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THE ACOUSTIC
GUITAR GUIDE
.cappellal
THE ACOUSTIC
GUITAR GUIDE
EVERYTHING
YOU NEED
TO KNOW
TO BUY AND
MAINTAIN A
NEW OR USED
GUITAR
Revised and Updated
Larry Sandberg FOREWORD BY ARTIE TRAUM
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sandberg, Larry
The acoustic guitar guide: everything you need to know to buy and maintain a new
or used guitar / by Larry Sandberg-2nd ed., rev. and updated.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. )
ISBN 1-55652-418-8
1. Guitar. 2. Guitar-Maintenance and repair. I. Title.
MLlOI5.G9 S3 2000
787.87'19-dc21
Cover photo: Guitar and bass guitar by Harry Fleishman
Photo by John Youngblut, courtesy Harry Fleishman
Cover and interior design: Lindgren/Fuller Design
Line art by Fred Hickler, based on computer drawings by Larry Sandberg
©2000 by Larry Sandberg
Foreword ©2000 by Artie Traum
All righ ts reserved
Second edition
Published by A Cappella Books
An imprint of Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 1-55652-418-8
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
00-031788
CONTENTS
Foreword . ....
Acknowledgments
.Introduction . . .
PART I: All About the Guitar
o The Guitar Through History
Ancient Origins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Dark and Light Ages ... ... ... .. .
The Development of the Modern Classical Guitar.
C. F. Martin and the American Guitar . . .
The Early Years of the Steel-String Guitar.
Bigger Guitars for the 1930s .
The 1940s and 1950s . . . . . . . . .
The Folk Boom and Beyond. . ...
The Nostalgic Baby Boomer Market
New Sounds for a New Generation.
Guitars in a World of Scarce Resources
., It Takes All Kinds
Folk Guitar: The Steel-Strung Solidbody Flattop .
The Twelve-String Guitar
The Classical Guitar
The Flamenco Guitar .
Baritone Guitars .
Bass Guitars ..... .
Archtop Guitars ... .
HowArchtops /lVtJrk . . ... . .. . . . ... . .. . . .. .
The Great Archtop Guitars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ElectricAnhtops ........ . .
The Contemporary Anhtop ..... .. .
.Is an A rchtop the Guitar for You.p . . . . .
Solidbody and Semi-Hollowbody Electrics
Hawaiian and Other Lap-Style Guitars.
The Pedal Steel Guitar . . . . . . .
Resophonic Guitars . . . . . . . . .
The Maccaferri ("Django") Guitar
Synth Guitar . . . . . . . . . . ...
Harp Guitars and Other Oddities
Seven String~ Ten Strings, and More .
Xlll
xv
XVll
3
4
5
7
9
10
12
12
14
16
17
19
19
21
21
22
22
23
23
25
25
26
26
27
28
29
29
32
33
33
33
The Harp Guitar.
Multineck Guitars
Air Guitars . . . . . .
e Guitar Sound
Tone ........... .
Tone , Timbre, and Pitch
Volume .... .
Presence ... .
Dynamic Range
Separation
Balance ... .
Sustain ... .
Cutting Power
Voice ..... .
Wraparound and Projection
You ... ... .. ... .
Ambience ....... .
Facts and Impressions
o Wood, Finish, and Glues
Plywood and Solid Wood . . . . . . . . .
Most Guitars Are Plywood . . ... . .
The Mystique and value 0/ Solzd Wood .
Laminates
Buyer Beware . . . . . .
Laminate Construction
Stability and Durability
Detecting Plywood . . .
Laminate Tops . . . . .
Laminate Backs and Sides .
Laminate Fingerboards . . .
Laminate Necks and Headstocks
Materials and Tone . . . . . . .
Seasoning and Milling Solid Wood
Seasoning ..
Milling Lumber .. .
Prime Cuts . .. .
Grain and Figure.
Slab Cutting . . .
Quartersawed /lVtJod
Bookmatched Tops and Backs
Sets ..
Blanks . .. .... .. . .
Tonewoods . .. .... .. . .
/lVtJod Naming Conventions
Table: The Major Guitar Woods
Spruce . .............. .
Spruce Mystique. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Selecting Spruce for a Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35
35
36
37
39
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47 47
48
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51
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55
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60
60
61
62
Cedar and Redwood .
Rosewood . ..... .
Rosewood Substitutes .
Mahogany
Maple.
Koa ..
Walnut
Ebony.
Other Woods
Finish ..... .
Stain and Filler Preparation .
Mtrocellulose and Acrylic Lacquers.
Sunburst Finishes ... ... . .
French Polish and Spot Finishes .
Glues ................ .
e How Your Guitar Works I: Where the Action Is
63
64
66
66
67
68
69
69
70
70
71
71
72
72
72
Action and Setup . . . . . 75
Action Strzdly Difined . 75
Action Loosely Difined . 75
Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
The Mechanics of Setup 76
Setup and Style . . . . . 76
The Neck . . . . . . . . . . 78
Neck Materz"als and Construction
Neck Shape and Contour.
Relief· ........ .
The Truss Rod . . . . .
Truss Rods and Relief .
Truss Rod Adjustment .
Warped Necks ..
WmpandBow
Diagnosis . . .
The Cure . . .
Joining the Neck to the Body
Neck Joints . . . .
Neck Set . ..... .
Resetting the Neck .
Fingerboard and Frets
Fingerboard Materials
Position Marker~ Inla" and Binding
Twelve- and Fourteen-Fret Necks.
Fingerboard Wzdth . . . . . . . . . . .
Fingerboard Shape and Contour. . . .
Replacing and Repairing Fingerboards
Frets ..... .
Fret Design . .
Reftetting . . .
Fret Placement
The Nut ..... .
78
80
81
82
84
85
86
86
86
87
87
87
88
89
90
90
91
91
92
93
93
94
94
95
96
96
Function ........ .
Materials . ....... .
Nut Height and Grooves .
Scale ............. .
Long and Short Scales . . . .
Fanned Frets for Mixed Scales
Headstock and Tuners .
Headstock or Peghead
Handstop or Volute. .
Tuning Machines ..
H ere s What You Need to Know About Tuners
o How Your Guitar Works II: Body Language
The Top or Soundboard .
The Soul of the Guitar . . . . .
"Playing In " a 70p . . . . . . .
Laminate and Soltd JiJiOod Tops
Top Materials and Building. .
The Sound Hole . . . . . . . .
Sound Hole Shape and Size
The Pickguard
Bracing ....... . .
Top Bracing. . . . .
Transverse Bracing.
Fan-Bracing ... .
X-Bracing . .... .
Voiced and Scalloped X-Bracing .
Kasha and Other Bracing Systems
Damaged Braces . . . .
The Bridge ........ .
Function and Structure
The Bridge Plate
Bridge JiJiOods .
Bndge Shapes .
Bndge Pins . .
The Saddle ....
Function, Structur~ and Maten'als .
Adjustable Saddles .
Compensation
Keeping Your Temper
Back and Sides . . . . .
Back Bracing and Side Reinforcement
Linings, Binding~ and Blocks . . . .
Size and Shape .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table: Approximate Standard Guitar Sizes ....... .
Shape ........................ . .
Cutaway Guitars . . . . .
Putting the Guitar Together .... . . . .... .. .. .
96
96
97
99
99
100
101
101
102
102
103
105
105
106
106
107
107
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119
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121
122
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124
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126
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128
• Suiting Yourself
Making a Good Marriage with Your Guitar
The Ideal Guitar Does Not Exist
Guitars Differ Differently .. ... .
Suiting Your Body . . . . . . . ... .
Size and Shape Make a Difference .
Cutaways .....
Lf!ft-Handed Guitars .
Guitars for Kids
Suiting Your Eye . . . . .
Ornamentation . . . .
Headstock and Neck Inlay
Binding, Purfling, and Rosette
Finish . ............. .
Suiting Your Style . . . . . . . .. .
General Playing and Casual Styles
Bluegrass and Old-Time Music
Blues ............ .
Contemporary Fingerpicking. .
AcousticJazz ......... .
Suiting Your Suitcase: Travel Guitars .
Suiting Your Pocketbook .
Under $300 ..
$300 to $450. .
$450 to $750 . .
$750 to $1) 000.
$1) 000 to $~ 000
Over$~OOO
eStrings
String Basics . . . . . . . . . . .
From Catgut to Stainless Steel
Picking Your Strings ....
What Are Strings Made Of?
Bronze- WOund Strings
Coated Strings . . . . . .
M'ckel- WOund Strings . .
Compound ("Silk and Steel") Strings
Flatwound and Groundwound Strings
Winding and Squeaking
Flatwound Strings ..
Groundwound Strings
Nylon Strings . . . . . .
String Gauge and Tension .
Gauging String Gauge. .
Ultralight and Supertight
Extra-Light Gauge
Compound Strings
Light Gauge . .
Medium Gauge . .
131
132
132
133
133
133
134
135
135
135
136
138
139
140
140
140
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152
152
153
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154
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155
155
155
156
156
Heavy Gauge . . . . . . . . . . .
Measuring String Gauge . . . ...
Typical String Gauge and Tension
Table: Typical String Sets ..
Making Up Your Own String Set
Strings and Setup . . . . . . . . .
String Brands .......... .
Bad Vibes, Heavy Metal Fatigue, and Other Tough Breaks in
the Life of a String
When to Replace Strings . . . .... . .. .
o Pickups and Amplification
Amplified Versus Natural Sound
Transducers .......... .
Introduction to Transduction .
Contact Pickups . . . . . . . .
Pickups, Preamps, and Impedance
Internal Mini-Microphones
Magnetic Pickups ....... .
Why Plug In.p. . . . . . . . . . .
The Great Signal Chain of Being
Aftermarket or Factory Installation?
Electro-Acoustic Guitars . . . .
Amplifiers and Sound Systems
Electn'c Guitar A mplijiers
On-Stage Sound Systems . . .
Acoustic Guitar Amps ....
Acoustic Guitar Amp Power and Volume
Microphones and Other Inputs . . . . .
Equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Not[h Filters and Parametn'c Equalizers
Reverb . ........ .
Sound Processing Devices . . . . . . . . .
CD Used, Vintage, and Modern Guitars
Looking for Mr. Goodfret . . . .
Owning More Than One Guitar . .
Vintage Guitars ........... .
The Nature of a Collectors' Market
The Nature of Collectors . . . . . .
Vintage Guitars as Investments . .
Why Some People Think Old and Vintage Guitars Are Better
Why Some People Think New Guitars Are Better Anyway
Modern Luthiery: The New Golden Age? ... .
Longevity ...................... .
Table: Pros and Cons of Buying a Used Guitar
Fine Guitars ...... ..
Becoming an Expert . .
Great Names of the Past
Junk Chic . ...... .
156
156
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157
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164
164
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