Solid wood guitars are more sensitive to humidity than laminate, which means that you have to worry more about your instrument if you go solid. A common half-measure is to go with solid top and laminate back and sides. You can tell if the top is solid by looking at the inside of the soundhole. If the grain continues through the hole, it's solid. If it looks like a stack of pancakes, it's laminate. Another indicator of lesser quality is a bolt-on neck.
Bolt-on necks are easier to do, so it is a general low-quality indicator. But, over time, the tension of the strings pulls the neck up, against the glue, and you have to reset the neck to get proper action, and that can get expensive for dove-tail neck joints. Taylor uses a bolt-on technology it's also glued - the bolt is mostly there to keep the pressure and position as the glue cures. My first acoustic was a bad dog of a guitar, and it had a zero fret. Zero frets are frets where the nut should be, and the strings always lie on it, which makes the process of cutting a nut less precise than it is on normal guitars.
But Maccaferri guitars, which are de regeuer for gypsy jazz, come with zero frets. Another indicator of lower quality is mass. A guitar is a speaker system driven by the movement of the strings, and the more mass, the less the vibration of the strings is turned into sound. In general, you want the braces, the top, the sides, the bridge, everything to be as light as possible but no lighter. Folks who want their dreadnoughts brought up to bluegrass fighting shape have their braces shaved and remove the "popsicle brace" a brace across the top of the guitar body between the soundhole and the neck , to cut down on the tone-damping mass.
But guitar makers started putting them in for a reason, and that reason is that the lighter and more delicate an instrument is, the more that casual and non-careful playing might damage it, or even the humidity mentioned earlier. So, that's four indicators of low quality I've hit that are used by fine guitar makers and show up in great or at least perfectly good guitars. So, what are some actual indicators?
It stays in tune. The harmonics at the 5th, 7th and 12th fret are strong and loud. If the action is adjustable to be right and there are no dead spots on the neck. And if it sounds good. The advice I'd offer is pretty simple. A quality instrument will feel great in your hands and sound great unplugged.
The first matter takes some getting used to as a new player. Guitars have many small variations that affect how they feel, so as a new player it's best to grab a lot of guitars and find ones that feel good--then figure out why.
Here's some tips:. Necks come in all different dimensions. The nut-width, bridge-width, profile shape and depth, and scale length all have some variations. Don't worry about the specifics until you find a guitar that feels good--then try to learn all the details so you know what to compare against. Also consider fret size, fretboard material, and neck finish. They're smaller matters, but some people really prefer the feel of either standard or jumbo frets. Maple can feel harder under your fingers than rosewood or other non-sealed woods.
The finish on the back of the neck can make the neck feel "sticky" or "smooth and fast". Once you find guitars that feel good to you then it's time to play them unplugged both acoustic and electric. Pay attention to their sustain--how long they continue to play a note once you've plucked the string. Quality guitars will ring out longer than cheaper ones. Play all strings, up and down the neck.
Try to tell if all the notes play well and sound good. Some guitars have "dead frets" meaning their neck has some defects usually fixable , and some guitars resonate very well at some frequencies notes and poorly at others. Paying for a setup on a guitar by a reputable technician is almost always a good idea. Better yet, buy from a shop that will do a setup on anything they sell.
As you shop for a guitar, consider the scale length. Shorter scale lengths require less string tension to achieve standard pitch, allowing the notes to bend more easily. Many Gibson guitars use about a Your choice may be influenced by the trade space of musical styles bluesy bends versus acoustic volume with higher tension. I have electrics in each scale length. My single acoustic is a long scale, and I sometimes wish that it had a short scale for better bending.
What you should be looking for is a guitar that you will enjoy playing for a long time because it sounds good, feels good and will continue to do so as it ages. If you don't like the way a guitar sounds, you won't enjoy playing it. If you don't like the way it feels, you won't play it no matter how good it sounds. What sounds and feels good to you personally may be very different than what sounds and feels good to me. Factors to consider within your budget are tone woods, body shape and size, and overall quality of the workmanship and components.
To a large extent, more money gets you better quality but for most of us, money is a limiting factor in terms of our selections. A solid top guitar will almost always sound better than a laminate top guitar. The back and sides will influence the sound to a lesser extent. The top is also known as the "soundboard" and it is what actually produces the sound on an acoustic guitar. The strings only serve to vibrate the "soundboard" or top.
The string vibrations are transferred to the top through the saddle and bridge. A solid top will vibrate more than a laminate top which consist of multiple layers of wood glued together. Different woods for the top will produce different sounds. Spruce is one of the most common woods for acoustic guitar tops. Maple will produce a brighter sound than spruce all else being equal and mahogany will producer a deeper or darker or boomier depending on how you want to describe it sound than spruce.
And Cedar produces what most describe as a very warm but less articulate tone. Play guitars with different tonewoods to see what sounds good to you. To me, body shape is an important factor in determining playing comfort.
While a dreadnought shape will produce a fuller, deeper sound in general, I find the boxier shape of the dread less comfortable to hold while playing - whether sitting or standing.
I personally find the concert body style with a narrower waist much more comfortable to hold. Body thickness will also play a part in playing comfort. A person of smaller stature may find it more difficult to reach around a thicker bodied guitar although the body thickness will influence the volume of the guitar when played acoustically. Another factor in playing comfort will be the neck profile.
Different guitars will have different widths and thicknesses of necks. There are C shaped necks most common D shaped necks chunkier V shaped necks and variations of the above. If you're playing alone, sitting down, the big size can be nice. But if you're part of a band and like to move, you might want something slimmer.
Select a guitar that fits your style. Different types of acoustic guitars are best for different genres. While the descriptions below are generalizations, they will be helpful when picking out a guitar for beginners: Traditional Acoustic: This is the classic guitar, with a big body and an open sound hole.
It is used a lot in folk, rock, country, and pop music, but can be heard in almost anything. Traditional with Pickup: If you see a panel with buttons and a quarter-inch input jack, this means you can plug the guitar into an amp without sacrificing the rich acoustic tone. If you plan on playing with a band, they are highly recommended. Very versatile. Electric-Acoustic: These hybrid guitars are used in jazz and world music, and can only be adequately tested through an amplifier.
Generally more specialized. Know the difference between laminate and solid-topped guitars. The most important thing for your guitar's sound is the piece of wood on the top. There are a lot of woods used for different guitars, depending on the sound you want, but the most important thing to note is whether or not it is laminate or solid-topped. If you don't know, or it doesn't say, ask a store clerk.
It produces a clearer, richer sound than laminate, but is more expensive. Laminate: Is pieces of thin wood pressed together, usually plywood. It has lower volume and tone quality but is still a good option for a cheaper first guitar. Check the construction up and down the guitar to ensure a well-built guitar. If you've played the guitar, love the sound, and feel like it fits your style and comfort, then it's likely a good guitar. There is one final set of checks, however, that make sure it is well built and ready to buy: Tuning pegs are easy to turn.
There is no excess glue, chips, or marks of other shoddy construction. All pieces feel securely fastened, no wiggle or movement. There is an adjustable truss rod. Ask the store clerks if you cannot find it.
The neck not the fretboard on top of the neck is roughly even with the top of the guitar. String height is low, especially at the first fret. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Carlos Alonzo Rivera, MA. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. I want to buy a guitar online.
So you can hit it lightly and you get a good response and absolutely dig in and it shouts back at you. To me, it comes down to density and texture. When you strike the string, the sound will explode into being with a big attack then decay out from there. I love the look of it, particularly on walnut. The Taylor GS Mini was launched in and bridged the gap between travel guitars and fully-fledged workhorse acoustics wonderfully.
Its smaller size makes it ideal for leaving around the house, ready to pick up and play while you're waiting for the microwave to ping.
But, with the included ES2 pickup, it can also make the leap to performance, making it ideal no matter what situation you find yourself in. Luckily Epiphone has been busy meticulously recreating the iconic sloped shoulder dreadnought - and at a far more affordable price!
Featuring an all solid-wood construction, quarter-sawn spruce bracing and tapered dovetail neck joint, Epiphone really has gone out its way to nail every detail and pay tribute to the famous acoustic. Every element has been carefully considered, even down to the finish. Gone is the thick plastic-feeling lacquer, in favour of a soft and supple aged finish that is a delight to play. So you've been playing a while and you're ready to spread your wings.
Your playing proficiency has developed and you've nailed those techniques that caused you so much anguish at the start. Where to now? We'd say you deserve a new acoustic guitar that reflects your hard-earned progress. The Taylor e might just be that guitar. Sitting in the bracket in between first guitars and professional heavyweights, the e is a fine example of everything just done better.
The sitka wood produces a gloriously welcoming sound, and the onboard Taylor Expression System 2 electronics make it ideal for live performance. And, being a Taylor, you can expect a certain degree of quality all round. We're big fans of a good parlor guitar here at Guitar World. With a slightly smaller body than a regular dreadnought size, they are perfect for folk who like And other genres, too.
But where they excel is in the hands of someone who knows how to use their hands. Make sense? The Takamine P3NY is a great example, and gets our nod as the best acoustic guitar for fingerpickers. Combining cedar and sapele tone woods with some pretty advanced electronics, you get a guitar that is comfortable in the hands of any players.
It pays not to stand on ceremony when you are designing a guitar. Let fresh thinking follow its own logic. Look at the body shape for a start, that squashed offset cutaway tears up the rulebook.
The system allows for on-the-fly neck pitch and intonation tweaks. The top is Sitka spruce, the back and sides mahogany with a thin koa veneer for some visual pizazz. Martin saves the last of the fireworks for the playability, with an action so low that might catch those used to wrestling chords out of their acoustic unawares. This is a daring guitar, playable with a stunning voice that sits so well in a mix. Read the full Martin SCE review.
When you think about a touring guitar, you think of something that sounds great, but is also built to withstand the rigors of life on the road. It's a fine balance, and one that requires a guitar which can live up to the demands. The Gibson G is certainly one such animal. It displays superbly robust construction, which gives you the confidence you need to transport it from venue to venue, night after night.
The included hardshell case is a welcome addition, too. But, being a Gibson acoustic, it also delivers a top quality sound with superb resonance. The Fishman Sonitone electronics also ensure you'll sound great no matter the size of the venue. Something of a curate's egg here. When you're looking for versatility in an acoustic, that usually means little more than it is at home being picked or strummed.
With the Fender Acoustasonic, you get much more than that. Marrying up the projection and woody sounds of an acoustic, with the unique form and function of a Telecaster, this guitar is sure to turn heads.
But, hidden behind the unique visual stylings is a guitar which gives you plenty of room to experiment.
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