Guitars have gained popularity in the last fifty or sixty years, but as musical instruments they have been around for centuries. Today's acoustic guitars are descendants of the classical guitar, which still retains its' own unique classification. While classical guitars have been around for centuries, the popularized version of the acoustic guitar has been in existence for about the last one hundred years.
The main difference between the classical acoustic guitar and the contemporary acoustic guitar is that the former is strung with nylon strings and the latter is strung with steel strings. Due to the steel strings in the contemporary guitar, it has a brighter sound and a louder volume which is more appealing to the contempory music of most genres. Today's acoustic guitars also have a larger body size, a reinforced and stronger structure and a more narrow neck than the classical guitar style. It also has a narrower neck that makes playing easier and faster, especially for the less accomplished guitar player. The bracing structure of the acoustic guitar is a major consideration for the contemporary acoustic guitar over its' classical version because it can withstand the increased tension on the neck and body placed on it by the stronger and heavier steel strings.
Acoustic electric guitars have been produced for approximately fifty or sixty years and are an extension of the contemporary acoustic guitar. These guitars are simply acoustic guitars that come supplied from the factory with an electronics package, in the form of pickups and/or a microphone, preinstalled. Many acoustic electric guitars also come equipped with a preamp and a blending system. Although acoustic electric guitars are generally built with the electronic components, most acoustic guitars can be retrofitted to include an electronics package. However, a luthier is required for this conversion in most cases because of the woodworking involved to accomodate the components.
The bodies of inferior and cheaper acoustic guitars are typically made from laminated tonewood, more commonly called plywood. However, the better quality and more expensive acoustics are made from better pieces of solid wood. Most commonly spruce is used in this construction due to its' tonal characteristics, but other woods like cedar are sometimes used. The wood from which the top and body are made is a major factor in the guitar's design do to the sound and expression of the guitar. Spruce top wood is popular due to its' bright and clear tonal qualities.
The neck of an acoustic guitar is usually made from maple, mahogany, or rosewood. However, some guitar necks are fabricated from different woods and the quality of the wood is a an important but secondary consideration to the type of wood itself. On the neck of the acoustic guitar is the fretboard. Most fretboards on the acoustic guitar are made of rosewood or ebony. More expensive acoustic guitars have fretboards made of higher quality woods. Usually the fretboard and the neck are constructed of differet woods.
The vibration of the strings is amplified through the soundhole of the guitar and is amplified inside of the guitar's body. This soundhole is analogous to your mouth and is where all sound that you hear comes from. If you look inside the soundhole of the acoustic guitar, you'll see the interior of the body and be able to observe some of the guitar's construction details. There are braces and linings, all essential to keeping the guitar intact and playable. X-bracing is a relativley newer constructure feature on acoustic guitars and is employed as a bracing system because it is strong and durable. It is typically used on today's acoustic guitars because it is heavy and strong enough to withstand the pressure of steel strings and it has a good strength to weight ratio.
On the body of the guitar below the soundhole is the bridge. This is where the bottom of the strings rest. The strings are inserted into the small holes and the bridge pegs hold them in place via a pressure fit. The nut, usually made of plastic or bone, is at the top of the neck and holds the strings in slots that are cut into it to maintain proper spacing before the strings are routed to the tuners.
The headstock of the Acoustic guitar features the tuners. The six tuners are usually situated three on each side of the headstock but other configurations are not uncommon. A quality Acoustic guitars will have die-cast tuners and Grover tuners are a quality brand that is favored because they will maintain the tuning of the guitar string for a longer period of time.
Like their Electric counterparts, Acoustic guitars are tuned in the standard E A D G B E tuning and most acoustic guitars are configured with six strings, while twelve string acoustic guitars are popular due to their increased harmonics.
The Acoustic guitar remains a very popular musical instrument that is popularized to each new generation by its' prevalence in most music genres. It is used in almost every style of music: rock, pop, country, blues, etc. Acoustic guitars are great instruments for both beginners looking to learn to play guitar and to skilled professionals. Generally speaking, acoustic guitars made from quality and solid woods in the necks such as maple or mahogany and bodies made with solid spruce top will provide a clearer and more pleasant tone. A quality acoustic guitar will cost approximately five hundred dollars or more, but great values can be found by purchasing a used acoustic guitar at significant price reductions over the cost of a new acoustic guitar.
Tags: contempory music, guitar player, Electric Guitars, New Acoustic Guitar