Acoustic Guitar buying guide: Learn about the various factors that you need to consider when selecting the best acoustic guitar, and the accessories you need to get the most out of your guitar.
Acoustic Guitar Buying Guide
Beginner guitar players can choose from a wide range of guitars, including acoustic as well as electric ones.
The style of music you want to play will mostly determine what you choose.
Also, over time, you may want to play another type of guitar, and that is also understandable and natural.
Related: Acoustic vs Electric Guitar – which one should you play?
Construction of an Acoustic Guitar
Here are the things that you should consider when choosing an acoustic guitar:
Body
Like the other guitar’s, an acoustic guitar also comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. But what is important for you is to judge the body style as per the tonal quality and comfort while playing. The body style of an acoustic determines the tonal quality and sound projection.
It is also possible to custom-build a guitar. In case you decide to build one, be sure to use a body template when building your own guitar. There are several guitar templates that show the outline and layout for bridge, and where screws and controls go.
Tonewood
The type of wood in a guitar determines the tone produced by the guitar. Rosewood, Maple, Mahogany, Spruce etc are some of the woods used. Depending on the rarity of the wood, the cost of the guitar increases. Checkout this video to see what the different wood types can do for your guitar tone!
Neck
Like every guitar, the neck of an acoustic guitar also varies one from the other. However, it is important that you get a feel of the guitar to check if your hand fits the neck of the guitar, i.e. the size of your hand is the key factor here.
Over a period of time, the neck may get slightly curved for several reasons. Straightening a curved guitar neck is a delicate procedure; however it can change how your guitar feels and how it sounds. To repair a slightly bowed neck, you make small adjustments to the truss rod built into the neck.
Strings
The strings of an acoustic guitar are very important for the kind of sound it produces. There are 2 types – steel and nylon strings. Steel strings sound loud and bold and are best for Jazz, rock, country and rock music. Whereas, nylon strings are best for classical and folk as they sound mellow, smooth and round.
There is a lot of debate on what type of strings beginners should choose. There are many who feel that nylon is better because it is easier on the fingers. However, the fact is that both, nylon as well as steel can be difficult to play initially and can make your fingers sore. Steel however sounds brighter and beginners will like the sound more.
Changing the strings is also something that you will need to do on a regular basis. Remember, as you spend more time with your guitar, you will have preferences about what sort of strings you need, in terms of thickness.
For beginners, it is recommended that you start on “medium” gauge strings, and later on choose one that suits your playing style more. Usually, it is observed that thicker strings provide better tonal quality, however they are harder to play.
Intonation
Intonation means the tuning of the notes that you play while you move up the neck of the guitar. The tuning could be way off if the distance between the frets is not right.
Things to Remember
Important things to keep in mind:
Size of the guitar: The body style of an acoustic guitar (travel size, classic, jumbo, dreadnought) determines the way the sound is projected and the overall tone is created. The neck you choose (12-fret or 14-fret) depends on the size of your hand.
The strings on an acoustic are usually a bit tighter, making it tougher to push down on the fretboard (compared to an electric guitar). The positive of this is that it can strengthen the muscles in your fingers and over time make it easy for you to to bend notes, which can sometimes be essential to advanced playing.
How are you going to use the guitar? Is it for learning, gigging, home recording, or you just want a fine collectible guitar that appreciates in value over time.
Acoustic or acoustic-electric? Even if you don’t intend to gig, the electric one can be quickly used for recording at home (just connect it to the audio interface) without having to set up any microphones to record your playing.
If you’re an experienced guitarist, tonewood selection plays an important factor in choosing a guitar.
Spruce (standard material for tops), Cedar (favored by fingerstyle players for its quick response to the lighter playing style), Mahogany (relatively low response rate, but packs a punchy tone that, is suitable for country blues playing), Maple (more acoustically transparent, without the addition of tonal coloration), Rosewood (high response rate with a broad range of overtones) are the options available.
Things that affect the price of an acoustic guitar: Wood (laminated wood are the most affordable), and where the guitar is made (American-made are generally expensive).
Enclosed tuning machine heads usually don’t rust so easily, compared to the open ones, and require less maintenance/replacement.
Qualities of Excellent Acoustic Guitars
For a musician to create great music, you require musical ideas and also a great instrument. And the best music usually comes from instruments that possess qualities that perfectly complement the musical ideas of the musician playing the instrument.
There are several reasons why a good guitar sounds great, be it vintage guitars or some of the recent new range of guitars.
There are several factors that are responsible for the sound that a guitar (or for that matter any string instrument) produces; the most useful to musicians being: volume, projection, sustain, and balance.
Characteristics that separate great instruments (offer a wider range of expression) from lesser guitars:
- Sustain: How long notes last before fading away into silence. Duration of notes influences a player’s ability to create long, lyrical melodic lines or abrupt, staccato bursts to capture the ears.
- Balance: How alike the individual notes of a guitar are to each other. A good balance easily delivers consistency over the whole sonic range of an instrument.
- Volume and projection of an instrument determines how dynamic a player can be, enabling him or her to alter loudness and softness by hand.
Besides the sonic aspects, there are other factors like tactile and aesthetic considerations that have to be taken care of in a great quality guitar.
A top quality guitar reproduces exactly what a musician has in mind and encourages the creation of some incredible music.
Problems with Inexpensive/Cheap Guitars
These are really not problems, but usually characteristics of any budget guitar.
Somebody who has played on a high-end guitar will find it comparatively laborious to play a beginner guitar, and even the sound quality will be okay compared to expensive guitars with finer spruce tops. But then most allow you to play finger-picking style and also have nice strumming sounds.
Beginner guitars have a flimsy feel to it, which are enhanced by the matte finish. Some of them can also have a high action (height of the strings from the fretboard) which can hurt the fingers, in which case it is better to replace the strings with better quality and a lighter set of steel strings.
Most of these guitars do stay in tune quite well, but they will sound cheap (to someone who has played a lot). It is important to note that most beginners probably may not realize or appreciate the difference of playing a high-end guitar versus a beginner guitar. But when you’ve played a lot, you’ll really appreciate the joy of playing a high-end guitar.
Until that time, just get a decent guitar, start learning, and look forward to being good enough so that someday you can get an awesome guitar for yourself.
But then these definitely serve a purpose. These are best if you are an absolute beginner, or if you want to give it as nice gift to somebody, don’t want to spend much, or if you are not sure if you will stick with the instrument for long.
Reviews of the Best Acoustic Guitars…
Replace the Strings
Though, the inexpensive entry level guitars can be good, some of them may come with really low quality strings which make them unplayable. In that case, you need to replace the strings with a good set of strings.
Now, unless you know someone who can do it for you, you’ll have to do it yourself. I suggest you get a good string winder and a guitar tuner. Most guitar packages do come with these so you may not have to purchase them separately though.
I’m not saying that you have to do it; you may get a guitar which has nice set of strings that sound great so you don’t have to replace them. But you will need these accessories if you keep up with your playing.
Here’s how to change the strings on a guitar.
Acoustic Guitar Brands
Some of the best acoustic guitar brands include :
Gibson is a very reputed brand. Gibson guitars are well known for their quality of sound. Even though they are slightly expensive, it is one of the best guitar brands in the market.
Epiphone is a part of the Gibson brand hence the sound quality of the Epiphone is of good quality. It is also much cheaper than the Gibson.
Fender – Two of the most famous guitars, the Stratocaster and the Telecaster are Fender brands. Fender is a very popular brand for guitars.
Yamaha is also a well-known brand for acoustic as well as electric guitars. They are also famous for their classical line of Spanish guitars.
Apart from the above there are other brands such as Ibanez, Jackson, Martin etc. which also make quality acoustic guitars.
Acoustic vs Classical
A very commonly asked question by beginners is “What is the difference between an acoustic and a classical guitar?”.
Well, both are actually acoustic guitars. Classical guitars basically have nylon guitars and are used mainly for playing finger-picking/finger-style guitar, including classical pieces and folk songs. It is used to play classical arrangements and not really for strumming chords.
Acoustic guitars, on the other hand, have steel strings which make them apt for playing popular songs as well as rock songs.
However, it is important to know that expert guitarists can play a variety of songs very well on both. They can play classical and pop songs in classical arrangements on either type of guitar.
Also Read: Acoustic Guitar vs Electric Guitar.
Beginners can start playing on steel strings as they sound brighter and are much more versatile. A steel string is also preferable if you are more into singing and strumming. They sound a lot better than nylon when it comes to strumming.
But if you are sure that you want to learn to play finger-style and traditional classical pieces, choose one that comes with nylon string guitar. With practice, you can definitely play a variety of songs, including classical arrangements of songs such as the Eagles and Metallica on nylon strings.
Acoustic Guitar Reviews
Acoustic Guitar Accessories
Some of the must-have acoustic guitar accessories are:
- Tuners: You will need tuners to tune your guitar often. There are many tuners that are easily available in the market.
- Peg puller/Winder: A peg puller will help in changing the strings easily without much effort.
- Strap: a guitar strap helps you to hold the guitar in place and for playing it comfortably while standing and performing.
- Picks: It is very important you choose the right pick. It should be not too flimsy and not too hard either, to produce the right strum.
- Humidifier: Humidity can damage the guitar. It makes the wood swell and the strings stretch to the extent that it sounds out of tune. Hence, keeping a humidifier is always recommended. A humidifier can control the humidity levels if kept inside a guitar case along with the guitar.
- Capo: A capo is like having an extra finger on the chords which helps in raising the pitch of each string. It would be worthwhile to invest in one or two of these if required.
- Guitar Case: You can protect your guitar by keeping it in a guitar case. It is especially important to carry one if you travel along with your guitar.
Also Read: Essential Guitar Accessories
How Acoustic Guitars are Made
You can checkout videos here (factory tours) that show how acoustic guitars are made, and I’m sure after watching the video, you’ll appreciate your guitar even more.
The video also explains how the hole on the guitar affects the sound. A smaller hole means the sound waves will resonate better inside the body longer, making a richer & bassy sound. On the other hand, a larger hole means more treble sound as the bigger hole makes it easier for the high notes to move out.
Remember that guitars made of high-quality will sound better as it gets older and is played more, though it really doesn’t apply to guitars with laminated tops.
Now that you have an idea of how these guitars are made, you can even approach a smaller artisan luthier and get a custom guitar made, rather than buying a thousand dollar branded guitar (if that’s what you intended to buy).
Better still, why not make your own guitar? If you have a well equipped workshop, you can definitely give it a try.
Summary
Most people who have learnt to play the guitar have started off with an acoustic guitar. Choosing an acoustic guitar among the many choices is definitely not an easy task. However, with the right kind of research about its anatomy and the various accessories and brands available, you can easily buy the best acoustic guitar for your need.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Leave a Reply