Acoustic guitar Buying Guide :

Table of Contents: Purpose and Budget Construction Common Acoustic guitar Woods Body Style Characteristics The 12-String Acoustic guitar Acoustics-Electric Guitars Playability Com!ort and Tone

Purpose and Budget

"irst and !oremost you should consider #hat your plans are !or your ne# acoustic guitar$ Then you should decide ho# much you can a!!ord to spend on one$ Are you an e%perienced player loo&ing to mo'e up to a higher-(uality instrument) Perhaps

you are a beginner #ho #ants an ine%pensi'e instrument to learn on$ *ost li&ely the more you in'est in an acoustic guitar the higher the (uality o! the instrument #ill be$ This doesn+t mean that all ine%pensi'e acoustic guitars are lo# (uality$ Than&s to modern manu!acturing techni(ues you no# ha'e a #ide selection o! highly playable lo#-cost acoustic guitars to choose !rom$ By &no#ing the most important elements that contribute to a playable nice-sounding acoustic guitar you can ma%imi,e #hat you get !or your budget$

Construction
Be!ore you purchase an acoustic guitar it+s important to ha'e some &no#ledge o! the instrument+s parts and #hat goes into building one$

Body The body consists o! a bac& sides and top$ The types o! construction and #oods that go into the body ha'e a ma-or impact on the #ay the instrument sounds$ .i!!erent body styles and si,es also impact a guitar+s sound$ The body o!

an acoustic guitar can also be loo&ed at #ith regard to its upper and lo#er bouts and the #aist$ Bridge The bridge on an acoustic guitar anchors the strings to the body and trans!ers 'ibration and energy !rom the strings to the guitar+s top$ Bridge pins &eep the strings anchored to the bridge on most acoustic guitars$ An integral part o! the bridge is the saddle$ *ost o!ten made o! bone or plastic the saddle spaces the strings at the bridge and helps trans!er the strings+ 'ibrations to the top$

The Epiphone DR- !! acoustics features a la"inate spruce top#

Top Perhaps the single most important element in the #ay an acoustic guitar #ill sound is its top$ As the strings are strummed the 'ibrations are trans!erred through the bridge to the top$ As the top 'ibrates so does the air #ithin the body ampli!ying the sound o! the strings$ Acoustic guitar tops are either solid or laminated sometimes #ith /!lamed/ or /(uilted/ !iguring in the #ood$

The $artin D- % Custo" &pruce and Rose'ood acoustics features a solid &it(a spruce top#

A solid top typically has t#o single-ply pieces o! #ood$ *ost o!ten a single chun& o! #ood #ill be butter!ly-cut 0split do#n the middle1 and the t#o pieces matched up do#n the middle o! the guitar 0length#ise1$ A laminate top is created #ith se'eral thin plies o! #ood that are pressed together$ 2aminate tops tend to be less a!!ected by changes in temperature and humidity and generally an acoustic guitar

#ith a laminate top #ill be more a!!ordable than one #ith a solid top$ A solid top might cost you a bit more but #ill o!!er greater resonance and pro-ection$ When selecting an acoustic guitar at *usician+s "riend solid-top guitars #ill al#ays be described as such$ 3! a description reads !or e%ample /maple top / you can assume it+s a laminate top$ )ec( The nec& o! the guitar is attached to the body at the nec& -oint$ *ost acoustic guitars use a set nec& meaning it is glued to the body$ "e# acoustic guitars use a bolt-on nec&$ The nec& is an important part o! an acoustic guitar+s !eel and playability$ 4ec& components include the !retboard 0or !ingerboard1 headstoc& tuners and an internal truss rod$ The metal truss rod runs the length o! the nec& and is ad-usted to eliminate the bo# caused by string tension or en'ironmental !actors$ The truss rod is typically ad-usted #ith an Allen #rench either at the headstoc& or -ust inside the body at the base o! the nec&$ Chec& out this tech tip !or more on truss rod ad-ustment$ *retboard or fingerboard The !retboard is a long thin piece o! #ood that is glued to the nec&$ Thin pieces o! metal called !rets are embedded in the #ood$ This di'ides the !retboard into hal!-step increments o! the 12-tone scale so #hen the strings are held do#n at certain !rets di!!erent notes are sounded$ The most common #oods used !or acoustic guitar !retboards are rose#ood and ebony$ Sometimes the !retboard #ill not be an o'erlay but !ashioned !rom the same piece o! #ood as the nec&$ Tuning (eys +a(a tuners, "achine heads- 2ocated on the headstoc& the tuners ad-ust the tension o! each string thereby changing its pitch$

Co""on Acoustic guitar .oods

When shopping !or an acoustic guitar you+ll !ind that there are a number o! di!!erent #oods as #ell as di!!erent species o! the same #ood that are used in the 'arious parts o! the instrument$ 3t+s bene!icial to understand the tonal (ualities o! these #oods and #here they are o!ten used in acoustic guitar construction$

The Cordoba /! &olid Top )ylon &tring acoustics features a cedar top#

Cedar Cedar is a so!t #ood that emphasi,es the spar&le o! the upper registers and tends to !a'or a lighter playing techni(ue$ "or this reason it is used mostly !or classical or !ingerstyle acoustic guitars !or the top as #ell as the bac& and sides$ Ebony 5no#n particularly !or its use in pianos ebony is an e%cellent #ood !or acoustic guitar !retboards$ Ebony is 'ery strong and has a slic& !eel to it #hich is #hy it is the pre!erred !retboard material !or many players$ 0oa 5oa is a 6a#aiian #ood #ith a distinct golden color$ Tonally it resembles mahogany #ith a !ocus on the middle range o! the spectrum$ 5oa is typically !ound on more e%pensi'e acoustic guitars due to its scarcity and is used !or tops as #ell as bac&s and sides$

$ahogany 3n acoustic guitars mahogany is most o!ten used !or bac&s and sides$ 7ccasionally mahogany is used as a top #ood as #ell$ When used !or the bac& and sides o! an acoustic guitar mahogany adds snap and a general boost to the middle range o! the spectrum #hile reducing the boominess sometimes !ound in dreadnoughts$ As a top mahogany tends to emphasi,e the high end$ *ahogany is also used !re(uently !or acoustic guitar nec&s and bridges$

The .ashburn D !CE1 1uilted acoustic features a stunning 2uilted "aple top#

$aple *aple tends to generate a dry tone that emphasi,es the upper end o! the tonal spectrum$ 3n acoustic guitars maple is o!ten used !or the bac& and sides allo#ing the top to generate its natural tone #ithout added coloration !rom the rest o! the body$ 34ang(ol 7'ang&ol is an A!rican #ood that is increasing in popularity among acoustic guitar ma&ers$ 8sed primarily !or the bac& and sides o! an acoustic guitar o'ang&ol+s tone resembles the #armth o! rose#ood #ith the spar&ling midrange o! mahogany or &oa$ Rose'ood 9ose#ood is typically used !or the bac& and sides o! an acoustic guitar as #ell as the !retboard and bridge$ .ue to the diminishing supply--and subse(uent higher cost--o! Bra,ilian rose#ood 3ndian rose#ood has mostly replaced it in the mar&et$ Though they ha'e a slightly di!!erent appearance tonally they are 'irtually identical$ When used !or the bac& and sides o! the guitar rose#ood pro'ides #arm lo# end enhanced mids and added resonance$

&apele : Sapele is another A!rican #ood that is being used more o!ten in acoustic guitar-ma&ing$ Also &no#n as A!rican mahogany sapele is o!ten used !or the bac& and sides o! an acoustic guitar$ 2i&e mahogany it adds to the midrange and o'erall pro-ection o! the top #ood$ &pruce : Spruce is the most common #ood used !or acoustic guitar tops$ While there are a number o! species o! spruce 0Engelmann Sit&a and German !or e%ample1 usually only more e%pensi'e acoustic guitars #ill denote the type used$ Spruce is a light#eight yet strong #ood that is easy to #or& #ith !or luthiers$ Tonally spruce is resonant and pro'ides good sustain and clarity$ .alnut : Walnut is !re(uently used as an alternati'e to mahogany in acoustic guitar bodies$ 3ts tonal properties are comparable to mahogany #ith a !ocus on the midrange and it enhances pro-ection o! the top #ood+s tone$

Body &tyle Characteristics

E5a"ples of three co""on body styles +left to right-### Dreadnought: the $artin D/67 Jumbo: the Gretsch Rancher7 Grand Concert: the Taylor 8!th Anni4ersary 9i"ited Edition#

Attempting to apply strict de!initions to acoustic guitar body styles can be di!!icult since many styles are manu!acturer-speci!ic$ The most important thing to remember is that you should !ind a style that is both com!ortable !or you to play and produces the tone you desire$ A good rule o! thumb to !ollo# is the larger the soundboard the more lo#-end tone and 'olume the guitar #ill generate$ The traditional dreadnought body style pro'ides a large soundboard #hile narro#-#aisted styles such as grand concert and -umbo combine a large soundboard #ith increased playing com!ort$ *ost manu!acturers ma&e acoustic guitars to accommodate smaller players as #ell as tra'el or bac&pac&er guitars that are more con'enient to transport$

This Babic: ;dentity &eries Acute Auditoriu" illustrates the upper bout cuta'ay#

Another important body !eature is the cuta#ay$ An acoustic guitar #ith a cuta#ay in the upper bout allo#s the player to easily reach abo'e the 12th !ret o! the instrument$ 3! you plan to do a lot o! lead playing on your acoustics or are used to playing an electric guitar you may pre!er an acoustics #ith a cuta#ay$ 7ne guitar brand 7'ation has had ama,ing success #ith a completely di!!erent ta&e on the acoustic guitar$ A!ter years o! research 7'ation released the Balladeer in 1;<;$ 6ailed by some as re'olutionary and critici,ed by guitar purists the Balladeer bro&e #ith traditional acoustic guitar-ma&ing$

This 34ation Celebrity Delu5e Acoustics-Electric +detail- illustrates 34ation<s inno4ati4e bo'l-shaped bac(#

The !irst radical change #as rather than using a !lat bac& !or the guitar 7'ation de'eloped a rounded bo#l-shaped bac&$ 3n addition rather than constructing the bac& !rom #ood 7'ation de'eloped a special type o! !iberglass called 2yrachord$ 2yrachord is strong has good re!lecti'e properties and resists changes in temperature and humidity$ .espite their di!!erences !rom traditional acoustic guitars 7'ations are still 'ery popular today more than => years a!ter the Balladeer debuted$

The /-&tring Acoustic guitar

/-string e5a"ple=the Pea4ey Briar'ood DR-

/ +detail-#

A 12-string acoustic guitar o!!ers its o#n uni(ue sound$ Though 12 strings may seem intimidating in reality a 12-string guitar is played e%actly li&e a <-string$ 7n a 12-string each open string 0E A . G B E1 has a second string right ne%t to it$ 7n the !our top strings 0E A . G1 the second strings are tuned to the same note but one octa'e higher #hile on the bottom t#o strings 0B E1 the second strings are identical in pitch$ This creates not only a doubling e!!ect o! e'ery note and chord you play but an increase in the higher tones than&s to the one-octa'e-higher bottom strings$

Acoustics-Electric Guitars
Players #ho anticipate playing li'e #ith their acoustic guitars and #ant the !reedom to mo'e about #hile they play may #ant to consider an acoustic-electric guitar$ Acoustics-electrics use a pic&up system that allo#s you to simply plug into an ampli!ier or mi%ing board rather than ha'ing to stand stationary behind a microphone$

Acoustics-electric e5a"ple=the ;bane: AE9/!E Acoustics-Electric 'ith onboard tuner +detail-#

Traditionally acoustic guitars #ere ampli!ied by placing a microphone near the soundhole or by a standard magnetic pic&up that spanned the soundhole$ While the !ormer method #or&ed #ell enough it limited the per!ormer+s range o! mo'ement$ The latter method created problems #ith !eedbac& and didn+t al#ays con'ey an accurate reproduction o! an acoustics+s natural sound$ 3n the 1;<?s 7'ation Guitars at the behest o! Glen Campbell created an acoustic guitar pic&up system that sol'ed both problems--the pie,o pic&up$ A pie,o pic&up is a crystalline structure that senses changes in compression and emits an electrical signal accordingly$ When placed under the saddle the pie,o detects the 'ibrations !rom the strings$ Since the electrical signal the pie,o creates is not 'ery strong a preamp is necessary$ Today most acoustics-electric guitars employ a setup -ust li&e that !irst 7'ation$ The preamp is typically located on the side o! the guitar that !aces up #hen playing and o!ten includes 'olume and tone controls$ Some preamps e'en o!!er built-in tuners$ 7ther ampli!ication methods are used as #ell such as magnetic soundhole pic&ups condenser microphones and ribbon transducers$ While these are gaining in popularity pie,os are still the most common ampli!ication systems used in acoustic-electric guitars$

Playability, co"fort, and tone

The !inal things to consider be!ore purchasing an acoustic guitar are personal decisions$ Be sure that the guitar you select is one you+re com!ortable #ith #hether you+re sitting or standing #hile playing$ "ind a guitar that responds best to the #ay you play$ And most o! all buy an acoustic guitar that sounds best to your ears$ Whether it+s a @= ??? Gibson or a @=?? 9ogue you+re going to get a lot more en-oyment !rom an acoustic guitar that produces the sound you #ant$

Glossary
Abalone : The hard internal lining o! the giant sea snail+s shell$ 8sed !or decorati'e and ornamental purposes on acoustic guitars such as !retboard and headstoc& inlays$ Action : The distance bet#een the !rets and the strings o! an acoustic guitar$ Attac( : The initial sound a note ma&es #hen struc& bet#een silence and #hen the note reaches ma%imum 'olume$ Binding : Strips o! #ood plastic or other material used both to strengthen and enhance the loo& o! an acoustic guitar+s body nec& andAor headstoc&$ Bolt-on nec( : A guitar nec& that is attached to the body #ith bolts$ Boo("atching : The process o! matching t#o pieces o! #ood !or an acoustic guitar+s bac& or top$ 4ormally a single piece o! #ood is butter!ly-cut do#n the middle and the t#o pieces are -oined do#n the center o! the instrument$

Bout : The cur'ed areas abo'e and belo# the narro# #aist o! an acoustic guitar$ The cur'es abo'e the #aist are called the upper bout and those belo# are called the lo#er bout$ Bracing : The internal #ooden support structure inside an acoustic guitar that gi'es the instrument integrity$ Well-designed top bracing ma%imi,es the ability o! the top to 'ibrate$ Bridge : 7n most acoustic guitars the bridge is a piece o! #ood placed belo# the soundhole$ 3t is used to anchor the strings and trans!er their 'ibrations to the soundboard$ Bridge pins : "it into the holes on the bridge #here the strings go in to anchor them in place$ *ost o!ten made o! plasticB some are made o! ebony$ Capo : A de'ice used to raise the o'erall pitch o! an acoustic guitar$ A capo attaches to the nec& at a chosen !ret and barres all o! the strings$ 3t allo#s guitarists to play songs in di!!erent &eys #ithout changing chord structures$ Cuta'ay : A guitar body style #ith a contoured upper bout that allo#s the player to reach the upper !rets o! the guitar more easily$ Decay : The le'el o! 'olume loss !rom a note+s ma%imum 'olume to silence$ Do4etail : A type o! interloc&ing -oint used in guitar-ma&ing most o!ten to attach the nec& to the body$ Dreadnought : A large-body acoustic guitar originally designed by the *artin guitar company in the early 2?th century named a!ter the large dreadnought battleships o! the day$

*iguring : The pattern o! a piece o! #ood+s natural grain$ *ingerboard +a(a *retboard- : The playing sur!ace o! a guitar nec&$ Typically a thin piece o! #ood that is glued onto the nec& #ith thin metal strips called !rets placed at inter'als that di'ide the nec& into hal!-step increments$ *inish : The !inal coating applied to acoustic guitar #oods$ "lame and (uilt are t#o e%amples o! !iguring$ *la"e : A characteristic o! a #ood+s appearance that appears to shimmer and mo'e as light stri&es it !rom di!!erent angles$ See !iguring$ *rets : Thin metal strips placed at inter'als on the !retboard to di'ide it into hal!step increments$ *ret "ar(ers : "retboard inlays on an acoustic guitar that ser'e as a 'isual re!erence o! the player+s position$ Gig bag : A light#eight so!t padded case used as a more con'enient temporary #ay to transport an acoustic guitar than a hardshell case$ >eadstoc( : The uppermost portion o! a guitar nec& #here the tuning &eys are placed$ >eel : The lo#est point o! the nec& #here it #idens to attach to the body$ ;nlay : .esigns on the !retboard headstoc& or body o! an acoustic guitar$ Typically the inlay design is car'ed into the #ood then !illed #ith one o! many materials such as mother-o!-pearl metal abalone or plastic$ "or purely aesthetic purposes$

;ntonation : The relationship o! tones on di!!erent parts o! the !retboard$ The note o! each string on the 12th !ret should match the note o! the 12th !ret harmonic on the same string$ 3! not the guitar+s intonation should be ad-usted$ 9a"inated : As opposed to a solid piece o! #ood used in acoustic guitar-ma&ing a laminated sur!ace is created by gluing se'eral thin plies o! #ood together$ 9uthier : A #ood#or&er #ho speciali,es in ma&ing stringed instruments$ $arbling : 7!ten used to describe the natural patterns and color 'ariations o! ebony$ $other-of-pearl : The inside lining o! certain mollus&s+ shells$ Typically used !or inlays and other decorati'e enhancements$ $oustache bridge : A bridge #hose shape is reminiscent o! a handlebar moustache$ )ec( ?oint : The point #here an acoustic guitar+s nec& -oins the body$ )ut : 2ocated at the top o! the !retboard the nut ser'es to e'enly space the strings as they approach the tuners and trans!er 'ibrations to the nec& o! the guitar$ Pearloid : A synthetic alternati'e to mother-o!-pearl$ Pic( +a(a plectru"- : A thin piece o! 0typically1 plastic used to stri&e the strings o! an acoustic guitar$ Pic(guard : A thin plate located belo# the soundhole that protects the guitar+s top !rom scratches that may occur as a result o! pic&ing or strumming the strings$

Pic(up : An electronic de'ice that senses the 'ibrations o! the strings and con'erts it to an electrical signal !or ampli!ication$ Pie:o pic(up : A crystalline structure that senses changes in compression and con'erts them to an electrical signal$ 7!ten placed under an acoustic guitar+s saddle the pie,o senses the changes in compression #hen the strings 'ibrate$ The most common pic&up used in acoustics-electric guitars$ 1uilted : A 'isual characteristic o! certain tone #oods that gi'e it a #a'y or !olded appearance$ Rosette : A decorati'e inlay around the soundhole o! an acoustic guitar$ &addle +a(a bridge nut- : 2i&e the nut the saddle spaces the strings at the bridge and along #ith the bridge trans!ers the 'ibration o! the strings to the top$ &cale : The total length o! the 'ibrating portion o! a string$ &et nec( : An acoustic guitar nec& that is glued to the body$ &oundboard +a(a top- : The piece o! #ood on the !ront o! an acoustic guitar that is largely responsible !or an acoustic guitar+s tone and pro-ection$ &oundhole : The hole in an acoustic guitar+s top that aids in pro-ecting the instrument+s sound$ Truss rod : A thin internal rod that runs the length o! the nec&$ 8sed to ad-ust the cur'e o! the nec& depending on the tension o! the strings being used$ .aist : The narro#est portion o! an acoustic guitar+s body$