Is the beauty of the backs of guitars wasted?

[RussellHawaii]

I’ve bought several guitars for the beauty of the back wood. I wish they had more chances to get seen! But I admire the beauty of the wood, which is best shown on the back.[ATTACH]56708
For exhibit A, here’s the BRW back of my SCGC ‘1934OM’. Sunlight really brings out the hues. It’s not the reason I bought it, but it sure didn’t hurt!

[Jim Comeaux]

I think of the backs of my guitars sort of like “my personal little secret pleasure”. It’s there primarily for my pleasure and enjoyment. You can see it once in a while, sort of a little tease.

[guitar george]

It's the part of the guitar that you pay the most money for and what draws many people to a particular guitar and what they'll pay the big bucks for, so, I guess a lot of people like to admire the backs of guitars and think it adds a lot of value. It's an ego thing.

[Glennwillow]

I remember watching Peter Yarrow put on his guitar before playing with Peter, Paul & Mary and seeing the rosewood back of his Martin 12-fret dreadnought and actually gasping about the beauty of that back. That was a long time ago and I still remember the scene.

Mostly, it's us guitar players that get to see the backs of our guitars, but we keep them close to our hearts.

The back of my 1967 Martin D-35 showing off a 3-piece back in BRW is still a thing of beauty.

- Glenn

[Goodallboy]

Did they say they backs don’t matter in terms of sound? I don’t think they did, rather they said they don’t focus or get wound up about a guitar back.

I think we all care about the materials in our guitars, as that is one of the keys to the overall enjoyment, and an “ok” sound isn’t gonna cut it.

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by thomasinaz

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

Jumbo backside - what's not to love!

[wguitar]

While I (like most others seem to) appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of my guitars, it is the music that I make with a given guitar, the tone, the sound, the feel, the resonance, etc. that really matters to me. I'm not sure how I would answer this question myself, but would you spend say $3,000 on a pristine, gorgeous high end guitar or a fraction of that for comparable guitar (same brand, year, model, and with essentially the same acoustic qualities) with a notably scratched or otherwise unattractive back ?

BTW, some GREAT looking back pictured in the responses so far!

[Rosewood99]

When I say wasted, I mean you don’t see it nearly as much as the front of your guitar. Seems such a shame that such beauty only gets seen a fraction of the time as the rest of the guitar.

And it is starting to prove my point that one of the big attractions of the back guitars is being able to post it on the forum.

I care much more about how the front of the guitar looks then in the back. But to each his own.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by wguitar

I'm not sure how I would answer this question myself, but would you spend say $3,000 on a pristine, gorgeous high end guitar or a fraction of that for comparable guitar (same brand, year, model, and with essentially the same acoustic qualities) with a notably scratched or otherwise unattractive back ?

BTW, some GREAT looking back pictured in the responses so far!

I think you know my answer. Give me a froggy bottom at half price with a scarred up back and I’d be the happiest man in the world. Would not bother me in the least.

[TBman]

I enjoy a good looking guitar. I'm lucky in that all of my all solid woods are good lookers too. Not flamboyant at all, but that good ol straight grain look.

[jaymarsch]

I sometimes put my guitar on the stand with the back facing out just so I can enjoy the beauty of the back wood. The back of my 16 year old cocobolo Wingert has darkened so much over the years, it’s almost black and then the sun hits it and I glimpse some faint burnt honey colored streaks. Gorgeous wood.
Best,
Jayne

[perttime]

Playing the guitar (for a man) is a bit like kissing a girl. You might not see the other side while you are doing it but you still appreciate it.

... I can find my way out ...

[Mandobart]

You must have missed this thread.....

[EZYPIKINS]

I've got a friend that just oooo's and aaaahhhh's over the back. But when it's being played all you see is the plain Jane Spruce.

As for a woman. My attitude has always been.

I hate to see you leave. But I love watching you walk away.

[BrunoBlack]

Not wasted on me. Of course tone & feel come first, but given there are millions of guitars to choose from, I think it’s possible to have everything you want.