What is important to you in an acoustic guitar?

[Kh1967]

Hi All,

Would love to have a discussion about what we look for in an acoustic guitar. I personally don't believe that one brand is "better or worse" than another, as we all have different qualities that we look for. So, with that in mind, what are the qualities in a guitar that work best for you?

I will start....For me, in no particular order, I look for the following:

1. Comfort...both in overall size and neck profile
2. Warmth and clarity - that is always a wrangle
3. Build quality - I favor exceptional build quality - it just matters to me
4. A company/individual builder that stands behind their product
5. Overall Tone - of course. But, my ears are not everyone else's, so it has to grab me.
6. Value proposition - does the amount of money I spend align with what I am receiving?
7. Excellent relationship with the seller/dealer - it's a community to me...I value the friendship(s)
8. How do I sound playing it? I have played some exceptional guitars that I can make sound pretty bad

Curious to hear from the rest of you!

[brencat]

1. Neck profile -- Deep C to V shapes preferred, 1 3/4 nut mandatory
2. Tone -- Must be vintage voiced. If not a Martin, as close to Martin sound as possible
3. Forgiving playability and responsiveness all over the neck
4. Vintage appointments -- Paddle headstock, traditional bridge shape, open geared butterbean tuners, etc.
5. Ease of future resale -- Because I'm fickle

[Joe Beamish]

Playability: body comfort, neck comfort, etc.

Sound: Versatile, great up and down the neck, balanced bass, mids, trebles, good projection, a voice

X factor: has a magic something-something altogether

1. How sexy it makes me look.

[Kh1967]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

1. How sexy it makes me look.

And, there you have it....time to close the thread.

[WiseAxe]

Again, comfort.

Of course, tone, much of which, is up to the player. Nice to have a unique sound, an anomaly that engages the ear.

And some bling, just to give those who are listening something to look at.

[foxo]

Does anyone else smell the sound hole in the shop? I can’t help myself.

[WiseAxe]

Originally Posted by foxo

Does anyone else smell the sound hole in the shop? I can’t help myself.

Easy... steady there, ol' FoxO. I'll eat what the waitress brings.

[RussL30]

Tone.

Great balance and not too bass or treble heavy. I love a great mid range. Bass can be strong as long as it isn’t overpowering everything else. I think this why I gravitate to Taylors and Gibsons and my favorite Martins are the old straight braced 18’s. Also must be able to handle strumming.


I’m pretty comfortable with most body styles , nut widths and neck shapes and action can always be adjusted.

[darylcrisp]

Originally Posted by Kh1967

Hi All,

Would love to have a discussion about what we look for in an acoustic guitar. I personally don't believe that one brand is "better or worse" than another, as we all have different qualities that we look for. So, with that in mind, what are the qualities in a guitar that work best for you?

I will start....For me, in no particular order, I look for the following:

1. Comfort...both in overall size and neck profile
2. Warmth and clarity - that is always a wrangle
3. Build quality - I favor exceptional build quality - it just matters to me
4. A company/individual builder that stands behind their product
5. Overall Tone - of course. But, my ears are not everyone else's, so it has to grab me.
6. Value proposition - does the amount of money I spend align with what I am receiving?
7. Excellent relationship with the seller/dealer - it's a community to me...I value the friendship(s)
8. How do I sound playing it? I have played some exceptional guitars that I can make sound pretty bad

Curious to hear from the rest of you!

Kori
You nailed my list and in the exact order

[Pitar]

Playability. To me that includes sound in the sense that if it isn't there, it isn't playable.

Effortless finger picking without having to dig out balance from one or more strings is huge. Nothing is more frustrating than playing a guitar that requires emphasis to keep balance in volume. Example: Taylors require bass emphasis, Martins require treble emphasis.

Fret hand finger pressure should be identical across all strings and frets between the first and twelfth frets. This is inclusive of string spacing that's conducive to clearly fretting any string without the added task of pinpoint accuracy to prevent muting adjacent strings.

Intonation should be even across the span.

Resonance and projection must be on par regardless of the string plucked.

The thumb's pressure should not be subject to asymmetry in the manner a V-Shape neck causes. This translates to changing muscle nuances for fret hand movement whereas a constant curve, such as a C-Shape, does not induce as significant a change upon the thumb's task.

No sound board impingement such as a pick guard. I won't conclude that they dampen the sound board but logic tells me any applique on a drumhead is a dampener.

The rest of the guitar's architecture can be negotiated if I have the above.

[LadysSolo]

Comfort/playability (equal for me)
Tone
Build quality
Price (if I can't afford it, the rest really doesn't matter)

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

1. How sexy it makes me look.

Yeah Baby!!

Actually for me it's tone, tone, tone. Playability can be changed.

[1833]

Priced within my price range- (I have to be able to afford it )
1 3/4 nut
Comfortable for me to play
A sound my ears like
Simple legendary look
Real wood everything
Made in the US

[champ0608]

Lately...its very important to me that it be a Collings D1 variant