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A FEW POINTERS ON BUYING A GUITAR
- There are basically two types of guitar construction, factory made
and hand made. Low priced entry level guitars are always factory made which
means they are made by hand but in assembly line production. Higher quality
student and concert models are made by hand in the sense that one guitar
maker selects the woods, cuts them to size, assembles them and finishes
them.
- In entry level student guitars you have a choice between plywood construction
and solid wood construction. Plywood means a very low price but also a much duller tone than that of solid wood. Plywood is made with three thin layers
of wood glued together like a sandwich. The top veneer can be of a fine
grained wood and the lower layers of much poorer quality wood; the result
is a sheet of wood very strong and stable but not very resonant.
- We find that among the best entry level guitars available these days are the Paco Marin and Antonio Picado from Spain and Francisco Navarro from Mexico. They all have solid soundboards and are generally well made by competent craftsmen.
- The question is often asked about the relative qualities of Cedar
and Spruce as sound board woods. Neither wood is inherently superior to
the other, they just have different tonal characters in general. Spruce
is harder and stiffer than Cedar and gives a brighter, clearer and more
focused sound, while softer Cedar is darker, mellower and warmer. So it's
a matter of what sort of tone the player is looking for. Take Andres Segovia
as an example. He played a Hermann Hauser with a German Spruce top from
1928 to the 1950s, then switched to a Cedar-topped Jose Ramirez on which
he performed until the end of his career in the 1980s. (If you're interested,
the Hauser is on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum.)
- Other considerations are tuning machines and finger boards. Tuning
machines vary in the thickness of the plates and the metal composition of
the gears, from thin brass plated to finer brass and carbonized steel. Finger
boards are of either rosewood, black-stained rosewood or true ebony. Ebony
is preferred because it is densely grained, more durable and more stable.
- Better guitars, whether student or concert models, will have solid
cedar or spruce sound boards, ebony fingerboards, rosewood backs and sides,
either laminated or solid, and more precise tuning machines. The saddle
and nut will also be of good quality bone as opposed to plastic.
- The set-up or "action" of a guitar, whether it be a beginner's
instrument or a concert guitar, is of primary importance. Ideal nylon string
action provides a clearance between the first fret and the treble strings
of .025 " and the bass strings of .030". At the 12th fret the
clearance should be 1/4" for the treble strings and 5/32" for
the basses. Most music stores sell classical guitars as they come from the
factory. At THE CLASSICAL GUITAR STORE I adjust
every guitar according to my exacting standards of playability and I give
a full year's guarantee for free readjustment if it is necessary. The difference
between a properly adjusted playing action and a factory set-up can be enormous
and can make all the difference in the ease and enjoyment of playing the
guitar.
TERMINOLOGY
- Plywood soundboards are made of three thin layers of wood glued together
like a sandwich, with the top layer usually showing regular grain while
the other two layers are of lower quality.
- Solid soundboards are made of a single thickness of either Cedar or
Spruce, always in two bookmatched sections with the seam running down the
middle. These are always more flexible than plywood and therefore more
responsive to the string vibration, giving greater resonance and volume.
- Backs and sides may be either plywood (laminated) or solid. This has
less influence on the tone production of a guitar than the composition
of the soundboard , in fact some concert guitars have laminated sides for
greater stability.
- String length refers to the distance between the "nut" at
the upper end of the fingerboard to the "saddle" on the bridge.
This is the section of the string that vibrates when it is plucked. 650
mm or 25 19/32 inches is the standard string length of practically all student
and concert guitars built today, though some 40 years ago 660 mm and even
665 mm were common on concert guitars to increase projection. Since then
luthiers have found ways of providing strong volume with a shorter string
length.
- The nut and saddle, the two points on which the string rests, are usually
made of plastic on less expensive student guitars. The preferred material
for better instruments is bone which is harder.
- Fret boards or finger boards are usually made of Indian Rosewood (often
stained black) on less expensive guitars and of Ebony on better instruments.
Ebony is denser and resists wear better than Rosewood.
- Tuning machines vary greatly in quality, from lightly built, plain
mechanisms, to heavy duty, smooth meshing gears. The main considerations
with machines are their accuracy and durability.
Do not hesitate to call me or send an e-mail with further questions you
might have about guitar construction and values.
Business hours: Monday to Friday noon to 6 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm,
and by appointment.
Telephone 215-567-2972 or E-mail us in the "Contact" section
Latest update August
15, 2001
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