A Good Acoustic Guitar

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=75 style=" border-bottom: 1px solid #444444;" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com"><B><IMG SRC="bd4bc3c0.gif" border=0 width="700" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=405 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="15" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="750" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#777777" BORDERCOLORDARK="#000000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 5333 ><NOBR><div>  <HTML> <HEAD> <META NAME="Author" CONTENT="Eltjo"> <META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7"> <TITLE> </TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY>  <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="280"> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="30"> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com/main.htm" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small0.src='Menu_Hi_small_1x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small0.src='Menu_small_1x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small0" SRC="Menu_small_1x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="30" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="28"> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com/music__mp3_.htm" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small1.src='Menu_Hi_small_2x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small1.src='Menu_small_2x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small1" SRC="Menu_small_2x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="26"> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com/tech_talk.htm" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small2.src='Menu_Hi_small_3x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small2.src='Menu_small_3x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small2" SRC="Menu_small_3x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="26" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="28"> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com/tablature.htm" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small3.src='Menu_Hi_small_4x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small3.src='Menu_small_4x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small3" SRC="Menu_small_4x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="28" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="29"> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com/lessons.htm" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small4.src='Menu_Hi_small_5x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small4.src='Menu_small_5x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small4" SRC="Menu_small_5x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="29" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="25"> <A HREF="http://www.eltjohaselhoff.com/links.htm" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small5.src='Menu_Hi_small_6x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small5.src='Menu_small_6x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small5" SRC="Menu_small_6x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="25" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="29"> <A HREF="http://www.peghead.nl/" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small8.src='Menu_Hi_small_9x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small8.src='Menu_small_9x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small8" SRC="Menu_small_9x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="29" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="29"> <A HREF="mailto:contact5@peghead.nl" TARGET="_top" onMouseOver="if(document.images) document.Menu_small9.src='Menu_Hi_small_10x1.jpg';" onMouseOut="if(document.images) document.Menu_small9.src='Menu_small_10x1.jpg';" ><IMG NAME="Menu_small9" SRC="Menu_small_10x1.jpg" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="29" BORDER="0"></A></TD> </TR> </TABLE>  </BODY> </HTML>  </div> <bR> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="570"><div> <IMG SRC="d8698360.png" border=0 width="152" height="54" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I>"What's A Good Acoustic Guitar?"</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Introduction</B></div> <bR> <div> Often people ask me recommendations for "a good acoustic guitar". Today, there are so many different brands, and guitar prices range from (almost) the price of a good set of strings to the price of a car. No wonder one gets easily lost. So, "what is a good acoustic guitar?" </div> <bR> <div> Simply speaking, there are three types of guitars you can buy. </div> <bR> <div> 1. A beginner's guitar</div> <div> 2. A 'better' guitar for intermediate players</div> <div> 3. A high-end guitar</div> <bR> <div> In this article, I will mainly concentrate on the second category. This is because the first and third category are the easiest. If you buy a beginner's guitar, it really does not matter much what you get. There is, however, just one important condition (explained in more detail <A HREF="setting_up_your_guitar.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Setting up your guitar">elsewhere</A> on this site): the guitar should be easy to play. Which means: Straight neck, low action, extra light strings. If you decide to buy a high-end guitar you will definitely have your good reasons for it, because it will cost you a fortune. And if you spend a fortune, I assume you know what you're looking for. But what if you want the best guitar that a finite budget can buy? </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>All is relative</B></div> <bR> <div> I clearly remember the first time I played a decent steel string guitar. I was just thirteen and had spent 6 years (half my life!) on a Spanish guitar with steel strings*. The new guitar was a Yamaha FG-160. The fact that I still remember that, clearly demonstrates how much I was impressed. I played the intro of Bob Dylan's <I>Hurricane </I>and guess what: <I>It sounded just like the LP!</I> Crisp, metallic, solid, full, slick, smooth, loud, resonating, warm, you name it. After saving money for another lifetime, with some financial assistance of my parents, I managed to get myself a Yamaha FG-180 (even better than the FG-160!) on my 14th birthday. However, even though it seemed impossible on the day that I got my new guitar, in the years that followed I had to admit that many guitars in the local music store were significantly better than mine. Needless to say, I spent a considerable part of my youth in music stores, gazing at guitars. Today, thirty years later, I am fortunate enough to own some of the finest guitars ever made by mortal men. And indeed, I do not spend much time in music stores anymore. Apparently, the definition of "a good guitar" depends on what you are used to, and on how much experience you have as a guitarist. This is an important thing that is sometimes forgotten. If you want to buy a new guitar and have a hard time deciding which of two guitars is the best, you should take the cheapest one. After all, it seems like you cannot really appreciate the difference, or there is no difference. In both cases, you should probably go for the most economical purchase, and spend the remaining money, for example, to pay your beloved one a nice dinner (or whatever ;-).</div> <bR> <div> <I>* NEVER put steel strings in a Spanish guitar. I was only six by the time, and very lucky!</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Types of Guitars</B></div> <bR> <div> A first thing to consider is what <I>type </I>of acoustic guitar you want. Steel string or nylon string? I would always recommend steel strings, unless you are 100% sure you want to play only classical guitar (or styles such as Flamenco). Steel string guitars are more versatile. You can play everything on them, from Mozart to Metallica. And also classical music. Nylon string guitars sound great, but for specific styles only. At least, that is my personal opinion. Some people prefer nylon strings because they are softer and don't dent your fingers as much. But that is no a good reason. Steel string guitars can be adjusted to play almost effortlessly too. Nylon string guitars are often similar in shape and appearance, but there are many different sizes and shapes of steel strings: Concert Size (small), Auditorium Size (larger), Dreadnought (big), Jumbo (huge), and all sorts of variants and derivatives. Some will tell you that a Dreadnought is best for flatpicking (bluegrass), a Concert best for fingerstyle and a Jumbo best for strumming. Statistically, this may make sense. However, in your specific case you may want to try them all and see what you like best. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="af673e60.jpg" border=0 width="115" height="230" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="af873e60.jpg" border=0 width="115" height="230" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="afa73e60.jpg" border=0 width="115" height="230" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="afc73e60.jpg" border=0 width="115" height="230" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><B> </B></div> <bR> <div> <I>Some typical steel string shapes, often called (from left to right): </I></div> <div> <I>Concert, Auditorium, Dreadnought and Jumbo. </I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> With little doubt, a Jumbo will impress you immediately because of its volume and "fullness". However, the Concert will be very comfortable to hold. Maybe for you, it's hard to tell the difference between the Dreadnought and the Auditorium. In that case you should consider to get the cheapest of the two, or maybe even the one you think looks best (looks <I>are </I>important!). Someone else, however, will immediately hear the advantage of the Dreadnought guitar because it really punches out his flatpick riffs on the bass strings. That person may be willing to spend that extra hundred bucks for the Dreadnought. However, when I play my favorites songs on a Dreadnought, I often feel like the tones are mudding up. I also think Dreadnoughts are ugly. So I would probably first check out the Concert guitars. </div> <bR> <div> All I want to say is that your preferred type of guitar is a very personal thing. It does not matter if you're a beginner or a professional: <I>your </I>personal preference is all that matters. Playing the different types mentioned earlier will make the differences clear to you. Maybe you already know that you prefer a Dreadnought. Fine. However, it never hurts to try some of the others. The world is full of surprises. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Price versus Quality</B></div> <bR> <div> This is where it get more complicated. Overall, more expensive guitars are better in the eyes (ears) of the average customer than cheap guitars. No one will buy a bad guitar that is expensive, so the shop owner will eventually have to reduce the price (and never have that guitar on stock again). Good guitars that are cheap will become more expensive over time, because everybody wants them. Of course, no two guitars are the same, and we all hope to run into just that single instrument that was the best of all the 'identical' ones that were on stock. But it is just a matter of simple market mechanisms that I do not believe in 'cheap guitars that are much better than much more expensive guitars'. This is not to say that there are no cheap guitars that sound great. I remember playing one the other day, in a local music store. It cost 75 US$, and was made of painted plywood. But the action was nice and low, and although the frets were rough (can be easily polished) it played really fine. And the sound was just very good! There were six more of them, and those were all bad. And maybe this one guitar that sounded good will spontaneously disintegrate after a year, but for that money, who cares? </div> <bR> <div> Overall, I am really not aware of any 'rule of thumb', regarding guitars, that is overall valid. But I have heard many: </div> <bR> <div> <I>- "American guitars are better than Japanese guitars"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Hand-built guitars are the best of all"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Korean guitars are bad" </I></div> <div> <I>- "Taylor is better than Martin"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Martin is better than Taylor"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Santa Cruz is too expensive for what you get"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Blueridge guitars are almost as good as Collings, and much cheaper"</I></div> <div> <I>- "The best Spanish guitars are made in Spain"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Dreadnought Guitars are not suited for fingerstyle"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Ovations are not good for fingerstyle"</I></div> <div> <I>- "Good guitars are made of wood"</I></div> <bR> <div> ... and you may probably add any statement you hear yourself. </div> <bR> <div> This means that you're pretty much on yourself when you have to decide about a guitar. Of course it never harms to listen to advice, but you cannot just trust anything people say. Often, emotions play a role too. Maybe you like a guitar 'just because'. That is fine. Many people will never admit that, and they will invent all sorts of pseudo-intelligent reasons, but guitar playing is all about emotions anyway, so why shouldn't you listen to your emotions when you choose your guitar?</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Some Guidelines</B></div> <bR> <div> Perhaps in an attempt to impress others, some people talk about guitars as if they are the result of witch craft. However, there is no magic in constructing a guitar. It's a matter of straightforward engineering. However, most guitars are made of wood, and wood has many properties that can not be measured and quantified in enough detail to predict its behavior in an acoustic guitar. Therefore, there is always a certain 'margin of uncertainty' that cannot be controlled when you build a guitar. </div> <bR> <div> I would say that the quality of a guitar depends 30% on the material you use, 60% on the skills of the builder(s), and the last 10% is just a matter of pure luck. So if you would quantify the quality of the guitar with points, and 100 points correspond to the best possible guitar, you could earn a maximum of 30 points for the wood selection, a maximum of 60 points for the craftsmanship, and the remaining 10 points would just be a matter of throwing dices. So even the best luthiers cannot always guarantee a consistent result: some guitars simply turn out to be better. Sometimes, despite all the efforts of the builder, it just did not all work out perfectly, for whatever reason, and you will not get much better than 90%. But sometimes, all the pieces and properties of the individual elements (specific weight, mass ratios, flexibility, volumes etc.) just happen to work perfectly together, and you get that very special instrument. </div> <bR> <div> Conclusion: craftsmanship is a very important aspect. But how do you recognize craftsmanship when you hold a guitar in your hands? There are many technical details you can investigate, but it would be beyond the scope of this article to discuss them all in detail. Just read a lot about guitars, check it out for yourself whenever you hold a guitar in your hands, and you will learn it all over the years (provided you are really interested). There is one simple thing you can see immediately though. Craftsmanship requires dedication, and dedication means that you care about what you are doing. And it is not very hard to tell if the builder cared about the guitar he made. </div> <bR> <div> Simply have a look inside. Do you see glue drops on the wood inside the guitar? Look at the wood joints. Are there entire glue lines squeezed out along the kerfing that holds the back of the guitar fixed to the sides? If the answer is yes, the builder did not bother to clean up the glue after the back was clamped to the body. It only takes about ten seconds to do that. So that tells you something about the mentality of the builder. Look at the internal braces. Do they have a rough surface, or are they all nice and smooth? In the latter case the builder took the time to smooth them with a piece of sandpaper. That does not really matter much for the sound, or the construction of the guitar, but it does tell something about the mindset of the builder. </div> <bR> <div> Have a look at the frets. Are they all squeezed in perfectly, flush to the fretboard? Or can you find a little crevice somewhere, e.g., towards the sides? Fretwire is not expensive, but the proper tools and time to place them well are. Is the surface of the frets rough, or are they smooth and shiny? In the latter case, the builder took the time to polish them after they were sanded level. A good sign. </div> <bR> <div> Check for neck straightness. How to do that can be read <A HREF="setting_up_your_guitar_the_neck_must_be_straight.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Setting up your guitar">here</A>. If the neck is not straight, check if the guitar has a truss rod, and ask if someone in the shop straighten it for you. You cannot judge a guitar with a bad neck. In any case, it is not a good sign if the neck is not straight, because either the guitar factory or the music shop did not care. </div> <bR> <div> Check out the guitar all over. Look at all the glue joints. Are they all perfect? Or have some of them been filled up with wood putty or epoxy? Look at the lacquer. Is it smooth as a mirror, or are there little specks and bumps? Use the lacquer as a mirror and look at a bright light at a distance. This will allow you to immediately find even the slightest speck or dent. Rub the palm of your hand over the guitar and try to find bumps and irregularities. A guitar should be perfect if inspected by the eye. Any flaw you can detect, be it some asymmetry, a joint that is not flush, a cut that is not perfectly centered, a crevice that is filled, whatever, it all means the builder was not paying attention, was not competent, or did not care. </div> <bR> <div> Now one thing you should not do is judge the guitar by how easy it is to play. Unfortunately, many guitars have their action set too high, because it is simpler to set a high action than to set a low action. Moreover, string buzz due to low action is considered by many to be a flaw of the instrument (whereas most of the time, it isn't!). So most guitar factories don't take any risk and choose the easy way: medium to medium-high action. And no fret buzz whatsoever. And a guitar that may be a little too hard to play. So if it takes much force in your left hand to press the strings down to the frets, check the nut and the bridge saddle. In other words: check the nut action and the saddle action. How to do that can be read <A HREF="setting_up_your_guitar_the_action_should_be_low.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Setting up your guitar">here</A>. Most of the times, the action of a guitar can be set perfectly, according to your personal preferences. However, if the action is high and you see that the guitar already has a very low bridge saddle (see picture below)...</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="abceeb30.jpg" border=0 width="238" height="179" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I>This bridge saddle (white part) is already quite low and cannot </I></div> <div> <I>be lowered much further. If this guitar had a high action, it </I></div> <div> <I>would be bad news!</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> ... it would be no good. It means that the action cannot be lowered without cutting away a part of the bridge, or a neck reset. So you'd probably better try another guitar. However, if there is enough material on the bridge saddle:</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="abbf29f0.jpg" border=0 width="242" height="159" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> ...it means the action can easily be lowered (by sanding away a bit of the bridge saddle). It is not more than fair that the shop takes care of that at no additional costs, so you should always ask. </div> <bR> <div> You could also check if the top and rest of the guitar are made of solid woods or laminates. Solid woods are considered best for sound, but laminates also have their advantages, as they are stronger and less prone to cracking at low humidity. I would not bother too much about it, and only go for the sound. If you like the sound of the guitar, who cares if it's made of laminate (or even plastic, for that matter). The more expensive midrange guitars and all high-end guitars are always made of solid woods, but that does not mean a laminate guitar cannot sound good too. </div> <bR> <div> In case of solid woods, there are many different tone woods for the top and the side of the guitar. Again, do not allow anyone to intimidate you with blunt statements such as <I>"this guitar is a little more expensive, but it is made of Indian Rosewood in stead of Mahogany, so it's worth the investment." </I>You don't need anyone to know what you like best, and again, sound is what counts here. Or maybe also looks. Some tone woods are beautiful to look at, and that may be a good reason to buy a guitar too, if you cannot decide by sound alone. Looking at a guitar is part of the joy of owning it!</div> <bR> <div> Don't bother too much about the tuners. Most tuners, even the cheap ones, do a satisfactory job. And if they don't, you can easily replace them. </div> <bR> <div> Last but not least, always listen to your emotions. You know it if you like a guitar. That is what counts. And of course there is also your budget. The best thing to do I guess, is set your budget, and play every guitar you can find that fits that budget. You will know it when you find 'your' guitar. If you cannot decide between two guitars by their sound, take the cheapest one. Apparently, since you can't decide by the sound, the more expensive guitar is not worth the extra money, or you are not worth the more expensive guitar (yet). </div> <bR> <div> And sound, of course, is the most important aspect for your decision. Only you can decide what you like best. There is, however, one trap: the strings! Make sure they are in good condition! Some guitars hanging in music shops (particularly if they have been played by others) have worn out strings, that sound dull and flat, and make it almost impossible to judge the guitar. Most guitarists with a little experience know what a consumed steel string is. If you don't, simply check if the strings are all clean and shiny, without any dark spots. If that's not the case, ask the shop owner to replace the strings. If they don't want to do that, go away. </div> <bR> <div> A last note: half of the sound of the guitar comes from the guitarist. It's true! It's also good news, because it means your guitar will sound better and better as you learn how it responds and how you should adapt your techniques to make it sound at its best. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Take Home Messages</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ccffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Needless to say: go for what <I>you </I>think of the sound</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ccffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Follow your emotions</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ccffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">It never hurts to listen to advice, but you don't need anyone to know what you like best</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ccffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Check for craftsmanship (or the mentality of the builder)</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ccffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If you cannot decide between two guitars, take the cheapest one</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c8ccffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Don't judge on the guitar's playability, but make sure the playability can be adjusted to your liking. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="tech_talk.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tech Talk"><B>BACK</B></A></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>