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I'm sure that the times you have walked into a music store, or looked online, you would of noticed the many variations and types of acoustic guitars that are available. Some have 12 strings and some can even act like an electric guitar, but each acoustic guitar has its own purpose and will produce its own tone.

Unfortunatly when most people go to by a acoustic guitar, they don't really know what they are buying. Maybe you are wanting to do a lot of on stage performances but the guy at the music store said you'd be fine with a regular acoustic without a pickup system. You'd just have to microphone it.

With a microphone you will end up getting a lot of feedback as a result, and spend more money in the long run because you ended up putting an additional pickup system in. While the microphone setup may have been the best  choice for someone else, it didn't really fit your needs.

This doesn't have to be you! So lets take a closer look at what is available to us.

6 String Acoustic Guitar

The most popular acoustic sold on the market today. The prices range from the cheap to the jaw dropping. It uses six steel string to give it a more sharp attack to the notes.

12 String Acoustic Guitar  

This acoustic guitar uses 12 strings, each one smaller than the acoustic strings. Essentially, each pair of strings has one tuned to the regular tuning and the other tuned to it's octave. This produces a really nice chorus and full sounding effect, and giving the impression of two acoustic guitars playing at once. They are not the best style of acoustic guitar to start to learn with as they tend to require a little more technique and finger strength to hold all of the strings down at once.

Classical Acoustic Guitar

The classical guitar has obviously been around a while. It has three nylon strings and three steel strings. The neck of the classical guitar is a lot thicker than its 6 string steel friend but is great for a number of styles. Has seems to have a mellower tone to it, which can be good, or bad depending on what you intended to use it for.

Acoustic/Electric Guitar

The acoustic electric is basically a six string acoustic guitar with a pickup placed inside of it so you can amplify your acoustic sound. This can be done for classical or steel string guitars. While some come with a pickup built in, others require you to buy them. Electric/acoustic guitars are great for plaing on stage or in public as the sound and be amplified.

View a great range of acoustic guitars

Tone woods.

How your acoustic sounds is only as good as the wood that your guitar is made out of. Each wood has its own very distinct sound and is unique to every acoustic guitar. It cannot be recreated, just like a fingerprint, even if another piece of wood is taken from the same source.

This occurs due to its unique characteristics. Maybe the wood has a slightly different grain pattern or there are a few knots in the wood, but in the end it is all how the wood resonates, or vibrates. This happens when you attach strings to it and give it a strum....

How much, or freely the wood resonates will effect how loud your guitar is and in turn, you're your tone. So this explains why when you pick up a cheap, nasty acoustic guitar at the porn shop, it sounds like cr*p. They are usually made out of plywood and plywood is a very stiff substance, no vibration.If you have heard of the saying "solid top", now you know why as the guitar is made out of real wood, not plywood.

Guitar Lessons on how to hear tone at Jam Play

Now, onto the different types of woods.

Here are some of the neatest and most powerful woods out there:

Spruce  

Spruce is an extremely strong wood, which is important for building a guitar. It offers a very powerful volume and clean crisp highs. This is one of the most common and used on the majority of acoustic guitars.

Cedar  

A little more mellow than Spruce and has a very warm feel to it. It has a beautiful glow and is a very pleasing to the eye to look at.

Maple  

An all round wood that offers a good balance of highs, mids and lows. This is what many guitarists are after as it offers all round good projection and clean sound. However, because of this equal balance, it can also sound quite flat for the acoustic world so it's often used on electrics. It is highly desired for it's stunning  grain and lusture.

Koa  

This wood is known for it's high range and  it's solid tone. It doesn't really have a good bass response, but certainly makes up for it in the high end of the dynamic sound spectrum.

Mahogany  

Awesome  projection and really nice treble. The flatpickers dream guitar when combined with the dreadnaught body type,  because it offers such a great response and tone.

Brazilian Rosewood

This is one of the most sort after woods in the guitar world. It's becoming extremely rare as it's almost extinct, therefore pushing up the price  up the price considerable. It gives a massive bass response with lush treble and mids. Unfortunately, as you can imagine to get hold of one of these beutys will cost you your arm and leg.

 Review great range of acoustic guitars

Indian Rosewood  

This would be the most popular alternative to Brazilian Rosewood and is a lot easier to get your hands on. It has pretty much the same tona characteristics but not quiet   as powerful. It's used a lot by professional guitarists.

Cocobolo  

One of my favorites I must admit. In my humble opinion, it takes many characteristics from the above woods and combines them to form a truly unique sound. It produces a great bass, awesome volume and phenomenal overtones. This wood will most likely be on my next acoustic. I suggest you do the same.

Bearing in mind there are many more species of wood tones available, and subtypes to the above woods aswell. My comments are mine remember. What my ear likes, yours might not so get out there and try hem for your self, which is a tone of fun, believe me. Most companies use the above woods so you shouldn'd find it hard. Have fun and enjoy!!

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