Acoustic Bodies

[strat_master]

Hi Guys,

Out of the many acoustic bodies there are what do you prefer and why?

Im looking for an acoustic soon probably a taylor and i am looking at eitehr a dreaduaght cutaway or a grand auditorium cut away or even a jumbo but i cant decide. I tend to play alot of strumming (think dashboad confessional) but at the same time i want to be able to play some single notes as well. Ive already corssed out the very small grand concert style because its been recomended for finger picking which i dont really do. Out of these i have only tried a dreanaught taylor guitar and the guitar store i go to doesnt have any jumbo tayors or grand auditoriums to try out.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Acoustic Bodies

If you are primarily a strummer, a Dreadnaught or a Jumbo may suit you. Here are some basic facts to consider. The nut width on larger body guitars is usually 1 11/16ths. On a smaller body such as a 000 or a OM size the nut width is 1 3/4. On a larger body Jumbo or size "D" the body depth varys a little from one brand to another but is generally between 4 3/8" to 4 1/2" deep. This IMO this makes a bigger body tend to be boomy. This can be overcome by picking the correct woods. On larger guitars I lean more towardsd Mahogony bodies and either spruce or cedar tops (Cedar is a very soft wood so it does not have the structural integrity that spruce does). The Mahogony will give you better balance from string to string on a large body. An OM or 000 size has excellent balance with rosewood. The other thing to consider are brands of guitars. Taylor makes a very nice Acoustic, but so does Martin. I prefer Martins over Taylors. They are a little more challanging to play but IMO they have a better acoustic sound. Of course this is on the High end of guitars. I own 2 Santa Cruz Acoustics,(and many others as well) an OM and a Tony Rice model which is very much like a D28. The difference is Santa Cruz hand shapes the braces to bring out the Voice in these guitars. They are more money than Taylors and Martins, but I would say they are one of the best made and sounding Acoustic guitars made today (another good choice would be a Collings). If you are spending in the area of $2000. or more you really should look at some of the smaller builders. They make beautiful guitars and they really sound amazing.

Collins, Goodall, Santa Cruz, Huss and Dalton. All of these are American made and are essentially hand made guitars. It will be very difficult to find a Taylor or a Martin that will compare the this builders