Lets Talk Acoustic Guitars

It seems fit that i should write a post on acoustic guitars, seeing as i just bought one. So what is it about acoustic guitars? What sets them aside for their electric counterparts? Apart from the obvious.

Well the biggest thing is that you can be more percussive on an acoustic guitar, this allows you to explore many new avenues in your playing. This can also truly inspire you to create more interesting rhythms within your playing. Guitarists such as Newton Faulkner and Eric Roach utilise the percussive capabilities of the acoustic guitar in their music, creating a distinctive sound and style.

So what do you look for when buying an acoustic guitar?
First of all you want to try out as many guitars as you can and find a body shape that suites you.
you have a few like the dreadnought,

the parlour,

the slim line,

etc...............

But you want to find the one that gives you the sound you want whilst still being comfortable to play.

Next you want to find a guitar with low action (the distance between the stings and the fret board) along the neck if you and playing conventualy, so that the guitar is easy the play and will not tire your fretting hand. However if you are planing on playing slide guitar you will want to go for a guitar whith higher action, this will help to avoid fret buzz.

Finaly but posibley most importantly is the woods, focusing on the tops / soundboards material.
If you are looking for mellow tones, then you will want to find a guitar made from softer woods.
The softer woods will absorb more of the vibrations giving you a mellower sound with less projection. Hard woods on the other hand, as you might have already guessed, are perfect for brighter tones. This is because the harder woods reflect more of the vibrations creating a brighter, cutting, projective sound.

 So I hoped this helped all of you who are planning to venture out into the jungle of the music store to find your new companion in music.