what attracts you to a guitar visually?

Hi guys,

what attracts you to a guitar based on looks alone? No we are not talking about tone or feel, that's another discussion so what is it about the appearance of a guitar that grabs you?

[rstaight]

Being a woodworker it has to be the wood grain. How well are the backs book matched. How well the finish is applied.

To me some of the highly decorated instruments just look plain gaudy. Simpler is better in my opinion.

[swarfrat]

39-21-46.. I'm a sucker for jumbos.

[Silly Moustache]

It just has t be the whole package.
Priority 1 - The neck has to fit my hands and my style.
Priority 2 - It has to look like a Martin or a Gibson (this is bias but other stylings simply don't appeal to me - Yes, I'm "conditioned".
Priority 3 - fit and finish. This has to me to a high standard - I'm a Collings player - I've been spoilt. If the fit and finish is right - then the likelihood is that the whole thing has been well built.

[Hack Guitarist]

I'm a sucker for mahogany, always have been. Although I have a GS Mini Koa that is beautiful. I'm not big on glossy finishes, prefer satin. I am a woodworker so I really appreciate the exotic woods on some guitars even though I can't afford them. Painted guitars are a turn-off for sure.

[Pnewsom]

I like it when they write stuff like Collings, Martin, or Gibson on the headstock. I find that attractive.

I forgot to add bling as a poll option so if that's you vote "other". I can't edit polls.

[121]

I voted other.
I like appearance of contours and bevels.
If the body has those features the guitar is usually very comfortable to play.

[fitness1]

Whole package....

it's more about things that turn me off:

Pickguards, ivoroid or plastic anything, bridges that look like they are upside down or melting, herringbone or dyed wood purflings done with strange colors, anything other than spruce tops, overly inlaid fingerboards, just to name a few.

[The Bard Rocks]

I voted "whole package", but will elaborate. I like rounded shapes more than squared ones. OOO is better than OM, Slope shoulder is better than regular dread. Symmetry is VERY important to my aesthetic taste. I have rejected guitars with headstocks that are odd or unbalanced looking to me and probably will continue to do so. Ditto for odd bridges. And for the same reason I don't like cutaways and off-set soundholes. (Soundports are OK as you don't see them from the front or back.)

Getting nittier in my picking, i like a contrast between the top and B&S woods. I am a sucker for chatoyance and figure in wood. Unusual yet great woods have a special attraction. I do not want too many different woods used in one guitar, two (impossible?) or three is best. I do NOT like runout; it bugs me.

I like an elegant look more than fancy, but want just enough fanciness so that anyone will recognize I have something special. This could be an abalone binding, a single special inlay - I am open to suggestions here.

Rosettes: some of the modern ones appeal to me yet many don't. I like some abalone or something with a bit of sparkle, something different. Not too fancy, but striking. That said there is not a rosette in my collection that excites me, which only illustrates that I am willing to compromise to get what I want in tone and playabliity, etc (which is not what we are discussing here).

Binding: I like herringbone, not that I have one. Some of the old marquetry bindings are stunning; you don't see them often on modern guitars, a shame. B/W or wood stripes can be OK too. I have already mention abalone and pearly bindings. That covers a lot of ground, yet many bindings leave me cold.

I expect near flawless fit and finish. Many companies and nearly all individual builders accomplish this. But I know that after enough time there will be mars created by me that overshadow any mistakes" they may make. And a glossy finish; others appear "cheap" to my eye.

When I order a custom guitar, I tell the luthier that the looks are really about all I can influence - but not to ever allow my choices to undermine the tone, playability and stability of the finished guitar. And don't let me take them too far beyond their comfort zone.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by swarfrat

....I'm a sucker for jumbos.

Yeah, there's nothing like a 17" lower bout jumbo. I especially like a nice burst, an abalone rosette, and an ebony fretboard.... And a choice silky top....

Guild F50R

[Ncbandit]

No pick guard!!

[jaymarsch]

I voted the whole package. I may have my aesthetic preferences in terms of body shape and woods but when it comes right down to it, if the form and function are both there, it is usually a winner in my book. Obviously, the tone has to be there but I can appreciate a well designed and crafted instrument visually even if the tone doesn't float my boat.

When I first ordered my custom Kramer, I was not sure about his uniquely designed pick guard and we spoke about altering it slightly. But when he finished the instrument, I realized that his design fit perfectly with the whole of what he was aiming for aesthetically. I decided on his usual pick guard shape and I am really glad that I did as it works as part of the whole package. People have said that it would not be a shape that they would traditionally be drawn to but when they see it on the guitar they like the vibe of this meld between traditional features with a modern flair.

Aesthetics are like tone - deeply personal and unique to each person's sensibilities and preferences.

Best,
Jayne

[RalphH]

I like good quality and high workmanship without being ostentatious. I strongly dislike bling. I love nice looking wood, but not normally really wild stuff.

I prefer matt and satin finishes to gloss. I like a guitar that looks like a faithful friend not like a work of art or a diamond necklace, but I don't like most 'relic'd' guitars as I find them kinda fake.

I also quite strongly dislike plain / yellow spruce tops and plain mahogany tops - I much prefer a sunburst of some sort. Koa is OK on its own, but again I prefer a dark burst. I thought I strongly disliked the look of all Martins, but having seen a couple of Ambertone ones I no-longer feel that way so I guess it was mostly the plain tops that were putting me off most, though I still find them kinda clunky looking. I don't see myself ever buying a martin. I much prefer Taylor and Gibson looks. No mustache bridges though.

I tend to prefer plainer plastic binding and rosettes, but I like some nice MOP heastock inlays. I like interesting fret markers - split diamonds, stars, trapezoids, etc, but not when things get beyond that like trees of life and stuff.

[srbell]

I voted whole package. Taylor's 814ce DLX and K24ce are pretty much spot-on for what I like aesthetically. They're both different, but show pretty much what I like.
I love beautify wood grain, so no paint. I like abalone rosettes and fretboard inlays but do not like abalone bindings as it just seems to blingy. Plastic pickguards, particularly tortoloid, is a big turnoff for me. I much prefer either wood or no pickguard. I don't like wild looking bridges (if it looks like a mustache it's a no-go for me). I want the soundhole in the traditional location under the strings, unless it's the Ovation grape leaves type.