Acoustic Guitars

Since I was a kid I always imagined myself as a rock star and have always loved the sound of acoustic guitars. When I was ten years old my mother bought me the first of what would be the many acoustic guitars that I would own and that was one of the kid’s acoustic guitars and I would play it all day and sing.

Now I sing and play acoustic guitars professionally and have a huge collection of acoustic guitars and accessories – not just for work but for pleasure as well. I remember when I was first buying acoustic guitars and how confusing I found it to be. There are so many things that affect the sound so I have put this small guide together to help people that are just starting out:

What to look for when buying Acoustic Guitars

1. Body Style – Acoustic guitars are available in a variety of shapes and sizes and this will affect the tonal quality of your chosen instrument as well as the acoustic guitars sound projection. Some of the different shapes are:
2. Compact, Baby, Backpacker or Travel – these are smaller shaped acoustic guitars specifically for travel or for the smaller size person to be able to use more comfortably.
3. Concert/Grand Concert Acoustic Guitars – These type of guitars vary in size and tend to have a great tonal response in the bass, mid, and treble ranges. Some will be 12-fret instead of the usual 14-fret.
4. Auditorium or Grand Auditorium acoustic guitars - This type of guitar will often have a slimmer waist than other guitars and a smaller body. This will make it easier to play than other types of acoustic guitars and the sound tends to emphasize the mid and treble ranges.
5. Folk, Classic – the term folk/classic refers to many different styles of acoustic guitars and will tend to function across the full spectrum of sound and tonal ranges.
6. Dreadnought acoustic guitars – Dreadnought is the most popular body type sold. It is a large bodied guitar, which has a loud volume lower and mid-ranges as well as fantastic sustain, and variable volume and is very popular with country and western performers.
   1. Electronics – It is possible to purchase acoustic guitars that have pickups and preamps already installed. These types of acoustic guitars are very handy for larger or noisy venues and help you to be able to project the sound of your guitar onto the room.
   2. Necks – They key to making sure that the neck of the acoustic guitars that you are thinking of buying are suitable for you is actually the size of your hand as well as the number of frets that are available that are clear of the body of the guitar.
   3. Intonation - When you are considering the intonation of acoustic guitars it refers to the guitars ability to play the notes in tune when you move your fingers along the neck and is determined by the distance between the frets. If the distance is incorrect then it will be impossible to tune the instrument and not worth buying.
   4. Tonewood – The sound and tone of acoustic guitars is determined by the type of wood that the guitars are constructed from as different types of wood produce varying tones however it is commonly believed that it is the wood of the top section of acoustic guitars that is the most important to define the actual tonal quality of the guitar.
   5. Tuning Machines – the tuning head that is attached to acoustics guitars is also very important when it comes to tuning your guitar – it will define the pitch and fine tune your guitar and enclosed are generally preferable because they are less susceptible to corrosives and rust and are easier to maintain than open heads.
   6. Bridge and Fingerboard – the materials that the bridge and fingerboard are constructed from for acoustic guitars also contribute to the overall sound of a guitar however this is considered minimal compared to the effect that the body of the guitar will have.
   7. Strings – there are two different basic types of acoustic guitars other than the factors mentioned above and that is nylon vs steel strings and many think that this is about your personals preference in sound as to which type of strings you prefer to play. It is also important to know, prior to purchasing acoustic guitars, what type of string configuration will suit you. Whether it is  4, 6, 7, 8, 10 or 12 strings you need to ask yourself which one is best suited to you – if you are a novice some advice from a teacher or experienced friend would come in handy here.
   8. Guitar case – if you are going to spend your time and hard earned cash on buying acoustic guitars I would recommend that you also buy a good case to store it in when not in use and to protect it when traveling. I prefer the hard cases because I travel a lot with my acoustic guitars and these are great protection and last forever.

So whatever type of acoustic guitars that you choose to buy just remember to take your time, look around and test them before you buy and if you are not happy with the sound then that is the wrong guitar for you and second hand is a great option if you are on a budget.