Subject: Buying a New Guitar
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 19:06:23 -0400
Hi Mickey,

Greetings Dawn,

I stumbled across your website with the questions from people about buying
guitars and thought I'd throw some questions at you (your posted answers
were really helpful).

Glad to assist...

I'm looking for a new acoustic/electric guitar under
$1500 (though much less is better, since I just graduated from college and
don't exactly have a ton of cash right now) but I'd spend more if I needed
to. I loved my old guitar, a Tacoma C1C Chief, but it cracked (after the
fact I found out it's not such an unsual case for that brand) and am looking
for a well-balanced guitar with a powerful sound that isn't too large (I'm
not a tiny person, but I've played a few dreadnaughts that have been
uncomfortable to reach around), and I'll need it to stay in tune reliably.

I understand...I'm also somewhat uncomfortable playing a dreadnought...and, I personally like smaller body guitars...if you're looking for a well-balanced guitar, that's more manageable to play my suggestion would be to look into 000-size models...such as offered by Larrivee...I now own two Larrivees and am thrilled with both...mine stay in tune well...and the smaller body Larrivee's have an even balance from treble to bass (which is rare to find in a full body dreadnought)...

My hands aren't huge either, although they stretch pretty well thanks to
years of piano. Most of the time I strum with a medium pick, but I do some
fingerpicking occasionally; I'm a singer-songwriter whose music falls into
the folk/acoustic pop range, and I usually use Elixir nanoweb lights. I'll
also need good built-in electrics for live performances. Of the guitars
I've played, so far I like the sound from Taylors the best, but am wondering
what other options there are.

Larrivee also offers built-in electronics...Taylor does make a wonderful guitar too...

Be sure to get back with me if you have further questions...Mickey


Thanks for your help,
Dawn

---

Subject: First Guitar
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 15:14:37 -0500

Hello,

Greetings Debbie,

I need help!!!! My husband bought me a guitar for Christmas. He bought it off of the television from an infomercial. I am a beginner and am trying to learn how to play it, but am having a lot of difficulty getting my fingers to stretch far enough to play the different chords. Do guitars come in different sizes and is it possible that this guitar is just to large for me to play? 

Yes, guitars do come in different sizes...there are smaller bodied guitars called parlor size or OOO...only, the scale length of the neck does not change that much...there's still some stretch required. More importantly, you might want to seek out a local instructor to assist you...even with a couple of lessons to ensure that you're using the correct hand positions...and are holding the guitar properly. This can impede your playing...such as not placing your thumb behind the neck will limit your stretch of your fingers..

If so, is there a guitar that you could recommend that might be more suitable, something inexpensive as I am just learning and would like to make sure that I like it before I purchase a better one.   

First, I'd look for a local instructor...if they then suggest that you'll need another guitar, then it might benefit you greatly to make a new purchase...Mickey


Thank You

Debbie Corbin

---

Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 15:38:28 EST
Subject: question/acoustic

how many different types of acoustic guitars are there?
thanks, john.

About as many as there are different types of motor vehicles...too immense to count.

There are also classifications of body styles...cutaways, 000-size, dreadnought, and so on...

Then there are classifications for different types of strings that may or may not include what you're looking to reference: Classical: nylon, Acoustic: steel...

Then there are classifications for styles of music: Classical: Flamenco and Classical, Dreadnought: Bluegrass, 000-size for fingerstyle, auditorium-size for a variety of applications, and so on...these are still interchangeable on the applications...

As far as acoustic guitars themselves go, we can narrow this down to steel-string acoustic guitars:
You would have many different brands...which includes many independent makers that are not known...and, of course, you would still have the different body size and style classifications under each maker...unfortunately, I cannot give an exact count of types/brands/body styles...let's just say, there's a lot. All I can establish is that there's too many to count.

Good luck in your research...

Mickey

---

Date: Sat, 7 Feb 2004 22:29:23 -0700

Hello

Greetings Kathy!

Glad to assist:

My name is Kathy Shultz. This is sort of a mixed e-mail. I live in Idaho and am looking for a reasonably priced acoustic guitar that is small. I am 5 ft and have small hands. They are not delicate, they are strong but the span is small. I weigh about 100 to 105 and so the body of the guitar needs to be small as well or have a large curve in it. I am just trying to teach myself to play finally. I have a ,never been really played,  new three years ago, Takamimi acoustical. It is just too big for me.

The size of guitar you're looking for would be a "000"...this is a parlor size guitar...my wife plays one of these herself...it's a Martin "000" Woody Guthrie Commemorative...

Now there are many brands that make the "000" both imports and American makes...

If you're looking for something affordable, I'd suggest looking at the Blueridge models...all of the Blueridge models we have listed on our website are available in the "000" size at the exact same price as the full size:

http://www.folkofthewood.com/page676.htm#blueridge

These are the highest grade...and one of the most affordable imports available today...

For American made models, you might consider our Breedlove, Larrivee or Crafters series...all have "000" models available...and all are relatively expensive...

Keep on Pickin', Mickey

---

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 11:39:32 -0500

I see there are many different body types of guitars. auditorium,grand concert, dreadnought, orchestra. what is the difference? what type is best for fingerstyle? Should I go a with 12 fret or 14 fret ?

Greetings,

I'll assist as best I can:

There are many different acoustic guitar bodies available to the player. Probably more than is necessary for functionality. I believe that, no doubt, the most important deciding factor would be the style of music you hope to accomplish...secondary to this would be comfort...and lastly, aesthetics.

Auditorium: One of the largest guitar bodies being made today. As the name implies, the sound emitted should fill an auditorium. Keep in mind, I've found that larger bodied guitars lose their projection capability...the sound seems to become lost in the larger cavity of the instrument. Yes, it will have a large sound, and tremendous bass response, but seems to lose in projection.
Great for fingerstyle.

Grand Concert: A Grand Concert size is more balanced...designed to minimize overtones on stage...does not have a boomy bass or the usual reverberation found in Dreadnought-sized guitars...now, keep in mind, some of what I'm saying is subjective to the listener's ears...and, also, my experience with these body sizes are limited to a few brands such as Breedlove, Martin and Taylors...The Grand Concert seems to have a more focused sound than an Auditorium size...my opinion would be, if you're looking for a bigger sound, and are not concerned as much about projection, the Auditorium size will fill your needs...yet, the Grand Concert is slightly more balanced with more projection due to the slightly smaller body size. Both the Auditorium and the Grand Concert are designed for Fingerpicking first...flatpicking can also be accomplished on both sizes, however, for bluegrass flatpicking, settle for nothing but a Dreadnought.
Excellent for fingerstyle...still works for flatpicking outside of bluegrass.

Dreadnought: Originated around 1916...uses the standard X Bracing...This is the size of choice when flatpicking...characterized by a booming bass and tremendous projection, the Dreadnought is the guitar of choice for all Bluegrass guitarists. This size guitar also serves well for backing up fiddlers due to the booming bass end. The Dreadnought is the most popular sized guitar made today (and yesterday). Many popular artists have used the Dreadnought to good effect both in fingerpicking and flatpicking idioms. Just the same, this wouldn't be the ideal choice for the serious fingerpicker. Even so, the Dreadnought would be the most versatile guitar to fill most any medium and style of music played.
First choice for flatpicking...works well for fingerstyle too...the most versatile guitar for all mediums and genres.

Orchestra: This is one body style that I'm not too sure about...I suspect, as the name implies, that it would fill a room well.

Smaller bodied guitars include the OO and OOO styles. These guitars offer tremendous balance from bass to treble. And, they also have amazing projection. They do not have any bottom end to speak of...but, this would be the trade-off for projection and balance.
Great for fingerstyle...and seems to have a more trebly tonal range...a great guitar to offset other Dreadnought guitars within a jam session.

The final size, which isn't a steel string design, is the Classical sized guitar...this may be what you're referring to in relation to the Orchestra. This body size is specifically designed for nylon strings and is almost always fingerpicked. On rare occasion, players will flatpick this style of guitar...such as Willie Nelson and Jose Feliciano has aptly done. And, when guitar is played in an Orchestra setting, the nylon is the guitar of choice.

There's also the question of shallow or deep...all Dreadnoughts, and Classicals, have a deep body...more depth adding to the overall cavity of the instrument...this usually contributes to a deeper resonance and more resounding bass...shallow guitars, those with less depth on the body, will have more projection and focus...while also having a better balance from bass to treble. Shallow body styles are normally found in the Concert size or OOO/OO sizes.

A company such as Breedlove will offer almost all of the above sizes to fit every guitarist's taste.

Hope the above helps in some way...again, this is only my humble opinion...there are others who may have valid differing opinions on this very same topic.

Wishing you the best in your research efforts...Mickey

---