The Definitive Guide To Buying An Acoustic Guitar
There are a lot of guitar options out there. This guide will help you find the right guitar for your needs. Why does it matter? Because you won’t play the wrong guitar for long. That’s why a lot of people who take up the guitar don’t stick with it. Here are 4 things this guide will reveal to lead you to the right guitar:
The essential qualities of a good guitar
The questions you need to ask yourself to narrow your search
How a guitar’s body shape and woods influence its sound
How to test-drive a guitar with confidence, even if you’re
a beginner
“If you pick up a guitar and it says, ‘Take me, I’m yours,’ then that’s the one for you.
Key Thoughts to Guide Your Guitar Search. Generally speaking, the stronger and louder the sound you’re looking for, the bigger guitar you’ll need.
Investing in a good guitar makes a difference.
As you explore your guitar options, you’ll find a wide range of features,
price points and quality. Our advice: Buy the best guitar you can afford.
If you’re a first-time guitar buyer, you might feel reluctant to invest in
a “nice” guitar, either due to budget constraints or I’m Not Worthy
Syndrome the feeling that your playing level doesn’t justify it. We
understand. But the truth is that a beginner will benefit the most from a
well-made instrument. Here’s why:
• You’ll sound better right away, even strumming basic chords.
• The playing experience will be easier and more enjoyable.
• You’ll be more inclined to stick with it.
• You’ll improve more quickly.
Nothing’s worse than a guitar that’s hard to play and won’t stay
in tune. The good news is that quality guitars are available at different
price points. Like relationships, sometimes it’s about chemistry.
Any good guitar should deliver certain fundamental qualities—playability,
clear tone and good intonation, for example. But each person’s
relationship with a guitar is unique. And it’s a multisensory
experience— part visual, part tactile, and part sonic. Embrace it.
Sometimes it’s love at first strum; other times a guitar reveals itself
gradually over a few playing sessions. However it happens, what matters
is that you find a guitar that inspires you. Take your time and trust your
feelings. If you pay attention, the right guitar has a way of finding you.
What’s Your Player Profile?
This section is all about you. The guitar you choose should respond well to your
playing style and other aesthetic preferences, both in terms of sound and looks.
If you’re a beginner and don’t have a defined playing style yet, don’t worry. You
can start by thinking about what your musical interests and goals might be.
How will you be playing the guitar: fingerpicking, strumming, flatpicking, or a mix?
This will help you decide whether you want a versatile performer or a guitar
that suits a more specialized playing style.
Do you have a light picking/strumming attack, a heavy attack, or something in-between?
This will help you focus on the right body style to accommodate the amount
of energy you’ll be applying to the guitar. Generally speaking, the stronger
and louder the sound you’re looking for, the bigger the guitar you’ll need.
If you have a softer, more delicate attack:
You need a guitar that will come alive in your hands without requiring too
much attack. In general, smaller-body guitars require less energy to get the
top moving and with a light touch will often be louder than a larger body
shape. It’s a good option for fingerstyle players.
If you have a heavier picking or strumming attack:
Your playing style may overload a smaller guitar body. You’ll be better served
with a full-bodied guitar that will respond to the high energy that comes
from the strong pick attack.
If you have a dynamic or hybrid playing style:
You’re looking for versatility, and a medium-size guitar will usually get you
there. You’ll be able to get an immediate response when you play lightly and
a more powerful sound when you dig in. If you want an even wider dynamic
range (one that offers more tonal output), try a bigger body size.
10 Questions to Help Define Your Player Profile
Where will you be playing the guitar?
If you’re looking for a couch strummer, you might want something
that’s comfortable—probably with a smaller body that’s easy to cradle.
If you’ll be playing with friends and want a good amount of acoustic
volume without having to plug in, you’ll likely benefit from a bigger body.
If you plan to play live gigs, you’ll definitely want a guitar with a pickup.
What style of music do you want to play?
Think of what type of sound you need to express that style or musical genre.
A lively bluegrass picker or someone who plans to strum big, open cowboy
chords might want a bigger body that’s capable of producing robust bass,
volume and projection. A fingerstyle player might prefer a more responsive
and articulate sound and lean toward a smaller body.
Bluegrass/flatpicking: Dreadnought or other medium to large body for
maximum volume and projection
Country/Blues fingerpicking: Small to medium body
Acoustic rock strumming: Medium-size body for rich open chords
Are there certain tonal properties you have in mind, such as volume, richness, low-end response, warmth, etc.?
If you have a certain sound profile in mind, this will help steer you toward
both your body shape and tonewoods. Rosewood tends to emphasize the
low end and high end of the musical spectrum; mahogany has a focused,
meaty midrange presence. A cedar top produces warmth that really shines
with fingerstyle playing. We’ll get into more of those tonal characteristics
in the shapes and woods section. And if you don’t really know what you
want, that’s okay. You’ll just want to sample some different options and pay
attention to which ones sound and feel good to you.
Bigger bodies: More bass response, volume, sustain
Smaller bodies: More tonal clarity
Different tonewoods: Distinctive tonal “flavors,” from rich and complex to controlled and focused.
Will you be playing more often by yourself or with other players/instruments?
By yourself: You might want a guitar that provides a more expansive
sonic palette to give yourself a wider range of tonal colors to explore.
With others: You might want a guitar that has enough clarity or volume
to be heard clearly in the instrument mix.
Will you be singing with your guitar?
If so, you’ll want your guitar’s tonal personality to complement your voice.
A rosewood guitar tends to create a nice pocket of space for vocals
because it has a scooped midrange, which is the frequency range where
the human voice sits. But it’s all about your voice and the guitar together.
It might help to visit a music store at a time when you feel comfortable
singing with the guitar or having access to an isolated room where you can
pair your voice with each instrument.
If you’re more of a solo instrumental player, does the guitar give you a
colorful enough sonic palette with which to express yourself?
Are there guitarists whose style or tone you would like to emulate?
You might want to embrace a similar body style or tonewood pairing.
But not necessarily. You might actually need a different type of guitar
to capture that sound.
Do you plan to play lead lines higher up the neck (toward the body)?
If so, a guitar with a cutaway might be a good idea. It gives you access
to more of the guitar’s upper register.
Do you plan to do any live performing or recording?
If you want to plug in, you should buy a guitar with an onboard pickup.
If you plan to record, think about the instrument mix that might be involved.
If there will be multiple tracks, you might lean toward a smaller body guitar,
since it will have a smaller sonic footprint. Sometimes a bigger, fuller guitar
voice can take up too much space in the mix and cloud the clarity. And
remember, when you record, pure acoustic volume typically isn’t as important
because you can control the volume levels with your recording gear
Bright vs. Dark Guitar Tone
A common descriptive trait with acoustic guitar tone is the degree of sonic brightness or darkness. This can come from your playing style or the tonewoods used on a guitar.
Bright guitar tone has a lot of top end, or treble emphasis.
Bright tone can come from using thin picks or from where you strum the guitar
in relation to the soundhole. The closer to the bridge you get, the brighter and
thinner the attack will sound.
If you have a bright playing style, you might aim for a guitar with a warmer sound
to counterbalance the brightness. A larger body shape can also help by naturally
adding some fullness to the low end to offset the brightness.
Believe it or not, your posture can affect the degree of brightness or darkness
of your playing. The more upright you sit, the more likely you’ll be to pull your
shoulders back, causing you to strum farther back behind the soundhole
(closer to the bridge).
Dark guitar tone has greater low end, or bass emphasis.
Dark tone can come from using heavier picks. They tend to cross the string with
a darker “thud” sound, compared to the brighter “flap” of lighter picks. (In fact,
the pick material and thickness have a major influence on your sound.) A player
with a darker style sometimes wraps around the guitar body more, which pushes
the strumming hand on top of, or in front of, the soundhole (closer to the neck).
The closer to the neck you play, the darker and rounder your attack will sound.
(Good guitarists know how to use these positioning nuances to add variety to
their playing.)
To offset the round tone, you probably would be well served with a wood pairing
like rosewood and spruce wood because of the added top-end clarity and
tightening of the low end. What’s more, darker players tend to be softer players,
in which case a small- to medium-size guitar body might respond better.
Your playing technique is an important contributor to your overall sound.
Look for a guitar with a body shape and tonewood combination whose sonic attributes are compatible with your playing style
If you’re a beginner and don’t really have a defined playing style, think about the type of music you would like to play
Your posture and where you pick or strum the guitar relative to the soundhole can influence the brightness or darkness of your guitar tone.