“Unstrummed, Unsung: Discovering the Perfect Acoustic Guitar For You.”.
When it comes to music, nothing quite radiates the soul like a beautifully strummed acoustic guitar. With its alluring melodies, hearty strums, and smooth, cleans tones, the acoustic guitar has remained a staple of modern music for centuries – from the sound of folk agitating against the establishment to the latest in sea-shanty inspired anthems. As such, choosing the right acoustic guitar is essential to ensuring your music translates as close to your intended sound as possible.
In this blog, we’ll be exploring all the important aspects of acoustic guitars – from the construction, designs, overall tone to what you should be considering when choosing the right instrument for you.
First up, let’s explore the types of acoustic guitars available. Generally, the two broadest categories are steel-string and classical guitars – although there are a range of sub-categories within each, such as acoustic-electrics, archtops and hollow-bodies. Steel-string guitars have thinner, more flexible necks and are commonly used for playing soft or hard rock, pop, blues, folk, and country music. Conversely, classical guitars feature wider, heavier necks and are best for playing classical, folk and jazz styles.
The body design of a guitar is of equal importance, as this essentially determines the sound and tone of the instrument. A body-style such as dreadnought acoustic guitars is the most popular and widely used, as they have pockets of air in the body-shape to add resonance and tremendous volume to your music. On the other hand, smaller body styles such as parlour, auditorium or classical guitars have smaller bodies and lighter sounds – perfect for fingerpicking melodies.
Of course, the construction of acoustic guitars is also important. A good-quality acoustic guitar should be made of premium-grade woodwork to help create a full-bodied and resonant sound; the most common woods used for acoustic guitars include spruce, mahogany, and rosewood. Furthermore, the neck, fingerboard, and bridge should also be constructed from strong, durable wood – such as maple or rosewood – and the headstock should also feature quality tuners.
To be sure, there is an abundance of acoustic guitars on the market today. Therefore, to select the right one, consider all the imperfections of your instrument, the sound and tone you wish to achieve, and even the intonation of the guitar. Remember, acoustic guitars should be light and comfortable to play, whilst also sounding rich and pleasing when you strum it.
Ultimately, acoustic guitars provide an unparalleled level of expression and pleasure to the player. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or an experienced player, choosing the right acoustic guitar is essential in not only making beautiful music but also in connecting with your inspiration. Therefore, take the time to review all the available options, detailed specifications and research into the build quality before committing to an acoustic guitar to ensure you get the perfect one for you.