A Buyer’s Guide to Acoustic Guitars

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What Makes Acoustic Guitars So Special?

Guitar purists gravitate to the unmistakable tones of the acoustic guitar. The sound quality from those twelve strings can showcase the talent of a player. Unlike electric guitars that depend heavily on amplifiers, acoustic guitar is a bright, clear sound.

The electric guitar is easier to learn, takes less effort to play and is easier to fake skill and talent. The acoustic guitar takes more reach and dexterity, which is definitely not something you can forge.

Guitarists love the feel of playing an acoustic almost as much as they love the sound. The vibrations of the sound within the guitar's wooden cavity can be felt - as if it's a second heartbeat as the instrument is held to the body.

The look of the acoustic guitar is classic and reflects the quality of the wood. The guitarist takes pride in the beauty of the instrument. The acoustic guitar has a larger body and wide neck, which is an advantage over electric guitars.

The design of the acoustic guitar lends itself toward folk songs, classical music or any composition that needs mellow, round tone quality. Without the amplifier pedal, the acoustic guitarist has only the dynamics of plucking the strings to change from soft to loud tones.

That's where talent combined with a superior instrument gives music that's beyond compare. Developing skill as an acoustic guitarist stretches the ability of the player, yet gives the best learning opportunity for a dedicated musician.

Even with a collection of guitars, don't be surprised to find that in quiet moments - when it's just you and the music, you'll reach for the acoustic guitar over all others.



Natural Acoustic Guitar 

From Amazon.com



Takamine S35 Jasmine Acoustic Guitar (Natural)

Amazon Price: $119.95 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $209.00

"This is my third guitar. They have all been entry level instruments, and it seems as fast as I buy them I give them to my children. This one I will keep. This is by far the best guitar of the previous two, and thinking back the least expensive. I cannot believe how well-made this instrument is, with close attention to detail. There were no short-cuts taken when assembling this guitar, those small details that usually distinguish entry level instuments. I would recommend this guitar to anyone."

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

Usually ships in 24 hours

Tips on Buying Cheap or Discounted Acoustic Guitars 

Buying an acoustic guitar is more challenging than car shopping and takes just as much research to find what's best suited to your personal use. You have to really "try before you buy"- to touch, play and critically listen to several acoustic guitars before making a choice.

Getting a good price is great - but only if it's the right guitar for your playing style.

The most important considerations are body, tone and appearance.

The body of an acoustic guitar is generally larger than electric guitars, so it needs to be a good fit for the player.

The length of the neck and the size of the body needs to be comfortable when you play. The tone of the acoustic guitar comes from the wood type and quality. Wood finishes can also be key features for the appearance as much as for sound.

A budget acoustic guitar will be constructed from cheaper wood types, but as long as the sound and size is suitable, it's a good deal for you. For appearance (as well as status), you can search for a good vintage acoustic guitar.

You might get lucky and find one in a secondhand store or at an estate sale even if it needs some refurbishing and string replacements. If you can find a vintage acoustic guitar, you may get excellent wood quality at a bargain price.

Check with guitar shops that accept trade-ins. You may get a bargain on an old acoustic traded-in that caters to the kind of personal taste you have in musical instruments.

Make sure you shop online once you make a decision about what kind of acoustic guitar will work best for you. With massive online competition, you'll get a better deal than if you shop locally.

Free Gift to New Acoustic Guitar Players:

Click here for your FREE 6-Part Acoustic Guitar E-course!

What's the Best Brand of Acoustic Guitar? 




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Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Package 

From Amazon.com



Yamaha Gigmaker Standard Acoustic Guitar Package

Amazon Price: $149.95 (as of 12/01/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $259.99

"Guitar is great and package includes: Protective Gig Bag - Digital Chromatic Tuner - Guitar Lessons DVD - Guitar Strap - Extra Strings - Guitar Picks."

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

What's the Best Brand of Acoustic Guitar on the Market? 

Acoustic guitars are essentially the same, yet have unique sound qualities from brand to brand.

Fender and Yamaha are practically household names in the guitar world. These time-tested brands have a wide variety of guitar designs, tones and size of acoustics.

While those are popular brands, acoustic guitar fans that lean toward the vintage instruments look at Martin, Gibson or Taylor guitars. None of these are cheap, but you have ample choices of woods - including rosewood, Hawaiian Koa and maple.

Best among the small-bodied steel strings are Taylor, Martin, Santa Cruz and Rainsong Graphite. The classic dreadnaughts are from Martin, Taylor, Gibson and Guild brands. If you want a jumbo acoustic, look at guitars from Martin, Taylor and Gibson.

Size isn't the only indicator of price. Acoustic guitars range from below $1,000 to over $5,000 in the new market. To make acoustic guitars more affordable, some brands use laminate woods. With new machinery processes, these cheaper laminate acoustics sound more like solid woods than in prior years when the sound quality difference was significant.

Beginners or electric guitarists seeking to convert to acoustic can find lower-quality laminate acoustic guitars for around $500 or under. These are the types that music teachers recommend for students, since they are durable and moderate in size.

For a good learner's acoustic guitar in this lower price range, look for Ovation, Larrivee, Washburn, Yamaha and Tacoma guitars.

With so many choices and price points - you can buy an acoustic to fit your present playing skills, then trade up to something of a higher quality later.

How to Adjust the Neck on an Acoustic Guitar 

Video from YouTube:

Tips On How to Set Up a Guitar : How to Adjust the Neck on an Acoustic Guitar

Learn how to make neck adjustments on an acoustic guitar truss rod from a professional guitar technician in this free guitar care video. Expert: Tim Ambrosuis Bio: Tim Ambrosius is professional guitar technician and manager at Keller Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has been playing guitar for 15 years and has worked as a professional technician for 10. Filmmaker: Jason Sager

Runtime: 151
84160 views
96 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

What Is an Acoustic Guitar? 

Article from Wikipedia:




An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only acoustic methods to project the sound produced by its strings. It is a retronym, coined after the advent of electric guitars, which depend on electronic amplification to make their sound audible.

Are You a Big Fan of Acoustic Guitars or A Beginner? 





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