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Cedar tops respond faster than spruce and open up sooner, which is why cedar dominates the classical/nylon-string world and shows up as a warmer-toned alternative on a handful of steel-string models. These ten real, currently-sold cedar-top guitars span budget classical guitars up to steel-string dreadnoughts, all confirmed to actually use a solid cedar top rather than the far more common spruce.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cordoba C5 | $430-$460 | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | Cordoba C7-CD | $549-$650 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Yamaha CG182C | $510-$610 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | Seagull S6 Cedar Original | $720-$750 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Seagull S6 Cedar Original Slim | $500-$530 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | Breedlove Discovery S Concert CE | $480-$500 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | La Patrie Etude | $599-$650 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Kremona Fiesta FC | $1,199-$1,300 | Amazon |
| 9 | Admira Granada | $299-$440 | Amazon · eBay |
| 10 | Yamaha CG171C | $450-$670 | Amazon |
The picks, in detail
Cordoba C5
Cordoba’s best-selling entry classical guitar, with a solid Canadian cedar top and mahogany back and sides — the standard recommendation for players moving up from a beginner nylon-string.
- Solid Canadian cedar top
- Mahogany back and sides
- Traditional Spanish fan bracing
- Excellent value for a solid-top classical guitar
- Warm, immediately playable tone typical of cedar
- No electronics — acoustic only
- Entry-level tuners and fretwork compared to Cordoba’s pricier lines
Cordoba C7-CD
A step up from the C5 in Cordoba’s Iberia series, pairing the same solid cedar top with rosewood back and sides for a brighter, more articulate classical tone.
- Solid Canadian red cedar top
- Rosewood back and sides
- Upgraded rosette and appointments over the C5
- Rosewood back/sides add clarity over the C5’s mahogany
- Nicer cosmetic appointments for the price step-up
- No built-in electronics
- Price premium over the C5 for a moderate tonal upgrade
Yamaha CG182C
Yamaha’s solid cedar top classical guitar with a rosewood body and ebony fingerboard — a well-regarded step-up classical guitar from one of the most consistent large-scale builders.
- Solid Western red cedar top
- Rosewood back and sides
- Ebony fingerboard
- Yamaha’s manufacturing consistency and quality control
- Recommended widely for fingerstyle playing
- No cutaway or electronics on the base CG182C
- Pricier than the Cordoba C5 for a similar spec tier
Seagull S6 Cedar Original
A Canadian-built steel-string dreadnought with a solid pressure-tested cedar top and wild cherry back/sides — one of the more accessible steel-string guitars actually using cedar instead of the near-universal spruce.
- Solid pressure-tested cedar top
- Wild cherry back and sides
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Cedar top gives a warmer, more immediately responsive tone than typical spruce dreadnoughts
- Strong build quality for the price
- Cedar is generally less durable than spruce for hard strumming/flatpicking over years of use
- No electronics on the base Original model
Seagull S6 Cedar Original Slim
The same solid cedar top and Canadian build as the standard S6 Original, in a slimmer-body, narrower-nut version aimed at players coming from electric guitar necks.
- Solid pressure-tested cedar top
- Slim body depth, narrower nut width
- Wild cherry back and sides
- Easier transition for electric players
- Same tonal character as the standard S6 at a slightly lower price
- Slimmer body trades some low-end volume/resonance versus the full-depth S6
- Still no built-in electronics
Breedlove Discovery S Concert CE
An affordable acoustic-electric concert-body guitar pairing a solid Western red cedar top with layered African mahogany back and sides, with onboard electronics for stage or recording use.
- Solid Western red cedar top
- Layered African mahogany back/sides
- Built-in pickup/preamp (CE electronics)
- Only guitar in this list with electronics built in
- Concert body size is comfortable for fingerstyle and smaller players
- Layered (not solid) back and sides, unlike the Seagull’s solid wild cherry
- Smaller body means less low-end than a dreadnought
La Patrie Etude
A Canadian-built (Godin family) classical guitar with a solid cedar top and wild cherry back and sides — a long-running, well-regarded step-up option between the Cordoba C5 and pricier European classicals.
- Solid cedar top
- Wild cherry back and sides
- Made in La Patrie, Quebec
- Strong reputation for build quality and tone at its price point
- Same wild-cherry pairing as the steel-string Seagull S6 Cedar, giving a consistent tonal family if comparing both
- No electronics on the base Etude
- Pricier than the Cordoba C5/C7 for a broadly similar spec tier
Kremona Fiesta FC
A handmade Bulgarian classical guitar pairing a solid Western red cedar top with solid Indian rosewood back and sides — a genuine step into professional-tier classical guitar building.
- Solid Western red cedar top
- Solid Indian rosewood back and sides
- Handmade, includes deluxe hardshell case
- All-solid-wood construction throughout, not just the top
- Includes a hardshell case in the price, unlike most guitars in this list
- Most expensive guitar in this list
- Niche brand — less parts/setup support at a typical US guitar shop than Yamaha or Cordoba
Admira Granada
A Spanish-made budget classical guitar with a genuine solid cedar top — the cheapest true solid-cedar option in this list, undercutting even the Cordoba C5.
- Solid cedar top
- Traditional Spanish classical guitar construction
- Full-size student/intermediate classical
- Lowest price of any solid-cedar guitar here
- Real solid top, not laminate, despite the entry-level price
- Basic hardware and fit/finish versus the pricier options
- Less brand recognition in the US than Cordoba or Yamaha
Yamaha CG171C
Yamaha’s other current solid-cedar classical model alongside the CG182C, sitting a tier below it — confirmed solid cedar top, unlike Yamaha’s spruce-topped CG172SF flamenco model that shares a similar name.
- Solid cedar top
- Full-size classical body
- Yamaha’s standard classical bracing
- Yamaha build consistency at a lower price than the CG182C
- Good entry point for players wanting Yamaha specifically
- Laminate (not solid) back and sides, unlike the CG182C’s rosewood
- No cutaway or electronics
Buying tips
- Cedar dominates the classical/nylon-string world (Cordoba, Yamaha here) far more than steel-string flattops, where spruce is the near-universal default — if you specifically want a steel-string cedar top, the Seagull S6 Cedar and Breedlove Discovery are the two real, mainstream options.
- Cedar tops respond faster and sound more “broken in” from day one than spruce, but spruce generally has more headroom for hard flatpicking and ages further over decades — pick based on playing style, not just price.
- Watch for near-miss naming: several popular models that sound like they could be cedar (Taylor 214ce-N, Martin 000-15M, Alvarez RD26CE, Takamine GC5CE and GC1CE) are actually spruce or mahogany-topped — always confirm the top wood on the spec sheet, not just the model family.
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