Everything You Need to Know Before Buying an Acoustic Guitar

1. Body Shape

To a beginner, an acoustic guitar might just look like it comes in two forms: dreadnought and rounded. But in reality, there’s a fascinating array of guitar shapes, collectively known as body types. These different body types define the guitar’s size and shape, which in turn affect the sound and volume.

The most common body types you’ll come across include Dreadnought (D), Grand Auditorium (GA), Jumbo (J), and Orchestra Model (OM). Let’s dive into the three most beginner-friendly shapes:

Dreadnought (D), Grand Auditorium (GA), Jumbo (J), and Orchestra Model (OM)

Dreadnought (D): This is the most iconic and widely used shape in folk music. It has a large, rounded body that’s typically 41 inches tall, making it quite big. For petite players, it might feel a bit cumbersome. However, its large body delivers excellent resonance, producing a rich, expansive sound with deep, full-bodied bass – perfect for strumming chords. Some Dreadnought guitars have a cutaway design, so you can choose based on your preference.

Grand Auditorium (GA): Slightly smaller than the Dreadnought, the GA shape features a pronounced waist and usually has a cutaway, making it easier to play higher frets. Although it has a bit less resonance than the Dreadnought, its sound is focused, with prominent midrange tones. This shape is excellent for fingerstyle playing and solo performances.

Jumbo (J): Also known as Jumbo, this is the go-to shape for artists like Zhao Lei, who plays a large and bold Gibson SJ200. The Jumbo has the largest body of all acoustic guitars, providing exceptional resonance and a powerful, expansive sound with robust bass.

2. Soundboard Materials

Acoustic guitars are crafted from various types of wood, and the soundboard (top) material greatly influences the sound. Guitars are categorized based on how much of the wood is solid or laminated: Laminated (plywood), Solid Top, and All-Solid.

The soundboard plays a crucial role in sound production, transmitting string vibrations through the air. When a string is plucked, its vibrations are transferred to the soundboard via the bridge, causing the air inside the body to vibrate and amplify the sound.

3. Common Guitar Woods

Koa: Known for its density, beautiful grain, and high cost, Koa produces a sweet sound with clear high frequencies and strong mids. The longer you play it, the better it sounds.

Sitka Spruce: A North American staple for soundboards, Sitka Spruce is lightweight, strong, and flexible, offering a bright tone with excellent dynamic range. It’s highly cost-effective.

Cedar: Softer than Spruce, Cedar offers a warmer, rounder tone. Guitars with Cedar soundboards tend to be louder and provide a consistent tone from lows to highs.

Mahogany: Soft yet strong, Mahogany is ideal for both guitar bodies and necks. It delivers excellent low-frequency response, making it sound deep and expansive, although it might lack a bit in the high frequencies if not well-balanced.

Sapele: Often used as a substitute for Mahogany, Sapele is denser and harder. It offers a similar but slightly brighter and cleaner sound compared to Mahogany, with a balanced tone across all frequencies.

Rosewood: Highly popular for back and sides, Rosewood provides excellent tonal stability with distinctive striped pores. It offers a balanced sound with good resonance and sustain, suitable for various playing styles.

Maple: With diverse grain patterns and excellent dyeing properties, Maple is dense and produces the best high frequencies among all woods. It’s often used for larger guitars to compensate for the potentially muffled highs.

4. Neck Material

Mahogany and Sapele are the most common materials for acoustic guitar necks, with Maple being less frequent. Acoustic guitar necks are usually attached to the body using either a dovetail joint or glue.

5. Nut and Saddle

The nut and saddle materials, such as synthetic ivory, plastic, or bone, need to be hard enough to withstand string vibrations. These materials influence the guitar’s tone, with bone and brass offering distinct tonal characteristics. Nut widths vary by model, typically 44.5mm, with wider nuts being better for fingerstyle playing. The tension also affects playability.

6. Fretboard

Most acoustic guitar fretboards are made from Ebony or Rosewood, with Maple being rare. Ebony, with its high density and excellent mid-high frequency response, makes the guitar sound clearer and brighter.

7. Pickups

Acoustic guitars with pickups are often called electro-acoustic guitars. Common pickups include magnetic, piezoelectric, and transducers.

Magnetic Pickups: Similar to electric guitar pickups, these attach to the soundhole edge. They provide clean, full-bodied sound suitable for melodies and strumming. However, low-quality pickups can sound flat.

Piezo Pickups: These use piezoelectric materials to convert vibrations into electrical signals. They produce a bright tone, ideal for both strumming and fingerstyle. Their downside is poor bass response.

Transducer Pickups: These add effects like reverb and chorus without needing an amp or speaker. They use a resonator to vibrate the soundboard, creating amplified and enhanced sound. The quality of the wood greatly affects the tone.

Combining different pickups can create a versatile system, with additional features like tone control, gain systems, and feedback suppression.

8. Bridge Pins

Unique to acoustic guitars, bridge pins come in various materials like plastic, wood, ivory, bone, and brass, each affecting tone and durability differently.

Plastic: Cheap and prone to wear, they don't enhance the guitar’s tone.

Wood: Can improve sustain and tone.

Ivory: Expensive and often illegal, it enhances sustain and provides a warm tone.

Bone: Brightens tone and looks attractive.

Brass: Extremely durable, producing a bright tone.