Is the beauty of the backs of guitars wasted?

[Rosewood99]

You don’t see it while you’re playing, you don’t see it if it’s hanging on the wall or on the stand, and you definitely don’t see it when it’s in its case. I got a great deal on one of my guitars because it had some scratches on the back. I could care less since I rarely see it. I sometimes wonder why so much attention is spent to the cosmetics of the back of guitars. Probably the only time we see them is when people share photos of them on this forum.

[airborne1]

I look at my guitars, including the backs, every time I play them.

This includes a wipe down where I really appreciate the wood.

[FoxHound4690]

I remember watching some of Peach guitars unboxing videos on youtube and they had a big shipment of Martin guitars come in and some of the backs on them were even more posh looking than the front it's like Wow you wouldn't want to be playing these guitars if you were wearing a belt 0.o

[Guitars44me]

Beauty is never wasted... although seldom appreciated as much as it should be.

I like to admire the backs of MY guitars, even if I don't see many others... I don't freak out over dings too much, since they are tools!

And if they aren't PLAYED they are really wasted.

Best to be very careful when playing wasted! Hahaha

Play on

Paul

[egordon99]

I buy guitars for MY enjoyment and I certainly enjoy looking at the backs of them.

[Tannin]

Backs are the part of the guitar where you get to see lots of really beauitiful wood. It so happens that nearly all of the best top timbers are very plain: Sitka Spruce, Red Spruce, European Spruce, Western Red Cedar, Bunya, various pine species .... they are all very plain looking as a rule. Only the not-so-popular hardwood tops - things like Koa, Blackwood, and mahogany - offer a bit of eye candy, and even then only sometimes.

The obvious exception is Californian Redwood, which can be quite spectacular. Cole Clark use it a lot, but the way they employ it always strikes me as like wearing an aloha shirt in a board meeting - yes, it's very "look at me, look at me!" but perhaps not in the best of taste. And in any case, it is a rare timber that will probably never be very common simply because it takes 100 years or more to grow.

Compare those plain pines and spruces we make tops out of with the wonderful variety of pretty back and sides timbers, so many that I'm not even going to try to start listing them - there are hundreds.

[Rev Roy]

No beautiful craftmanship on any guitar is ever a waste. At least not to me…

[Bob Womack]

This is the one and only time I wore that belt while playing a guitar and it was for a photo session back in 1979.



And to answer the question, I get to see the back of the guitar. I am the player. I get to see the back. It is enough.

I still have the guitar.

Bob

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

No beautiful craftmanship on any guitar is ever a waste. At least not to me…

That’s my feeling, as well, though the visual extravagance of flamboyant backs and sides is far less important to me than the sound the guitars make. First things first, and in a musical instrument the tone is the first thing, not the grain of the wood.


Wade Hampton Miller

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Guitars44me

I like to admire the backs of MY guitars, even if I don't see many others... I don't freak out over dings too much, since they are tools!

I'm okay with dings, but when it comes to belt rash on the back of a guitar, I view that as unnecessary carnage.

[hamburg325]

Can't have a beautiful guitar without having a beautiful back.

I admire backs just about every time I play.

[Deliberate1]

I may be alone in this experience, but I have fallen in love over a beautiful backside.
Many times.
David

[jimmy bookout]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

You don’t see it while you’re playing, you don’t see it if it’s hanging on the wall or on the stand, and you definitely don’t see it when it’s in its case. I got a great deal on one of my guitars because it had some scratches on the back. I could care less since I rarely see it. I sometimes wonder why so much attention is spent to the cosmetics of the back of guitars. Probably the only time we see them is when people share photos of them on this forum.

So...what's your point?

You got a deal on a guitar with a scratched up back...and you don't care that it's scratched up. Or...you actually do care that it's scratched up, hence, this thread that you started.

And no, beautiful back and sides are NOT wasted...they're beautiful and are part of the joy of owning a guitar.

[thomasinaz]

I admire this Jumbo backside quite a bit. No wasted back beauty here.

[whvick]

For the guys that say back beauty does not matter, you can buy HPL /Formica backs. They look cheap but sound OK.
I like to look at rosewood, but like the sound of mahogany
So yes, backs do matter.