[QUEST] hybrid acoustic/classic nylon string guitar

[Dikkie]

Originally Posted by ukejon

it is a bit hard to tell if you are buying with your eyes or your ears.

Yes and no.
When looking on the internet only, you can't feel and hear it, yet.
As a photographer, I certainly use my eyes, see beauty in guitars

However, I'm not only looking, but doing some research while reading the net. I already learned a lot about tonewoods, body sizes, laminated or solid woods,...
As I'm making a list first of all available guitars in the price range I'm interested in, I can compare all characteristics in function of tone. The sound is the most important for me, however it needs to have a cutaway which reduces the full-body sound already a bit.

I contacted a few shops already to see which ones have guitars in stock with the preferences I need (there are few of them that have these crossovers), my next step is to visit them to feel and hear them.
As I'm comparing already a 20 different brands, only 2 of them will be in stock next month in a local store to test out.

From that moment, I can decide if I have to look for other tonewoods, or change my preferences a bit to adjust the guitar to the right sound.
Last step is buying the guitar. I don't need it asap, I can wait a few months until I have the right one.

But yes, I can't deny I use my eyes too.

[ukejon]

Originally Posted by Dikkie

Yes and no.
When looking on the internet only, you can't feel and hear it, yet.
As a photographer, I certainly use my eyes, see beauty in guitars

However, I'm not only looking, but doing some research while reading the net. I already learned a lot about tonewoods, body sizes, laminated or solid woods,...
As I'm making a list first of all available guitars in the price range I'm interested in, I can compare all characteristics in function of tone. The sound is the most important for me, however it needs to have a cutaway which reduces the full-body sound already a bit.

I contacted a few shops already to see which ones have guitars in stock with the preferences I need (there are few of them that have these crossovers), my next step is to visit them to feel and hear them.
As I'm comparing already a 20 different brands, only 2 of them will be in stock next month in a local store to test out.

From that moment, I can decide if I have to look for other tonewoods, or change my preferences a bit to adjust the guitar to the right sound.
Last step is buying the guitar. I don't need it asap, I can wait a few months until I have the right one.

But yes, I can't deny I use my eyes too.

Of course that makes sense to use your eyes because aesthetic appeal is important. But it is worth noting that some of the lesser sounding guitars out there try to make up for it by adding eye-candy. Excessive bling on a guitar under $1000 can sometimes be a red flag for other shortcomings, for example poor build quality and sound.

Also, while thin body can have a marked effect on both tone and volume you won't find the same problem with a well made, regular body-depth crossover. I'm pretty sure in a blind listening test even the best musicians might have a hard time discerning a cutaway from a full bout version of the same model, and this applies to steel string guitars as well as nylon.

Good luck with your search.