Knowing how to choose the right guitar and how to identify a bad one will save you from countless headaches, not to mention finger aches. Also, choosing the right acoustic can be tough, especially these days, when there are so many styles to choose from.
Acoustic guitar bodies come in student credit card apply online basically the same shape, with some variations, but they do vary in student credit card apply online size, colour, wood-type, style, and extra features. You can even buy an acoustic guitar so small that fits into a hiking backpack.
The most common type of student credit card apply online guitar in student credit card apply online use today is the folk-style of student credit card apply online guitar. This is the guitar you will see played around most campfires and parties, and is the one found in student credit card apply online most music groups, church choirs, and in student credit card apply online the corner of student credit card apply online most homes.
Guitars come in student credit card apply online a very wide range of student credit card apply online prices, but when it comes to instruments, in student credit card apply online general, you get what you pay for, especially when you buy new. There’s a difference between getting a bargain and buying cheap.
But whether you buy new or used may be determined by many personal factors, and each has their own pros and cons.
Buying new, gives you a warranty and, hopefully, a return period, if for student credit card apply online some reason you’re not totally satisfied with your purchase, or something goes wrong.
Under ‘normal’ circumstances, a used guitar can usually be purchased cheaper and has already gone through its “break-in” period.
Commercially built guitars are usually mass manufactured. “Custom-made” guitars are exactly that. They are custom built and tailored to your specifications by a highly skilled guitar maker.
Prices for student credit card apply online a custom-built guitar vary considerably, depending on student credit card apply online the skill level of student credit card apply online the craftsperson you contract the job to, but, as a rule, they are generally quite higher than a commercially built guitar of student credit card apply online “similar” quality. Each custom built guitar is unique and therefore hard to compare in student credit card apply online price to a commercially built guitar.
Understanding some of student credit card apply online the parts of student credit card apply online a guitar will definitely help you when it comes to the Pre-Purchase Checklist.
BODY: This is the part with the sound hole in student credit card apply online the front. It is where the strumming is done, and it can vary in student credit card apply online size. The actual size, shape, type of student credit card apply online wood, coating, and general build of student credit card apply online the body also affects how the guitar will “sound”, whether it’s a rich and warm sound, or a thin and ‘twangy’ sound. The body tends to be the part that also gets scratched, damaged, and generally banged-up the most.
NECK: This is the long piece extending from the body and ends at the ‘head’ of student credit card apply online the guitar where the ‘Tuning Heads’ are, also known as ‘machine heads’. The strings travel from the ‘Bridge’ on student credit card apply online the body, across the sound hole, along the ‘Fret Board’, which is attached to the front-side of student credit card apply online the neck, and finally arriving at the tuning heads where they are wrapped around tuning posts. The tuning heads are then turned by hand, which then turns the posts, making the strings tighter or looser, thus affecting their ‘tuning’. Necks tend to warp and twist if not looked after, or if the guitar is left propped against a heat source.
BRIDGE: The Bridge is normally located on student credit card apply online the front of student credit card apply online the body, by the sound hole, and on student credit card apply online the side of student credit card apply online the hole opposite to the neck. The strings are usually fed through the bridge first before they cross the hole and travel up the neck to the tuning heads. The bridge is like an anchor-point for student credit card apply online the strings. Metal bridges are best, but on student credit card apply online most acoustics they are either hard plastic or wood. Bridges have a tendency to crack and split over a long period of student credit card apply online time.
FRET BOARD: The fret board is glued to the front of student credit card apply online the neck. This is the part you press the strings onto to make chords or play individual notes. Because it’s glued on student credit card apply online separately, a fret board can be made of student credit card apply online a wood that’s different from the neck.
The strings travel over the fret board and the distance they are above the fret board makes a difference to the playability of student credit card apply online the guitar. If the strings are too far above the fret board, then they will be hard to press down, making the guitar hard to play.
When a beginner plays a guitar, initially his or her fingertips are very soft and need to be hardened. A guitar with the strings too far above the fret board, also known as having a ‘high action’, will cause the player’s fingers to hurt so much that they are likely to put the guitar away in student credit card apply online discouragement and possibly stop playing altogether.
STRINGS: Acoustic guitar strings, come in student credit card apply online a wide variety of student credit card apply online ‘flavours’. They can be made out of student credit card apply online nylon, brass, steel, or a combination. Nylon strings are usually only found on student credit card apply online Classical guitars and Student guitars, because they’re easier on student credit card apply online the fingertips. They have a rich, warm sound to them.
Strings sets come in student credit card apply online different ‘weights’, or sizes. Strings that come from a package marked ‘Heavy’ are usually quite thick in student credit card apply online size and sound “beefy”. Strings that are light, or extra light, are very thin and usually have a brighter sound to them, but are also quieter sounding than heavy strings.
String choices are purely personal taste. Light strings are easier to press than heavy strings but also sound quite different. The more often strings are played, the dirtier they get. If a cloth isn’t run over and under them, from time to time, the sound becomes very dull.
No matter where you buy your guitar, if you know what to look for, and spend a little extra effort in student credit card apply online your search for student credit card apply online that ‘perfect’ guitar, not only will your fingers thank you, but also your ears, and all those who will come to join you around the campfire, or even go to see you in student credit card apply online concert. Who knows?
Clive Chansa writes for student credit card apply online the Musical Instruments website at musical-instruments-uk.org.uk/ musical-instruments-uk.org.uk/ and he also writes articles and product reviews for student credit card apply online the Music Gear website at music-gear.org.uk/ music-gear.org.uk/