully refined fan bracing.

NCX3 has Yamaha's Atmosfeel built-in pickup and preamp system, which adds a natural and 3-dimensional sound to your guitar. It also comes with an internal microphone that captures the inner resonance of your guitar.  

Check at Amazon

8. Yamaha CG-TA TransAcoustic Nylon String Natural Gloss Review

Yamaha CG-TA is smart for those who want to explore high-quality nylon-string acoustic-electric guitar without investing in an expensive instrument.

This unique piece of the guitar will give you unprecedented playing experience. We are very hopeful about that!

Yamaha's built-in onboard TransAcoustic produces reverb and chorus effects. Thus, you will experience a vibrant and lively acoustic tone. Also, your surrounding environment will not be unfavorable to sound quality.

With the added benefit of this piezo pickup, you will not need an external amplification. Plus, the controlling system is simple-to-use. The pickup system comes in a low profile design, hidden inside the guitar.
Yamaha hasn't stopped by adding a high-quality piezo pickup only. CG-TA is further improved by topnotch tonewood choices. It features a classical-size body with a solid Engelmann spruce top. This remarkable guitar is equipped with a nato neck, smooth rosewood fingerboard, and ovangkol back and sides.

Check at Amazon

9. Cordoba Fusion 14 Maple Natural Review 

No products found.

Cordoba Fusion 14 Maple is an attractive crossover guitar. Thus, this guitar has high popularity among the finger-style players.

It is also a wise pick for the guitarists who simply want to explore a new classical genre and a unique playing experience.

Besides, this nylon-string classical comes in classic Spanish shape. It presents a 14-frets neck and cutaway design that secure excellent playability.

Furthermore, the thin-profile mahogany neck comes with an exceptional nut width, which is why the guitar neck feels very spacious in hands.

Also, such a neck dimension gives your hands fast and easy access to the fingerboard.  

The top is crafted from solid European spruce and the back, sides are from layered flamed maple.

With an added fan-bracing, this versatile guitar produces plenty of acoustic and dynamic output.

The combined tonewood construction provides a low-end punch and precise high-end detail sound that warms the listeners'.

Its built-in Fishman Presys Blend electronic produces an amplified tone. Plus, the electronic features allow you to take the guitar for live shows.

No products found.

10. Cordoba GK Studio Limited Natural Review 

No products found.

Cordoba's GK series guitars have immense popularity among the classical players. GK Studio Limited is one of the most successful guitars of Cordoba's GK series.

Beyond that, this stage-ready flamenco guitar has a great look, fantastic tone, and great sound. Cordoba fans admire this versatile guitar as it offers rich sound with comfortable playability regardless of verities of music genres.

The ziricote back and sides of this guitar feature a greenish and grayish color, of course, that calls anyone's attention.

A layered spiderwebbing design in the grain wood adds a striking 3D effect that seems to fall off of the wooden body.

GK Studio Limited sounds like a pure rosewood guitar, and its tonality conquers everyone's hearts.

A solid European spruce top along with Spanish-style fan bracing makes the guitar's top vibrate more while keeping a balanced tone.

Moreover, this handcrafted guitar is coated with glossy finishing that intensifies its gorgeousness.

There is some more beautiful appointment such as rosewood buttons, maple binding gold/black tuners, and handcrafted inlaid rosette.  

No products found.

11. Journey Instruments OC520 Classical Guitar Natural Review

If you often travel as a musician and want to fork some extra cash, this one is a perfect travel guitar option.

Look no further! Journey Instruments OC520 is the best compact tool, perfect for travel and fly dates.

Its detachable neck makes it collapsible into a small size that eases your journey. Also, it stows easily into the included TSA backpack.

Apart from its travel-friendly design, Journey Instruments OC520 offers excellent playability and impressive sound.

To successfully compete with others, OC520 is handcrafted from topnotch tonewoods.

The tonewood is the pau ferro body, solid cedar top, and a solid mahogany neck reinforced with carbon fiber.

OC520 comes with a wedge-shaped body that produces a full-sized tone and big projection.

On top of that, the low-C profile mahogany neck equipped with pau ferro fingerboard offers great playability and quick response.

It is improved by a passive transducer pickup that delivers an accurate, amplified tone. The bone nut and bone saddle also give rise to tone enhancement.

Check at Amazon

12. Taylor Academy 12e-N Natural Review

Taylor is better known for its expertise in building guitars for decades. Taylor Academy 12e-N is a unique piece of nylon-string acoustic-electric guitar.

What makes this guitar so unique is its comfortable and effortless playability, which eliminates the barrier of your development as a guitarist.

There is no doubt that you will love our chosen Academy 12e-N even if you are a seasoned player.

On top of that, Taylor has introduced high-quality tonewoods to Academy 12e-N as they wanted to ensure a rich tonal quality.

It has a grand concert body equipped with a Lutz spruce top, mahogany neck, and layered Sapele back and sides.

Other luxury components are a genuine ebony fingerboard, beautiful rosette, Pearloid buttons, and slot-head tuner.  

Furthermore, its wooden construction body is coated with thin varnish finishing that enhances the tone quality.

The design also highlights a unique armrest, which is ideal for those who often experience fatigue during practice and gigs.

As a bonus, built-in Taylor ES-B electronic amplifies the tone quality that is bound to impress anyone listening to you!
 

Check at Amazon

13. Cordoba Fusion Orchestra CE CD Acoustic Electric Classical Guitar

The Orchestra CE has been winning hearts and minds with its acoustic sound for years. This handcrafted nylon string classical guitar lets you enjoy a rich tone at a fantastic price.

It also features traditional Spanish design and outstanding tonewood choice. Beginner and intermediate guitarists will find this guitar ideal to play on-stage or record.

Moreover, it comes with a Fishman Presys Blend preamp equipped with an under-saddle pickup that amplifies the sound and lets you take the stage alone.

Its internal microphone allows you to play percussion on the body of this guitar. A complex yet simple and effective way to enhance the sound quality.

Orchestra CE is crafted from premium tonewood, which is rear in this price range. Its solid Canadian cedar top, Indian rosewood back and sides and the ebony fingerboard completes the tonewood selection.

Another standout design is its slim neck profile. It has 12 frets for maximum resonance and vibration throughout the guitar’s top.

Other high-end appointment includes hand-inlaid wooden rosette, high gloss PU finish, and elegant mahogany binding. Besides, the cutaway design ensures excellent playability by giving you an easy access to the upper fretboard.

Buying Guide for Classical Guitar Under 1000

Choosing a perfect classical guitar under 1000 bucks may seem easy to you. However, it is a challenging process since not everyone knows which features are fit for them.

A guitar with the best brand, price, and look do not imply your guitar is perfect in every respect. You have to consider the tonewood, design, electronic components, finishing, and other relevant characteristics.

Above all, choosing the right guitar entirely depends on your purpose and needs. Having a clear idea about classical guitars will undoubtedly assist you in selecting the right guitar for you.

You may take the following factors into your consideration while shopping for a classical guitar.
Choose a guitar that pleases you with sound quality and playability.

Since you are going to spend a decent amount of cash, avoid a cheaply made guitar that's hard to play.

Also, a heavy guitar isn't going to add any benefit, either. Thus, go for a classical guitar that features standard size and weight.

If you often go on a trip as a musician, pick a guitar that features a detachable neck. The collapsible design makes the guitar travel-friendly and allows you to store it with ease.

Don't fall into the trap of a brand name. Famous brand, high price, and stunning look don't promise you the best guitar.

Famous guitar brands often charge extra hidden costs in the name of their brand value, while the quality isn't satisfactory.

We recommend you also consider the guitars from smaller brands. Thus, emphasis the tonewood, pickup, and design – rather than prioritizing the brand.  

Wood material comprises 90% of guitar construction. Thus, tonewood quality is the most important deciding factor while shopping a guitar.

 A great-sounding classical guitar mostly features European spruce, Sitka spruce, or Canadian cedar top and mahogany or maple neck.

Also, the back and sides are often made of Indian rosewood, walnut, or cypress. Also, the fingerboard and bridge are usually made of rosewood, ebony, or walnut.

Classical guitars are available as a small travel size to jumbo shaped to the dreadnought size. The body shape also plays a vital part in producing sound projection and tonal quality.

The form determines your comfortability during practice. That is to say, you need to consider your convenience while choosing a guitar.  

Pay attention to the other features like the inlaid rosette, neck profile, cutaway design, string quality, and nut width dimension.

Of course, excellent playability mostly depends on the neck profile. Likewise, the cutaway design offers easy access to the fretboard.

Give priority to your preference. A guitar that interests you also motivates you to play it by heart. Thus, pick a guitar that satisfies your preferences.
 
Choose a guitar that features the best finishing. It is an interesting fact that a guitar coated with thin varnish enhances sound quality.

Plus, the glossy finishing boosts the wooden construction.

If you want a guitar for live performances or experiencing amplified sound, you might need to spend some extra money on the preamplifier, volume control, or tuning device.

We recommend you to go for a guitar with high-quality electronic devices.  

Final Thoughts

The above mentioned 13 best classical guitars under 1000 dollars guide can be useful for those who intend to explore the classical nylon-string guitars.

The uniqueness of these guitars is guaranteed by stunning craftsmanship and innovation.

During a practice or performance, you will feel like you are getting your money's worth from these timeless guitars. Each of these instruments is precise, smooth, and effortless in every music genre you play.

While we were choosing these 13 classical picks among hundreds of guitars – we have considered today's musical world's demand.

These guitars are still pretty cheap when you compare their quality with price.

Hopefully, the above discussion will guide you to select the ideal classical guitar while wiping out all your confusions.