Best Classical Guitars for £2,500 or Less

We’ve chosen our favourite classical guitars for £2,500 or less. As a classical guitar dealer, we get to play and review a lot of guitars. What makes us successful is our ability to accurately and honestly review a wide range of classical guitars so we can choose only the very best instruments for our shop. In other words, we’ve done all the hard work for you and rounded up the finest classical guitars money can buy for a budget of £2,500 or less.

A budget of £2,500 is right on the edge of concert guitar territory. A good concert guitar will usually set you back in the region of £3,500-£4000. A great one, well the sky is the limit. If your budget only extends to around £2,500 you might be thinking a concert guitar is out of reach…

Well, we have good news for you. We’ve got a few concert guitars that slot beautifully under budget. You can enjoy concert quality instruments without having to stump up the typical cost, with some exclusively available only at Classical Guitar Academy.

Take a look at what we believe are the best guitars in this price range.

Steve Toon is one of the most well respected guitar makers in the UK. His standard concert and doubletop models are among the finest we’ve had the pleasure of playing. You’ll often find one of these high end models in our inventory, as we love everything about Steve’s guitars.

But did you know that recently Steve Toon launched a brand new guitar model aimed specifically at players who aspire to own a concert guitar but are unable or unwilling to pay typical concert prices. This includes customers such as music college students who need an instrument capable of meeting the demands of their course and seeing them well into their professional careers, through to amateur musicians who enjoy their guitar playing but don’t feel they can justify spending over £4,000 on one of his standard concert guitars.

Steve Toon’s Inizio model is a fully fledged concert guitar on a budget. In terms on tonal quality, projection and playability (i.e. the most important criteria), it’s practically  impossible to pick this apart from his higher end models. This really is the real deal.

Coming in at £2,400, it’s an absolute no brainer for anyone serious about upgrading to a fine classical guitar under £2,500.

Due to it’s uncompromising qualities and Steve’s impeccable workmanship, this guitar takes top spot in our list of the best classical guitars for £2,500 or less.

Classical Guitar Academy is proud to reintroduce Antonio Picado guitars into the UK for the first time in many years.

These guitars have a superb reputation, and it’s only when you finally get your hands on one that you realise exactly why.

The Antonio Picado model 60 is available as both standard and DT (doblo tapa). We particularly love the Model 60 DT. To find a top quality doblo tapa guitar as good as this for under £2,500 is utterly ludicrous. Doblo tapa design is the process of adding a second ‘back’ to the inside of the guitar. This acts to increase the thickness, pouring more energy into the soundboard.

Choose the spruce version and you get a gorgeously sweet tone with highly defined notes in all registers. The cedar version is quintessentially bold and full, with excellent richness of tone. Both guitars have an immense clarity that makes voice balancing for complex pieces an absolute doddle.

Two very exciting guitars that were so delighted to offer to our customers. We feel honoured that Ángel Genis (owner of Antonio Picado) has agreed to supply Classical Guitar Academy as the exclusive UK stockist of Antonio Picado guitars.

The Conservatory model is an originally designed instrument by Wolfgang Jellinghaus, launched in 2016 and continually refined to this day.

This guitar features a lattice top, giving plenty of power and fullness to the tone of every note across the fretboard. Decades of knowledge and experience have been utilised to great effect, creating an instrument that is beautifully set up and easy to play, whilst producing the most incredible tone. It is balanced, colourful and dynamic; traits which make for a very exciting instrument that is suitable for all players regardless of playing standard.

We like the EF version, as it has the benefit of an elevated fingerboard, making access to the higher registers much easier.

The Conservatory model is finished to a high standard and includes an incredible French polish and custom fit hard case.