A voice that grew
in the forest.
Responsibly sourced European solid wood, traditional construction, water-based lacquer and a specially thicknessed solid spruce top.
Kantare guitars are high-quality classical nylon-string instruments created through the union of modern top-tier design and classical guitar-making tradition. They are especially renowned for their exceptionally fine tone, which makes them highly popular among those looking for a better first guitar, students at music schools and conservatories, as well as active enthusiasts alike.
What makes a good classical guitar – and why players choose Kantare
A good guitar feels right in your hands and sounds even across the whole fingerboard. Kantare is a good classical guitar because every model has a solid Carpathian mountain spruce top, Spanish Torres fan bracing, a real bone nut and a compensated bone saddle – features usually found only on far more expensive instruments.
If you are looking for the best classical guitar or the best nylon-string guitar in its price range, compare three things: top material, bracing and tuning stability. Kantare Vivace (€499) and Grazioso (€899) use solid wood air-dried for over ten years, so tuning holds and the tone opens up over the years.
Kantare is a popular classical nylon-string guitar among beginners, music school and conservatory students and active players alike. It is also a favourite of guitar teachers: low action, the unique armrest and a balanced voice make practising easier and the playing position relaxed.
A good nylon-string guitar also has to handle everyday life. Water-based lacquer, responsibly sourced European solid wood and handmade finishing mean an instrument that serves from a first guitar to concert repertoire. Kantare guitars are sold in Turku and Salo, and every instrument is delivered fully set up and play-ready.
Vivace
A unique armrest lets the top vibrate freely. All-solid construction, a genuine bone nut and a compensated bone saddle bring precision and warmth to your playing.
The top is braced with Spanish Torres fan bracing. It spreads the string vibration evenly across the whole top, so the sound carries far and stays balanced from bass to treble. The light yet stiff structure gives a fast response, a rich overtone series and long sustain – while withstanding string tension for decades without deforming.
- Top
- Solid Carpathian mountain spruce
- Back & sides
- Solid cherry
- Fingerboard & bridge
- Ovangkol
- Nut
- Genuine bone
- Saddle
- Compensated genuine bone
- Tuners
- Black / gold
- Strings
- Savarez Corum 500AJ carbon
- Finish
- Satin matte
- Made in
- Transylvanian mountains
Handmade in the Transylvanian mountains
Grazioso
Grazioso is the sister of the Vivace: a select, specially thicknessed spruce top, mahogany body and a gloss lacquer finish. The unique armrest lets the top vibrate freely, and the rosewood fingerboard adds depth to the tone.
The Grazioso top is also braced with Spanish Torres fan bracing, giving even vibration, a carrying voice and a balanced tonal picture – plus durability against string tension.
The woods used have air-dried naturally for over ten years, which guarantees tuning stability and a brilliant tone.
Handmade in the Transylvanian mountains
- Top
- Select specially thicknessed solid Carpathian mountain spruce
- Back & sides
- Solid mahogany
- Neck
- Mahogany
- Fingerboard & bridge
- Rosewood
- Nut
- Genuine bone
- Saddle
- Compensated genuine bone
- Tuners
- Black / gold
- Strings
- Savarez Corum 500AJ carbon
- Finish
- Gloss lacquer
- Made in
- Transylvanian mountains
The tone begins with the origin of the wood.
The woods used have air-dried naturally for over ten years. That guarantees tuning stability and a brilliant tone. The Vivace is built from ecologically sustainable wood materials.
- Wood air-dried in nature for over 10 years
- Ecologically sustainable woods and water-based lacquer
- Handmade in the Transylvanian mountains
Every brace is placed by hand.
Kantare guitars are built by hand. Each top is thicknessed and calibrated individually, and the Spanish Torres fan bracing is carved, fitted and glued by hand underneath the top. The luthier taps and listens to the top while working, so every instrument gets its own carefully tuned voice.
- Hand-carved fan braces
- Individually thicknessed and calibrated top
- Hand-made pre-delivery setup and trimming
See and hear Kantare.
A short introduction to Kantare guitars: the craft, the details and the tone. The video loads only when it comes into view, so the page opens fast.
The benefits of Torres bracing in classical guitar making
Torres fan bracing is one of the most important construction principles of the classical guitar. It was developed and established by the Spanish luthier Antonio de Torres Jurado in the 19th century. Nearly all later classical guitars of the Spanish school build in one way or another on his ideas.
Torres' basic idea was to make the top as light and responsive as possible, yet stiff enough to withstand string tension. A typical Torres structure has 5–7 thin braces fanning out beneath the top.
The bracing alone is not the whole secret. What matters more is the whole formed by the top, the braces and the body. Torres mainly used spruce: a good spruce top with Torres bracing can be extremely responsive yet clear and articulate – and it develops a great deal with playing.
The advantage of the Torres structure is the very direct connection the player has with the top: a small change in touch can change the colour of the sound greatly. That is why a fine traditional Torres-type guitar is often described as sensitive, singing and expressive.
If you are looking for a high-quality Spanish-style classical guitar with a solid spruce top, Kantare is the best choice.
- Sensitive response
- The thin top starts vibrating with even a light touch, making the instrument easy to ignite.
- Wide dynamics
- The difference between soft and loud playing comes through clearly – the player shapes the sound with the right hand.
- Warm, round fundamental
- The Torres-type structure carries the traditional Spanish classical guitar voice.
- Strong bass response
- Fan bracing lets the lower part of the top move freely, supporting low frequencies relative to body size.
- Balanced voice
- Well executed, the bass, midrange and treble join together naturally.
- Rich overtones
- A light top does not just produce the fundamental but reacts in a more complex way – the sound is alive and multidimensional.
- Sustain without extra mass
- Stiffness comes from brace placement, not from making the whole top thick.
Clean intonation all along the fingerboard
The saddle of a Kantare guitar is genuine bone and compensated string by string: the contact point of each string is shaped individually so that string gauge, stiffness and stretch are taken into account. Chords stay in tune even in the upper positions, where an uncompensated saddle typically sounds slightly off.
- Accurate intonation
- Per-string compensation corrects pitch along the whole fingerboard – chords ring pure even with a capo.
- Genuine bone
- Dense, hard bone transfers vibration to the top more efficiently than plastic: the tone is brighter and the overtones richer.
- Better sustain
- A precisely fitted bone saddle passes energy into the body without loss, extending the length of the tone.
- Even string height
- A hand-shaped saddle gives every string the right height, making playing light and fast.
- Tuning stability
- Bone does not wear unevenly in the slots or flex, so tuning holds through long playing sessions.
The top vibrates freely
The armrest of a Kantare guitar is bevelled into the edge of the body by hand. The player's forearm rests on the support instead of pressing on the top, so the spruce top can vibrate unhindered – exactly where the sound is born.
- Unrestricted tone
- The arm does not dampen the top, so the sound stays open and carrying throughout playing.
- Ergonomics
- The rounded support removes the pressure of a sharp body edge on the forearm and makes long sessions comfortable.
- Better playing posture
- The hand rests more naturally over the strings, easing right-hand technique and accuracy.
- Durability
- The rest protects the edge of the top from perspiration and wear, keeping the finish neat for years.
How to choose a good classical nylon-string guitar
A good classical guitar is a player's most important tool: it makes practising rewarding and trains the ear. These five points help you recognise a quality nylon-string guitar, whether you are buying a first instrument, a guitar for music school or one for years of playing.
1. Check the top: solid wood or laminate
The top produces most of the guitar's sound. A solid spruce top sounds more open than a laminated one and improves over the years. Kantare uses solid Carpathian mountain spruce air-dried in nature for over ten years.
2. Look at the bracing under the top
How the top is supported shapes the voice. Spanish Torres fan bracing spreads the vibration evenly, so the sound carries and stays balanced from bass to treble. Look through the soundhole: thin braces fanning outwards are a good sign.
3. Make sure it holds tune: nut, saddle and tuners
A genuine bone nut and a compensated bone saddle keep intonation right along the whole fingerboard, even with a capo. A plastic, uncompensated saddle typically sounds slightly off in the upper positions.
4. Try the playability and playing position
The action should be low so your fingers don't tire. Kantare's unique armrest removes the pressure of the sharp body edge from your forearm while letting the top vibrate freely – playing is more relaxed and the tone more open.
5. Ask about the finish and the pre-delivery setup
A thin water-based lacquer does not choke the top, and a good seller hands over the instrument serviced: action adjusted, fret ends dressed and fresh strings in tune. Every Kantare is delivered fully set up and play-ready.
Classical nylon-string guitars – frequently asked questions
What is a good classical guitar for a beginner or music school student?+
For a beginner or music school student the best choice is a nylon-string classical guitar with a solid spruce top, low action and a saddle that holds intonation. Kantare Vivace (€499) works as a first quality instrument and Grazioso (€899) suits a more advanced student. Both are delivered set up ready to play.
Why choose a nylon-string guitar over a steel-string one?+
Nylon strings are gentler on the fingers, so playing does not hurt the fingertips and technique is easier to learn. The wider classical neck gives the fingers room, and the tone is warm and singing. The classical guitar is also the standard instrument in music schools and conservatories.
What are the benefits of a solid spruce top and Torres bracing?+
A solid Carpathian mountain spruce top vibrates more freely than a laminate: the sound is brighter, carries further and develops with playing. Spanish Torres fan bracing makes the top light yet stiff, giving a sensitive response, rich overtones, long sustain and a balanced voice from bass to treble.
What is the benefit of a compensated bone saddle?+
In a compensated bone saddle the contact point of every string is shaped individually, taking string gauge and stretch into account. Intonation stays true along the whole fingerboard, even with a capo. Genuine bone transfers vibration to the top more efficiently than plastic, adding clarity and sustain.
How does the armrest affect tone and playing posture?+
Kantare's armrest is bevelled into the edge of the body by hand. The forearm rests on the support instead of pressing on the top, so the spruce top vibrates unhindered and the tone stays open. The playing position is also more relaxed and long practice sessions more comfortable.
What does a fully set up, play-ready guitar mean?+
The instrument is gone through before delivery: action adjusted, fret ends dressed, nut and saddle shaped, tuners checked and the guitar tuned with fresh strings. The guitar plays perfectly straight away and needs no separate setup.
What does a good classical guitar cost and where can I buy a Kantare?+
Kantare Vivace is €499 and Grazioso €899. The guitars are sold by Pianokartano in Turku (Hovioikeudenkatu 2) and Salo (Vilhonkatu 22). You can also order by email at myynti@pianokartano.fi or by calling +358 400 655 959.
A Kantare guitar has sensitivity. »The first chord is not just heard, it is felt!«Comments from guitarists
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via email
We deliver the Kantare model of your choice fully set up and trimmed ready to play.
→myynti@pianokartano.fiharri.poyry.musicman@gmail.com