Good Acoustic Guitars

What makes an acoustic guitar a really good one? Well the manufacturer's skill and technology are of course important and influencing factors in this regard. But as it happens with acoustic guitars, the wood, tonal quality and the overall shape and quality of the guitar do matter a lot. My music teacher always says that when it comes to acoustic guitars, pianos and violins, no two guitars, of the same company, brand, model, marquee and series are the same or identical, nor there is any uniformity in production. Each and every piece is different and priceless, all you have to do is go out and hunt the one that produces the most beautiful sound. Hence, we need to find the guitar whose notes and music touch our heart. That way we can reach out to other people with our own music.

What to Look for When Buying a Guitar?

Victor Wooten, the world-famous bass guitar legend often advocates that people should use instruments and equipment which they like, are comfortable with and like the sound of. So basically being comfortable with your guitar is very important. Hence my first recommendation to you is that buy a guitar of the right body size with which you are comfortable. There are three body types of acoustic guitars:

• Classic: The classic one is the smallest of all and has a complex internal network of wood frames, which makes its musical box a bit heavy and the output notes are rounded. Playing this guitar requires quite an effort. However, once you get a hang of it, deriving beautiful notes is not that difficult a task.
• Dreadnought: The dreadnought is a medium-sized guitar and the supporting network of wood frames in the sound box are a little less complex. This guitar is the most popular one and is quite easy to play. The volume of the note is reasonable and also quite easy to derive. For beginners, this is the best acoustic guitar.
• Jumbo: The next size which is the biggest of all is the jumbo size. The network of wood frames that is used inside is a bit less complex. Playing a jumbo sized guitar is exceptionally difficult, owing to the fact that the notes are difficult to control.

Now, if you are planning to buy a really good guitar, then you will need to short list the type which you are comfortable with. This depends upon how many years you have been playing and your arm and finger length. As mentioned above opt for an instrument which makes you feel comfortable. After playing the instrument for a while, it should become a sort of extension of your body.

Next off, it is wiser to check the woodwork of the guitar as the choice of wood often influences the quality of sound that comes out of the guitar. Now, check the wood of the neck, back and top of the sound box, and sides of the sound box. When it comes to acoustic guitars, wood on the top and side of the sound box is supposed to be lighter, should have a great resonance and must respond to sound properly. The back, neck and headstock of the guitar should have heavier wood. The following points will give you some idea regarding what type of wood to look for.

• Top of the Sound Box: The wood that is used for tops needs to have a high velocity of sound. Hence woods such as red spruce and Sitka are used for such purposes. Ins some cases, Brazilian rosewood is also used. Classical guitars which usually have thicker-low frequency or synthetic strings also have tops machined from woods such as mahogany, maple and ebony. Such guitars usually offer punchy and rounded notes.
• Back of the Sound Box: Most of the low velocity of sound woods are used in back construction of the guitar's sound back. Mahogany, ebony and Koa are the popular woods for back construction.
• Side of the Sound Box: The sides of the sound box are most critical components while engineering the sound box. The reason is that the wood used needs to be extremely sturdy and yet should possess good acoustic range and a reasonable quality of sound velocity. The conventionally used woods for the sides include, mahogany and koa.
• Neck Wood: Lastly, see the neck wood. Here, neck woods don't require high resonance, however very thick and dense woods are also no suitable. A perfect median where sounds from neck can travel to the sound box, needs to be used. Maple is remarkably well-balanced wood that can resonate in a very well-balanced manner. Some other similar woods include, Brazilian rosewood, Indian rosewood and bass wood.

Brands and Models: Suggestions

Frankly speaking good acoustic guitars, which are well-crafted sounds great. Of course costlier and more advanced guitars and brands, which have been built with the help of well evolved wood tend to sound like heaven. For this you will have to take up a proper guitar brand comparison. Among the best acoustic guitar brands take Martin and Martin and Co. guitars for an example. These acoustic guitars are built with help of a fascinating and well improved technology. The techniques of manufacture used by the company tend to make these guitars the godfathers of acoustic guitars. Now companies like Martin and Ovation offer high-end and very costly guitar models. For a mid range (cost wise) and affordable guitar, you can try brands such as, Taylor, Takamine and Cordoba. Legendary electric guitar manufacturers such as Ibanez, Gibson, Fender and Yamaha also manufacture an amazing sortie of guitar models. In fact, semi-acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars are very well reputed and popular among artists. Some convectional models of guitars that you can opt for includes:

• Yamaha C40PKG
• Ibanez GA5
• Cordoba CP110 Classical
• Takamine EG128SC
• Squier MA1 Mini
• Gibson Acoustic Blues King
• Gibson Acoustic Dove
• Gibson SJ200
• Martin D-18
• Martin HD-28 Standard Dreadnought

Now when it comes to acoustic guitars, it must also be noted that strings make a genuine difference. In such a case, to make the guitar sound good, you need to choose the right strings. Martin and Co makes some of the best strings, however they tend to be quite costly. In such a case, Elixir, D'addario, Rotto sound and Ernie ball strings can be used.