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  • what are the different types of guitar?

    Posted by Moonhare on May 30, 2021 at 4:26 am

    A really quick and embarrassing noob question but can anyone here explain to me what the different basic guitar types are that I keep hearing Tony and others talking about, O series, dreadnought etc? Thanks Darren

    Moonhare replied 3 years, 8 months ago 9 Members · 21 Replies
  • 21 Replies
  • Cadgirl

    Member
    May 30, 2021 at 4:54 am

    Hi @Moonhare, maybe this will help. I’ve included a couple of pictures with some (not all) sizes shapes of the guitar. The Dreadnought is a large guitar with a lot of sound. The Parlor is a smaller (maybe 3/4 size). I have a Martin D-28 (D for Dreadnought), it’s large, it might even be a little too big. I was a newbee when I purchased it. I have a 1/2 size Classical (it’s easy on the fingers because 3 of the strings are nylon). One that really fits my size is the Taylor mini (3/4 size). Last but not least….. a 1/4 size entry guitar that I can use in front of the computer. Oh, and a 3/4 size guitar doesn’t mean it’s 3/4 the size of a full size guitar. It’s just a couple inches smaller. The same goes with the 1/2 size and 1/4 size. I’m sure someone else will answer that might be able to answer your question better, but….. I wanted to give it a try 😉

    • Loraine

      Member
      May 30, 2021 at 7:07 am

      Great info @Cadgirl

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 30, 2021 at 11:25 pm

      That’s brilliant thanks @cadgirl – just what I needed. I had literally no idea about all this. I niaively assumed you just had nylon strung and steel strung. Haha! What an idiot. I have been looking at Tony’s guitar reviews online as I know I’m going to want to get another one that is smaller than my Fender Dreadnought (look at me using guitar terminology) at some stage. Pehaps a TACiversary present to myself next year? 🤔

    • Drubes

      Member
      June 1, 2021 at 5:45 am

      Love this! Thank you for posting!

    • Marty73

      Member
      June 6, 2021 at 8:33 am

      👍👍👍👍

  • Bill_Brown

    Member
    May 30, 2021 at 8:12 am

    Hello @Moonhare , @Cadgirl has given you pictures of different (Martin) guitar body shapes.👍 What those pictures don’t show is the depth of the various sizes 😱(measurement from the front (top) to back sides). For instance, a dreadnought has much more depth than a 000 (triple O) size.🤔 I have owned both types of guitars and found the 000 size (thinner body) much more comfortable to play – easier on picking arm and shoulder.🤩

    The difference between a 12 fret and 14 fret is the location where the neck joins the body.😎

    • Cadgirl

      Member
      May 30, 2021 at 8:52 am

      @Bill_Brown, your right about the depth of the dreadnought. When I’m playing my Martin D28 it is like having my arms around a big dog. I never released how big they were.
      In fact….. I think I just named my Martin. From now on, It will be know as the “Big Dog” 🙂

      • Moonhare

        Member
        May 30, 2021 at 11:27 pm

        😂🐕

      • Marty73

        Member
        June 6, 2021 at 8:35 am

        🤣🤣🤣🤣 “The Big Dog” @Cadgirl please post a photo of you holding one. 😊🧙‍♂️😎

    • Moonhare

      Member
      May 30, 2021 at 11:31 pm

      Thanks @Bill_Brown that is something I hadn’t considered. My Fender is definitely a dreadnought and it is pretty wide so I do feel like I’m wrapped aound a wardrobe if I’m in a low chair! I will definitely want to buy a second guitar that is a little smaller and nimbler but also because I’d like to eventually set one up in DADGAD so I can play some more trad folky stuff and bottleneck. Long way off just now but am looking forward always….

  • N-lightMike

    Member
    May 31, 2021 at 12:44 pm

    Well, @Moonhare , it looks like you have received some great info. But head knowledge is just… well… head knowledge.

    You need to go to a store and physically pick up guitars and play them to know how they feel. In my experience, the very small guitars are hard to play unless I am standing up with a strap. I usually play sitting down and the very small bodies are awkward to hold. My favorite guitar based on size and shape is a parlor, but it’s an Alvarez, so I’m not sure if it would be a double O or a triple O or even a single O. But it is the shape of those body styles and it is a “12 fret”. As mentioned, that means the neck has 12 frets to the body. What wasn’t mentioned is that completely changes the relative proportions of the whole guitar. In the black and white picture that @Cadgirl provided, notice in the middle of the top row where a 12 fret is next to a 14 fret. The 14 fret body is actually shorter than the 12 fret. That’s because the overall length from the end of the body to the top of the head stock is about the same yet the neck is shorter. That puts the bridge and saddle deeper into the body and gives the guitar a bigger sound for the size of the body. And the short neck is extremely comfortable. And the body is thinner than the dreadnoughts and the jumbos as mentioned. But it’s very comfortable in the lap as the body is actually longer. Now, the only way I would ever have such detailed knowledge about how these guitars fit me it that I have played them. In fact, I own 11 guitars and have sold a number of others that I used to own. Lots of time in a guitar store can save you lots of money.

    MG 😀

    • Bill_Brown

      Member
      May 31, 2021 at 6:51 pm

      Yes @Moonhare , @Mike-Gaurnier is totally correct👍 When you’re ready to buy, make sure that you check out as many guitars that you can before you pull the trigger😎 I also want to mention that the size designations mentioned above are those of a single guitar manufacturer – others will have their own size designations – but a dreadnought is a dreadnought – no matter the make of guitar👍

  • Cadgirl

    Member
    June 1, 2021 at 3:52 am

    Ok, I am going to add one more thing to @Moonhare post. Now that you have an idea of the different sizes of the guitar, you have to keep in mind the width of the neck. Up near the nut (top of the neck when it connects to the head stock) is the thinnest area, make sure you can get your hand around it to make chords. I’m including a small chart (I’m a visual kind of gal, charts make sense to me faster). The jpg is just a small example, google “guitar neck sizes” and you see a million of them. I was going to buy a Resonator Guitar on-line and just happen to go to the guitar store to try it out and guess what? Yep, I couldn’t make a chord without dislocating my finger joints. the fretting area was huge. Then there are the slide guitars that have a squared off neck, but those are meant to be played on your lap with a slide, drum stick or whatever else you want to bounce off the strings. Are you totally confused yet?

    • N-lightMike

      Member
      June 1, 2021 at 10:14 am

      I want to thank you for your little charts @Cadgirl. They are very enlightening. I have tried lots of guitars but still I hadn’t understood the various shapes of guitar bodies and necks as I do now.

      @Moonhare, you have gotten some amazing insight into the choices and how to pick a guitar. @Cadgirl has brought up another very important consideration in the neck. Many people love the wider necks (Classical guitars and Martins) for playing finger style. But many people play finger style on the thinner necks. And then there is the cross sectional shape of the neck. So many choices, so many guitars. *sigh*

      MG 😀

  • Moonhare

    Member
    June 2, 2021 at 3:20 am

    Thanks to everyone including @Cadgirl @Bill_Brown and @Mike-Gaurnier for all that info and advice. I think the take away from all this is it’s good to know what people are talking about in the videos, Acoustic Tuesday etc but there is no substitute for going into a store and seeing how it works for you. To be honest now we’re finally heading out of lockdown here in the UK after an isolating 15 months, I’m hoping I can hop on my bike and head off to a guitar shop pretty soon. I would like a starter guitar that is a little less heavy on my fingers than my Fender F3 just so I can build up some confidence and skills first, but I’m never getting rid of my Fender. It was a budget guitar back in the 80s, but it projects well and it also holds great sentimental value.

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by  Moonhare.
    • N-lightMike

      Member
      June 3, 2021 at 10:08 pm

      I think it is wise not to get rid of the Fender. As you move along your guitar journey, that first guitar will take on greater meaning to you and you will be able to use it to greater effect as you get better.

      MG 😀

  • Chris99

    Member
    June 4, 2021 at 11:46 am

    Thanks @Moonhare for asking the question and to everyone who gave such great info. I have 6 acoustics and always wondered if it is common for your right arm to be sore after playing a while. I just realized they are all dreads or dread cutaway sized. A smaller size might make a difference.

    • Moonhare

      Member
      June 6, 2021 at 5:15 am

      Interesting isn’t it @ccebell . After a lot of research, reviews and help from the TAC community, I have just ordered a concert sized guitar from my local store with a cutaway (and a pickup for recording) which looks like a lot of bang for the buck and should be with me for a long time. I’m then going to tune my Fender dreadnought to open tuning to try some of those exercises on it.

  • Marty73

    Member
    June 6, 2021 at 8:36 am

    👍👍👍👍

  • SoCal_Ian

    Member
    June 7, 2021 at 4:27 am

    It sounds like this question has been resolved but I wanted to post this link as it explains and shows the differences in the Taylor line. All guitar makers stick somewhat to the Martin D sizes but seem to vary from there. Taylor has their own take as shown in the video. Warning: watching this video may cause GAS in the viewer.

    https://youtu.be/4485QPVnm0o

    • Moonhare

      Member
      June 7, 2021 at 4:51 am

      I agree @SoCal_Ian that Alamo do some amazing videos comparing acoustic guitars. I spent a huge amount of time on their YouTube channel before deciding on a new guitar to help me at this beginning phase.

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