Acoustic Cutaway

[jp2558]

It's not the guitar that gets people's attention, it's the player, however I have two cutaways, and I wish my M-36 had one.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by TwangGang

@Barry above - on the contrary a traditional Bluegrass band is NOT plugged in (thus the predominance of dreadnoughts and jumbos) all members stand around one microphone and if it's your turn to take a solo you move closer to it to be heard over the banjo, fiddle, and mandolin.

Ahh, ok, thanks.

[printer2]

I have a couple of cutaways that need to be finished, probably start on the neck of one today. What does the cutaway have to do with the sound of the guitar? Little acoustical energy is radiated by the upper bout. Some luthiers try to limit the sound from this area, some try to make it active. Generally this is not a major sound producer. The lack of volume in the box has minimal effect on the volume or the resonances produced.

Side by side comparisons between guitars? They all sound a little different from each other. Cutaway or not. Pick the guitar you like the sound of. I am going to build a cutaway guitar for myself just because I want to practice stuff that would be played on electrics and I want to noodle around without plugging in. If you have a reason to get to the upper frets then get a cutaway. If not, pick the guitar that you like the sound of.

[boombox]

I think Larry's post above answers the question pretty definitively.

Here on the AGF, it always seems cutaways get a raw deal, but really, it's down to what you hear that matters. All I will offer on the subject is this: if this guy used a cutaway, then cutaways are fine by me!

[handers]

Originally Posted by FatFingerCharli

Greetings,
I am pretty new to playing the guitar and am wondering about cutaways on acoustic guitars. I understand that one can access further up the fretboard easier with a cutaway but does the cutaway affect how the guitar sounds?
I have not seen many guitars with cutaways at the Bluegrass festivals we have attended the past several years.
If this has been covered before, please point me in the direction of that thread.
I did not find it when I used the search function.
Thank you

In well-made cutaways there is nothing lost tonally. Nothing.

hans

[Tannin]

Play them side-by side. Open your ears. The difference is not huge but it is obvious. If the upper bout that cutaways remove a large part of really didn't do anything for the sound, guitars would be shaped like banjos.

[SingingSparrow]

..........................................

[printer2]

Originally Posted by Tannin

Play them side-by side. Open your ears. The difference is not huge but it is obvious. If the upper bout that cutaways remove a large part of really didn't do anything for the sound, guitars would be shaped like banjos.

So acoustically, what does the cutaway change?

[Tannin]

The best thing, Fred, is simply to play some otherwise identical ones side-by-side and see for yourself. Or watch those Youtube demos I provided earlier in the thread. It's pretty clear.

[Nama Ensou]

It really doesn't matter if it changes the sound of the guitar or not, but what does matter is whether you like it enough that you can make music without feeling shortchanged. I've been able to play and make money for years with my cutaway guitars.

If you never go high enough up the fretboard to make it matter, then go with what sounds best to you; and if you think you like the cutaway guitars then you don't need any justification for buying what you like.

[H. Mac]

Originally Posted by DukeX

A lot of folks like cuts. A lot of folks don't.

If I were you I wouldn't worry about it. None of these people are you.

There’s a lot of wisdom in DukeX’s post, and it says it all.

I’m not a fan of cutaway acoustics and wouldn’t have one.

My friend though is just the opposite. He swears by cutaways, and wouldn’t own a non-cutaway. He has 5 high end acoustics all with cutaways, one or two of which had to specially ordered with the cutaways.

And in the 26 years I’ve known him, I’ve never once seen him play beyond the 5th fret!

[ASC67]

Originally Posted by boombox

I think Larry's post above answers the question pretty definitively.

Here on the AGF, it always seems cutaways get a raw deal, but really, it's down to what you hear that matters. All I will offer on the subject is this: if this guy used a cutaway, then cutaways are fine by me!

Don't get me wrong I'm a big Jerry fan, but Jerry was not known for having great acoustic tone . He used lighter strings and a piezo under saddle pickup for live shows.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by Tannin

The best thing, Fred, is simply to play some otherwise identical ones side-by-side and see for yourself. Or watch those Youtube demos I provided earlier in the thread. It's pretty clear.

Well do not have access to a lot of guitars to find identical cutaway and non-cutaway guitars so I am taking your word for it. I would figure if it was a consistent thing that happens all guitars that have a section removed it would be easy to say what it 'missing' from a cutaway guitar from its similar full size model. Is it the bass, the midrange, the treble? Is it quieter? If it is clear this is something that should be easily describable and easy to pinpoint what is causing the difference. Is it the loss of volume in the body or the loss of the radiation from that section of the top?

[Ds114]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

I think that's mostly personal opinion, but I once had a well-known luthier tell me cutaways reduced total sound by 15%. Whether or not that can actually be heard may vary.

15% of what? I am not a luthier or sound engineer, but the only quantifiable measure of sound I am aware of is SPL. And a luthier who generalizes like that is one I would pass on.

That's like claiming all season tires on any performance car takes away 15% of performance. Worthless comment

[rllink]

I didn't think that I would like one until I got one. I think it was more aesthetics than anything. That it might not sound exactly like the non cutaway model was not a consideration. I didn't need to do a comparison study. Different guitars sound different. It is neither good nor bad. I like the sound of the cutaway fine.