5 things to look out for when buying an acoustic guitar
There are so many things to look out for when buying an acoustic guitar! Especially if you are a beginner thinking about signing up for guitar lessons in Singapore. The options available in our local guitar shops can be rather overwhelming. Through this article, we aim to help answer all the burning questions you have about buying your acoustic guitar. So let’s dive in!
Steel strings or Nylon strings
Beginner guitar students often struggle to choose between steel strings or nylon strings guitar. Both are classified as an acoustic guitar with the same tuning and note system on the fretboard and typically use 6 strings. However, they are also vastly different. Here’s a quick comparison chart to help you understand better.
| Steel String Guitar | Nylon String Guitar |
| A little painful for beginners to press | Gentle on the fingers for beginners |
| Bright tone | Mellow tone |
| Preferred by Pop, Rock, and Fingerstyle guitarists | Preferred by Classical, Spanish, and Polyphia guitarists |
| Narrower fretboard width | Wider fretboard width |
| Curved fretboard surface | Flat fretboard surface |
Wait, I realize the table might make things more confusing for beginner guitarists. Here’s our simplest recommendation: if the guitar student is a very young child, go for a nylon string guitar. It’s much easier for them to press the strings and produce clear notes. On the other hand, if you’re a teenager or older and prefer genres like Pop, Rock, or Fingerstyle, a steel string guitar would be a better fit.
At Vinnie Classroom, we don’t restrict the type of guitar you use for lessons—the same techniques can be learned on both nylon and steel string guitars. Many families have a hand-me-down nylon string guitar, but their child might prefer the look of a steel string guitar. Our advice? Stick with the nylon string guitar for building a solid foundation, then transition to a new guitar of your choice later on.
Acoustic guitar body shape
On of the things to look out for when buying an acoustic guitar is definitely the body shape! While the nylon string guitars are often made in the same guitar body shape, the steel string guitar has a wider range of options. Here’s the list of their body shape along with the descriptions.
- Parlour – Small and narrow body. The fretboard meets the body at the 12th fret, unlike the standard 14th fret for acoustic guitar. Brighter tone with strong mids.
- 000 – Similar shapes include Auditorium, Concert, and OM. It has the most balanced tone for guitar plucking. Favored by fingerstyle guitarists.
- Dreadnought – It has a much bigger body as compared to Parlour and 000 guitar shape. This shape produces a tight and bright treble and deep bass tones. Due to the lack of mid-tones, it is commonly used for strumming and singing. Note-picking using a guitar pick is well-liked too.
- Rounded Shoulder – Also known as slope shoulder Dreadnought. This is a variant of the standard Dreadnought guitar body shape. The rounded shoulder helps reduce the treble tone, resulting in a strong, deep, and tight bass frequency response.
- Jumbo – As the name implies, this body shape is the biggest of all. You get a much louder sound out of this guitar and definitely a much deeper bass. However, this guitar is not suitable for everyone due to its massive size.
Should your guitar have a cutaway?
Most beginner guitar students don’t need a guitar with a cutaway, and likely won’t for a long time! Cutaways are designed for acoustic guitarists who want easier access to higher-pitched notes. Without a cutaway, reaching those notes involves stretching fingers over the guitar body, which can be challenging. However, very few songs require such high notes, and even when they do, many professional guitarists manage just fine without a cutaway.
It’s also worth noting that cutaways can alter the guitar’s tone, often making it sound slightly less full. To illustrate, here are two videos of guitarists playing high-pitched notes on standard guitar bodies.[/vc_column_text]
Full solid, Solid top, Veneer, or Laminated Acoustic Guitar?
This is perhaps the most important things to look out for when buying an acoustic guitar. Guitar stores typically have a big tag on their acoustic guitar that reads “Solid Top”, or “Full Solid”. But are they the same? Well, acoustic guitars can be categorized into 4 main types of wood, and here is their description.
- Full Solid – The front, sides, and back are all made with solid pieces of wood. By saying solid wood, the guitar manufacturer means that what you see is what you get, with nothing glued in between anywhere.
- Solid Top – This means the front part of the guitar body is made of solid pieces of wood. Typically acoustic guitars are made with one solid piece of wood that is sliced into 2 equal thicknesses to create the mirror effect.
- Veneer – This refers to gluing a very thin piece of the said wood onto the laminated wood to create the required thickness. This helps with getting the aesthetic of the guitar right but provides almost nothing to help with the tone of the guitar.
- Laminate – The common word is plywood. This means the thickness of the pieces of wood is formed by gluing multiple layers of scrap wood together. Like how a tissue gets its thickness.
Tonewood has been a subject of debate in the guitar community for decades. Some argue that the type of wood has no effect on a guitar’s tone, while others believe that the right wood is key to achieving their desired sound. Regardless of this debate, one thing is clear: solid top acoustic guitars generally sound better than those with veneer or laminated tops. This is because a solid piece of wood vibrates more effectively than multiple layers glued together. However, solid tops are also more sensitive to environmental factors and require proper care to avoid damage.
Acoustic Guitar Pickup Options
There are various ways to amplify an acoustic guitar through a sound system, which is why there are many types of pickups available. Here, we’ve outlined the 8 most commonly used pickups and how they perform. We hope this guide helps you choose the one that best suits your needs.
- Magnetic Soundhole Pickup – These works like those seen on electric guitars. They are mounted easily by securing them onto the soundhole. This also means that you can easily remove them and mount them onto the next guitar.
- Under Soundboard Transducer – Having such a transducer allows the sound of the surface of the guitar to be picked up. This is great if you intend to play in the style of Marcin or similar.
- Under Saddle Piezo – This is the most commonly found pickup style for acoustic guitar as it can be hidden under the saddle and not affect the look of the guitar. However, the quality of these pickups can greatly affect the tone.
- Under-string transducer – This works similarly to those under the saddle without the need to drill holes into your guitar. However, they can be rather fragile and will break if not handled carefully.
- Internal Microphone – These condenser microphone helps capturing the most natural sound from your acoustic guitar. However, they typically need to be used with a soundhole cover or risk the possibility of feedback with the sound system.
- Contact Microphone – These are rather inexpensive solutions to pick up the sound of your acoustic guitar. The position of the pickup affects the tone captured.
- iRig soundhole pickup – These are simply hung onto the soundhole and work both like a microphone and a magnetic pickup. They come with a specially designed preamp with feedback cancellation capability.
- External Condensor Microphone – These are professional options that don’t come cheap and are able to capture the very clear tone of the acoustic guitar. However, as with any microphone, there will always be a need to monitor the feedback risk.
Acoustic Guitar Preamp Options
Most acoustic guitars with pickup options come equipped with an onboard preamp, often including an equalizer and tuner. However, modern designs are moving toward simpler systems, typically featuring just volume and basic tone controls. For more advanced sound customization, you can pair your guitar with preamps in pedal or software plug-in formats. Keep an eye out for IR (Impulse Response) technology, which can make your guitar sound like a much higher-end instrument! The topic of acoustic guitar pickups and preamps deserves a dedicated discussion, so stay tuned for a more in-depth article in the future! In this article, we shall focus on things to look out for when buying an acoustic guitar.
Do you need an acoustic guitar with a pickup?
The most common response to this question is, ‘Do you perform often?’ While that’s one way to approach the decision, performing isn’t the only reason to consider a pickup. At Vinnie Classroom, we hold annual recitals and regularly conduct video recording sessions. For this reason, we recommend that all our students opt for an acoustic guitar with a built-in pickup.
Conclusion
Choosing the right acoustic guitar is essential, as it sets the foundation for your learning experience and ensures comfort and playability. In Singapore, where recitals and recordings are common in music lessons, having an acoustic guitar with a built-in pickup is vital for versatility and seamless participation in such activities.
However, if you still have some questions, talk to us. Taking guitar lessons can help you shop for the right acoustic guitar!
Consider taking a Trial Lesson with us! I am sure with our decade-long experience, we will be of valuable help to you. Contact us through these easy channels! 🙂
