Ken asks…
What’s the difference between a classic guitar and a acoustic guitar?
NydiaMccartney answers:
Classical has a wider neck at the nut area and uses hand tied nylon and wound nylon strings. Also the bracing is lighter and different. It often uses a fan bracing. It may also not have a full truss rod or even one at all!
Since sound is everything, a good classical guitar should be made of fine, solid woods on all sides.
A standard folk has a tapered neck at the nut and a frame bracing inside the sound hole. It also has an adjustable truss rod and stronger construction to deal with all metal strings.
Mary asks…
Is it possible to get a flamenco guitar with a foot?
If so, would you suggest getting an acoustic or flamenco?
I already have an electric and a cheap flamenco.
NydiaMccartney answers:
I will assume that you are talking about the traditional spanish method of adding a foot to the neck construction which is then attached to the back of the body inside the sound box.
If so, then you will probably be looking for a luthier and a very high quality (and price) instrument, as most builders do not use this method. Most line built guitars use either the bolt on (most common) or the dovetail joint method of attaching necks.
It is possible to get a flamenco with a foot, or a classical with one, but either way, you will probably have to find a luthier.
Anyway, the differences between a classical and a flamenco guitar have really only recently become more set in stone. Flamencos are thinner, with slightly less sustain and a more percussive sound overall. Classicals tend to have more sustain, and slightly less “fast” necks.
Really, the choice will be up to you. Either way, for a quality instrument you are looking at a hefty investment, (in the thousands). The more specific you are about the method of building, the higher the price will go.
I suggest that you focus more on the suitability of the guitar to your style of playing, how it sounds, feels. Get a budget of what you are willing to spend, play a bunch of guitars at the top end of that budget, and pick the one that you like the most. If the foot is important to you, get it. It will be your instrument for many years to come, so get what you want, just be sure you want what you want for a reason.
Good luck!
Lizzie asks…
What are the first 3 most important things to look at an acoustic guitar?
NydiaMccartney answers:
1. Playability (Action, Neck scale length, Construction)
Things to ask oneself…
Is it hard to fret the strings?
Can I adequately and comfortably fret chords? If not, should I buy a smaller scale guitar?
Are the fret ends sharp?
Do some frets fret out?
2. Tone/Loudness factor
Things to ask oneself.
Does the guitar give me a nice solid tone?
Is this a loud enough guitar for where/what I’m playing?
Maybe buy a electric pickup down the road?
3. Longevity/Resale Value
Things to ask oneself..
Is this a lasting investment?
Does the guitar depreciate fast?
Will this guitar stand the test of time?
Betty asks…
fernandes monterey elite guitar, type of tenon and maple top?
Does anybody know what type of tenon construction a Fernandes monterey elite has?
Also the thickness of the maple top?
NydiaMccartney answers:
As far as construction to Classical guitars, they are pretty much standard with the cross-brace (back and soundboard) and shaved ribs.
Tenon mounts (or Spanish heel) of the foot of the neck, to body, can be of a mystery between different makers of classical guitars unless mentioned by the specifications that may come with the advertising or some one who knows the construction. Usually, it should be a dovetail that best provides such an assembly for real, positive joining.
There are different ways to secure the neck to a body of an acoustic guitar, traditional or an alternative design that maintains its strength, integrity for life. Even, hidden hardware.
But, to mention a maple top suggests a very bright (if, a solid top too) tonal quality as opposed to the traditional cedar or even a spruce panel. Can’t recall if I have played this model with an all-maple top. If its a veneer, thickness is negligible then compared to all others. Standard around 3/32″ thickness (just around 2mm) .
Plan to copy one and build it yourself? Better read up on guitar construction and have some background in woodworking too.
Donald asks…
is it possible to get a truss rod installed on a steel-string acoustic guitar?
and about how much would that cost?
no its a rather low end handmade guitar from the philipines, no truss rod
it came with steel strings… its not a classical guitar.. its still usable i just notice slight warping
NydiaMccartney answers:
Buster is right – it would cost far more than the guitar is worth to install a truss rod, assuming you could find a luthier willing to do the job (which I doubt). Truss rods need to be installed fairly early on in the construction process, before the fretboard is joined to the neck and before the neck is joined to the body.
You’re better off spending that money on a new guitar. Try a Martin or a Taylor steel string – they come with truss rods. Good luck.
Jenny asks…
What are all the different types of guitar? I know there are 6-string, 12-string, double-necked, pedal steel.?
But what are other types of guitars used in rock/jazz/country/blues? And what about all the different types of bass guitars? Thanks in advance.
NydiaMccartney answers:
Guitars can be divided into two broad categories, acoustic and electric:
Acoustic guitars
An acoustic guitar is one not dependent on an external device to be heard but uses a soundboard which is a wooden piece mounted on the front of the guitar’s body. The acoustic guitar is quieter than other instruments commonly found in bands and orchestras so when playing within such groups it is often externally amplified. Many acoustic guitars available today feature a variety of pickups which enable the player to amplify and modify the raw guitar sound.
There are several notable subcategories within the acoustic guitar group: classical and flamenco guitars; steel string guitars, which include the flat-topped, or “folk,” guitar; twelve-string guitars; and the arched-top guitar. The acoustic guitar group also includes unamplified guitars designed to play in different registers, such as the acoustic bass guitar, which has a similar tuning to that of the electric bass guitar.
Renaissance and Baroque guitars
These are the gracile ancestors of the modern classical guitar. They are substantially smaller and more delicate than the classical guitar, and generate a much quieter sound. The strings are paired in courses as in a modern 12 string guitar, but they only have four or five courses of strings rather than six. They were more often used as rhythm instruments in ensembles than as solo instruments, and can often be seen in that role in early music performances. (Gaspar Sanz’ Instrucción de Música sobre la Guitarra Española of 1674 constitutes the majority of the surviving solo corpus for the era.) Renaissance and Baroque guitars are easily distinguished because the Renaissance guitar is very plain and the Baroque guitar is very ornate, with ivory or wood inlays all over the neck and body, and a paper-cutout inverted “wedding cake” inside the hole.
Classical guitars
These are typically strung with nylon strings, played in a seated position and are used to play a diversity of musical styles including classical music. The classical guitar’s wide, flat neck allows the musician to play scales, arpeggios and certain chord forms more easily and with less adjacent string interference than on other styles of guitar. Flamenco guitars are very similar in construction, but are associated with a more percussive tone. In Mexico, the popular mariachi band includes a range of guitars, from the tiny requinto to the guitarron, a guitar larger than a cello, which is tuned in the bass register. In Colombia, the traditional quartet includes a range of instruments too, from the small bandola (sometimes known as the Deleuze-Guattari, for use when traveling or in confined rooms or spaces), to the slightly larger tiple, to the full sized classical guitar. The requinto also appears in other Latin-American countries as a complementary member of the guitar family, with its smaller size and scale, permitting more projection for the playing of single-lined melodies. Modern dimensions of the classical instrument were established by Antonio Torres Jurado (1817-1892). In recent years, the series of guitars used by the Niibori Guitar orchestra have gained some currency, namely:
Sopranino guitar (an octave and a fifth higher than normal); sometimes known as the piccolo guitar
Soprano guitar (an octave higher than normal)
Alto guitar (a 5th higher than normal)
Prime (ordinary classical) guitar
Niibori bass guitar (a 4th lower than normal); Niibori simply calls this the “bass guitar”, but this assigns a different meaning to the term than other parts of the community use, as his is only a 4th lower, and has 6 strings
Contrabass guitar (an octave lower than normal)
The modern Ten-string guitar
The Modern/Yepes 10-string guitar (a classical guitar) adds four strings (resonators) tuned in such a way that they (along with the other three bass strings) can resonate in unison with any of the 12 chromatic notes that can occur on the higher strings; the idea behind this being an attempt at enhancing and balancing sonority.
Portuguese guitar
In spite of the name, it is not a guitar, but rather a cittern.
Flat-top (steel-string) guitars
Similar to the classical guitar, however, within the varied sizes of the steel-stringed guitar the body size is usually significantly larger than a classical guitar and it has a narrower, reinforced neck and stronger structural design. This allows the instrument to withstand the additional tension of steel strings. The steel strings produce a brighter tone, and according to many players, a louder sound. The acoustic guitar is used in many kinds of music including folk, country, bluegrass, pop, jazz and blues. Many variations are possible from the roughly classical-sized OO and Parlour to the large Dreadnought and Jumbo.
Archtop guitars
These are steel string instruments in which the top (and often the back) of the instrument are carved in a curved rather than a flat shape. Lloyd Loar of
George asks…
Acoustic electric guitar for beginners?
I want to learn to play the guitar and I love both electric and acoustic guitars.
I would have chosen an acoustic one because I’m a beginner, but I know that at some point I will like to have an electric guitar, so is it a good idea to get an acoustic electric one?
Which brand and model is the best for begginers and WHY? I’m looking for a guitar of around $150 to $250 / £100 or £165 (a little bit more if I can’t find a good cheap one).
Thanks! :)
NydiaMccartney answers:
You are very likely to ‘outgrow’ your first guitar pretty quickly once you learn to play. You will come to understand the sound and feel you are looking for. Most of us aren’t lucky enough to spend a fortune on our first guitar so it is always a compromise.
It is cheaper to buy an OK electric guitar than an OK acoustic guitar so it is tempting to go for electric. The trouble is, you then need an amplifier so the cost goes up. Then you have the problem of it being too loud so you aren’t allowed to practice as much as you want …. It can be frustrating.
That is less of a problem with an acoustic guitar. The biggest challenge with acoustics is finding one worth buying as there is so much junk out there. Your budget is enough to get something perfectly good though I suggest you take an experienced player with you to choose your instrument as they will know what to look for (e.g. Straight neck, tight action, even frets, smooth machine heads, no buzzes, well finished neck). Your budget does not stretch to the best construction techniques (solid spruce or cedar top or solid ‘tone wood’ back and sides) unless you buy second hand. Good acoustic guitars get better with age so second hand is a serious option.
The playing styles are different for electrics and acoustics but you can learn the basics on either. An electro-acoustic guitar is not like an electric guitar. It will not feel like one or sound like one. Your budget would not be enough to buy an electro acoustic guitar that will be any good. I suggest it would not be a good use of your money at this stage.
My personal choice would be to learn to play on a steel strung acoustic (a nylon strung classical would be OK if your interest is in classical music or certain types of folk music) and to upgrade later when I had a better idea of what style of playing I aspire to. A few lessons – even just one or two – will help get you on the road to making music.
Whatever you decide, I hope it brings you as much pleasure as my guitars have for me.
John asks…
Is this a Good beginner electric guitars?
I’ve thought about the Squier Fat Stratocaster electric guitar for some time now. I’m just now beginning to learn guitar on the Acoustic…but it’s just not my style. Honestly, I sort of hate it. Is the Squier Fat Stratocaster a good beginner electric guitar?
NydiaMccartney answers:
Hello there,
I do not agree with the answer that some no name brand guitar will be better made than a Squier Stratocaster. In my experience that is not the case. Frankly the cost of a guitar pretty well follows the quality of the construction. That is a general rule and of course there are exceptions, but those are rare. So a $120 Squier Bullet Stratocaster will not be as well made as a $180 Squier Affinity Stratocaster. Just an example. Folks say you pay more for the Fender name. But I do not agree with that at all. I have found that Squier Stratocasters are as good or better than any Stratocaster copy in the same price range.
The Squier line of guitars are intended for beginners. Any of them will be suitable for learning to play. Some are fancier than others and they cost more. But you can use any of them to learn on.
The Fat Strat is the name of a Stratocaster that has a humbucker pickup in the bridge position. It has single coil pickups at the neck and middle position. A humbucker is said to have a fatter sound than a single coil. That is why Fender calls this pickup configuration a Fat Strat.
That pickup configuration is very versatile. It is a good choice for a beginner.
Later,
Joseph asks…
What’s the difference between a classical and acoustic guitar ?
NydiaMccartney answers:
A Classical, or Spanish guitar is a type of acoustic guitar. It has a wide neck to allow for finger picked classical style playing. A classical guitar always has nylon strings and a slotted headstock. I will note here that one should never attempt to put metal strings on a classical guitar. The design and construction cannot handle the tension of metal strings. The heavier strings, though they look like metal, are
What is commonly referred to as an “Acoustic Guitar”, is in fact just a steel string, flat top, acoustic guitar. These are further defined mainly by body size and style. Your average one is a six string dreadnought.
There are western, folk, auditorium, archtop, dreadnought, selmer/mac, 12 string, tenor and more.
Further reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_guitar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_guitar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selmer-Maccaferri_guitar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archtop_guitar
Just to mention a few.
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