Stagg SCL60-BLK Classical Guitar: Full Review

Overview of the Stagg SCL60 Classical Guitar

The Stagg SCL60 is an entry-level nylon-string classical guitar made by Stagg, a Belgian manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories. Stagg has been producing guitars and other gear since 1995 and their products are known for being affordable yet quality options for beginners and students.

The SCL60 is part of Stagg's Student Classical line, which aims to provide good-sounding, easy-playing classical guitars at lower prices. This makes them ideal choices for new classical guitarists who want a decent instrument to learn on without breaking the bank. The SCL60 delivers a rich classical guitar sound and feel in an accessible package.

The SCL60 features a traditional fan-braced nylon-string body, nato neck and rosewood fretboard, and six nylon strings. It produces a warm, bright acoustic tone thanks to its spruce top and mahogany back and sides. While inexpensive, the SCL60 still looks elegant with its black gloss finish and silver tuning machines. Overall, it's a great value classical guitar for any player on a budget.

Construction

The Stagg SCL60-BLK is constructed with a Linden wood body, neck and fingerboard. Linden wood is known for being lightweight yet strong and responsive. The neck features a C-profile that is comfortable to hold and provides good access to the higher frets.

The bridge and fretboard are made from rosewood, which is a dense, durable wood that helps produce full, rich tones. The fretboard has 18 frets and dotted inlays for easy navigation.

The hardware includes sealed chrome die-cast tuning machines, which keep the guitar in tune well. The nut and saddle are both made from synthetic bone material, which mimics the tone and sustain of natural bone.

The body binding and rosette provide an elegant look and feel. Overall, the materials and hardware used in the Stagg SCL60-BLK are decent quality for a beginner classical guitar in this price range. The combination of woods helps project volume while maintaining clear tones.

If you're looking for another quality beginner classical guitar, check out the Best Choice Products SKY4287. This model also features a Linden wood body and rosewood fretboard. The Linden wood provides a balanced and resonant sound. The rosewood fretboard helps produce richer tones and smoother playability.

The SKY4287 has 18 frets like the Stagg SCL60-BLK. It comes equipped with geared tuning machines and nylon strings for bright, crisp classical guitar tones. This guitar has a slightly wider neck than the Stagg, which some beginners may find more comfortable for fretting and chord changes.

The body shape and construction of the Best Choice Products SKY4287 is well-suited for new players learning classical guitar. It produces clean, bright tones from the nylon strings. The wider neck also accommodates both fingerstyle and pick playing. While it doesn't come with a gig bag like the Stagg, it's a comparable beginner model classical guitar worth checking out.

When shopping for a new classical guitar, pay attention to the wood used for the top, back and sides. Solid wood models will offer better sound quality than laminate versions. The fretboard wood also impacts tone - rosewood is a popular choice. Look for geared tuning pegs for easier tuning stability. The width and shape of the neck must feel comfortable to you. Consider if you want to play with your fingers or a pick, as some models cater to one or the other.

Both the Stagg SCL60-BLK and Best Choice Products SKY4287 represent quality beginner classical guitar options. Their use of Linden wood and rosewood fretboards produce balanced acoustic resonance and warmer, richer tones. The playability from their neck shapes and fretboards make learning classical guitar enjoyable. Evaluate your personal preferences for materials, neck width, body style and accessories to decide which model best fits your needs as a new classical guitar player.

Sound

The sound of the Stagg SCL60-BLK classical guitar is defined by its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides. This tonewood combination produces a balanced tone with nice projection and responsiveness.

The solid spruce top provides brightness and clarity in the treble registers along with good note separation. Spruce is a common choice on classical guitars as it allows each individual note to be heard clearly.

The mahogany back and sides add warmth and fullness to the midrange frequencies. Mahogany gives a rounded, balanced tone that complements the crispness of the spruce top. This creates an evenly balanced sound across the frequency spectrum.

Overall, the spruce and mahogany tonewoods allow the SCL60-BLK to have good projection suitable for playing solo classical guitar. The notes have enough cut and clarity to be heard, while still having a warm, full tone. The guitar projects sound outwards well when playing unamplified.

The fan bracing inside further enhances sound projection and volume. This bracing pattern allows the top to vibrate freely, producing clear and open tones. It optimizes the guitar's acoustic resonance.

In summary, the spruce top and mahogany back and sides generate a balanced classical guitar tone with enough projection for practicing and performing. The sound offers clarity and responsiveness in the treble, warmth and fullness in the midrange, and good note separation.

If you're looking for another quality classical guitar option, check out the Donner DST152-W. This model features a solid cedar top with mahogany back and sides. The combination produces a warm, rich tone with clear treble notes. Cedar is slightly mellower sounding than spruce, providing a darker tone. The Donner DST152-W projects sound boldly while maintaining note definition. Its hand-carved headstock has an elegant design. This is an excellent classical guitar for beginners and intermediate players. It comes at an affordable price, delivering premium sound and playability. The Donner DST152-W is comparable to the Stagg SCL60-BLK, offering another great classical guitar choice.

With its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, the Stagg SCL60-BLK classical guitar delivers a balanced tone suitable for solo playing. It has enough projection and clarity for practicing and performing classical pieces. The spruce and mahogany combination provides an evenly balanced sound across the frequency range. Meanwhile, the Donner DST152-W classical guitar offers a warm, rich tone with its solid cedar top and mahogany back and sides. It projects sound boldly while maintaining note definition. Both the Stagg SCL60-BLK and Donner DST152-W are great classical guitar options worth considering.

Playability

The playability of the Stagg SCL60-BLK classical guitar is one of its standout features, making it an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate players.

Neck Width

The neck has a comfortable width of 2 1/8 inches at the nut. This standard classical guitar neck width provides enough room for the left hand to fret notes and chords cleanly, without feeling too wide or cramped. The smooth neck profile is shaped for comfort.

String Action

Out of the box, the string action on the Stagg is set up nicely low and buzz-free. The action at the 12th fret measures about 2.5mm, which is ideal for playability without hindering tone. The action is low enough to make barré chords comfortable, while still allowing the strings to ring clearly.

Fretwork

The fretwork on the SCL60-BLK is very good for its price range. The frets are smoothly finished with no sharp edges. The ends of the frets are nicely rounded for comfort. The fretboard itself is made of rosewood and is flat and even. Overall the fretwork makes the guitar feel comfortable and enjoyable to play.

Hardware

The Stagg SCL60-BLK has quality hardware that enhances its playability. The tuning machines are chrome sealed-gear tuners that keep the guitar in tune nicely. The nut and saddle are both made from quality synthetic bone material.

The tuners are smooth and accurate, providing stable tuning and making re-stringing an easy process. The nut helps transfer vibrations properly from the strings to the neck and body. The saddle sits in an ideal position and features a compensated design to provide accurate intonation across all six strings.

Overall, the hardware components like the tuning machines, nut and saddle are well-made on this model. They allow the strings to be tuned precisely and help transfer vibrations for excellent tone and sustain. This high-quality hardware enhances the playability, reliability and sound of the Stagg classical guitar.

Electronics

The Stagg SCL60-BLK features versatile electronics that provide a range of tones for playing different styles of music.

Pickups

The SCL60-BLK comes equipped with Stagg humbucking pickups. Humbuckers have two coils that cancel out background interference and hum. This allows for higher output and a thicker, richer tone compared to single coil pickups. The dual-coil design provides warmth and bass response that is well-suited to blues, jazz, and rock.

Controls

This classical guitar has two volume knobs and two tone knobs, one for each pickup. This allows you to blend the output of the pickups and shape the EQ for just the right tone. Having individual pickup controls gives you great tonal flexibility.

Output Jack

The output jack on the SCL60-BLK is located on the side of the lower bout. It uses a standard 1/4" jack for connecting to amplifiers, effects pedals, or mixing boards. The output jack is mounted securely and produces a clean signal with no crackling.

Comfort and Ergonomics

The Stagg SCL60-BLK classical guitar features a traditional concert shape body with a matte finish. This provides a nice rounded edge for the player's right forearm to rest on.

At around 4 lbs, the SCL60-BLK is relatively lightweight for a classical guitar. This makes it comfortable for extended playing sessions without causing fatigue or strain on the shoulders.

The attention to weight also contributes to the overall balance of the instrument. It feels evenly distributed and not neck or body heavy. This allows the guitar to sit comfortably against the body without any part feeling like it wants to dip down.

The smooth satin finish on the back of the neck allows for a nice sliding motion of the left hand during playing. It does not feel sticky or cause drag against the skin.

Overall, the shape, weight distribution, and neck finish come together to create an ergonomic and comfortable classical guitar suitable for practice and performance. The SCL60-BLK feels natural to hold and play for long periods of time.

Tone

The Stagg SCL60-BLK classical guitar produces a bright, warm tone with good sustain. The solid cedar top contributes to the instrument's bright sound with crisp trebles. Cedar is a lightweight wood that vibrates freely, lending itself well to classical guitars designed for a responsive and resonant tone.

The mahogany back and sides also add warmth to the SCL60-BLK's sound. Mahogany has a balanced tonal response, emphasizing the low mid-range. This creates a pleasing rounded tone, filling out the guitar's sound. The wood's density also helps provide a good level of sustain.

The combination of cedar and mahogany woods gives the Stagg a rich complexity and nuance to its tone. The bright highs and warm lows complement each other. When playing, notes ring out with clarity and pleasing reverberation. Both fingerpicking and strumming styles can be enhanced by the SCL60-BLK's acoustic properties.

Its construction and materials make this an affordable classical guitar that can compete with more expensive models when it comes to tone. The guitar offers good value by capturing the classic nylon-string sound at a budget-friendly price point. Beginners and experienced players alike can appreciate the quality of sound the SCL60-BLK produces.

Versatility

The Stagg SCL60-BLK offers solid versatility for a classical guitar under $100. Its nylon strings and wider neck allow comfortable playability across various classical guitar techniques. Many users report it handles basic to intermediate classical pieces quite well.

The mellow, rounded tone suits the timbre needed for most classical genres. It can capably play lyrical melodies and arpeggios found in much classical repertoire. The bass notes have decent resonance for playing walking basslines too.

The SCL60-BLK isn't as well suited for ensemble playing or advanced classical techniques that require maximum projection and volume. But for practice, lessons, solo playing, and smaller gigs it provides very good versatility within its price range. Overall an excellent choice for developing classical technique fundamentals on a budget.

Pros and Cons

The Stagg SCL60-BLK classical guitar offers a solid value in a beginner's instrument, but also has some limitations.

Pros

• Quality construction and playability at an entry-level price point
• Solid cedar top provides good projection and tone
• Mahogany back and sides offer balanced sound
• Easy to play narrow neck for beginners
• Smooth satin finish on neck for comfort

Cons

• Hardware and electronics are just adequate
• Limited tonal complexity compared to premium classical guitars
• May not be the best choice for more advanced players

Overall, the SCL60-BLK is an excellent beginner classical guitar for the money. While it lacks some refinement in tone and hardware, it excels at being an affordable, quality student instrument. The smooth playability and rich projection make this a great choice for new classical guitarists. More advanced players may wish to invest in a higher tier instrument down the road.