Acoustic Guitar

The Composition, Construction and Evolution of One of World's Most Beloved Instruments

By: Richard Johnston

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Paperback | 1 April 2005

At a Glance

Paperback
400 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.59 x 15.24 x 3.18

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$71.75

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(Guitar Reference). Foreword by C.F. Martin IV. This comprehensive guide explains how to buy and maintain the guitar that matches your needs. From its beginning in European classical music, through American innovations like blues, jazz, country, and all the way to rock, pop and folk, the acoustic guitar's versatility is remarkable. This book covers all types of models with an emphasis placed on steel-string flattops, archtops and classical guitars. Topics covered include: How to tell the difference between a good sounding and bad sounding instrument; How much of the sound is determined by the wood; How to amplify and maintain its natural sound; How much money to spend in order to get an instrument that matches your level of playing; A color section illustrates historically significant instruments.

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Non-Fiction Arts & Entertainment Music Musical Instruments & Instrumental Ensembles String Instruments Guitar

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Non-Fiction Arts & Entertainment Music Musical Instruments & Instrumental Ensembles String Instruments Guitar

Foreword	p. xv
Introduction	p. xvii
Headstock	p. 1
Shape	p. 1
The Maker's Mark (Trademarks, Logos, etc.)	p. 2
Solid vs. Slotted	p. 4
One-Piece vs. Grafted	p. 5
Headstock Overlay	p. 6
Binding	p. 6
Volute	p. 7
Truss Rod Access	p. 8
Size	p. 9
Weight and Sound	p. 9
Angle	p. 10
Affect on Sound	p. 10
Examples of Angles Used by a Variety of Guitars	p. 10
Tuning Machines	p. 10
Steel-String vs. Nylon-String	p. 11
Single vs. Three-on-a-Plate	p. 12
Open vs. Closed Designs	p. 13
Cast or Stamped Metal	p. 15
Locking Designs	p. 16
Planet Waves Auto-Trim	p. 16
Mounting	p. 17
Buttons	p. 17
Banjo Tuners (On Vintage Guitars and Keith-Style Tuners)	p. 18
D-Tuners	p. 18
Tuning Ratio	p. 19
Friction Pegs	p. 19
Nut	p. 20
Function	p. 20
Natural Materials	p. 21
Synthetic Materials	p. 22
Zero-Fret	p. 22
Compensated Nuts	p. 23
The Neck	p. 25
Types of Necks	p. 25
Flattop Steel-String	p. 26
Nylon-String	p. 26
Archtop	p. 27
Resonator	p. 28
12- vs. 14-Fret	p. 28
Shapes	p. 30
Materials	p. 31
What Type of Wood?	p. 31
One Piece or Multiple Pieces?	p. 32
Direction of Wood Grain (Flatsawn vs. Quartersawn)	p. 33
Graphite and Metal Reinforcements	p. 33
Finish	p. 34
Neck Joint	p. 34
Dovetail	p. 34
Bolt-on	p. 37
Mortise-and-Tenon	p. 38
Spanish-Foot	p. 38
Variations (Fender-Style Bolt-on, Turner/Howe-Orme, etc.)	p. 39
Neck Heel	p. 40
Heelcap	p. 41
One Piece or Stacked	p. 41
Flat or Pointed	p. 42
Neck Angle	p. 43
Steel-String Flattop	p. 43
Classical and Flamenco	p. 43
Archtop	p. 44
Fretboard	p. 44
Materials	p. 44
Radius	p. 45
Position Markers	p. 46
Inlay Material	p. 47
Binding	p. 49
Truss Rod	p. 49
History	p. 49
Function	p. 51
Various Designs	p. 51
Non-Adjustable Necks	p. 53
Frets	p. 53
Material	p. 54
Size	p. 55
Modern Frets with "Tang" vs. Vintage Bar-Frets	p. 55
Scale Length	p. 56
Some Standards	p. 57
Fanned Frets (Novax, etc.)	p. 58
Intonation	p. 58
Buzz Feiten System	p. 59
Strings	p. 61
Types of Strings	p. 61
Steel Strings	p. 61
Plain Strings, Core Wire, and Winding Material	p. 62
Bronze Steel Strings	p. 64
Brass Steel Strings	p. 64
Phosphor Bronze Steel Strings	p. 65
Nickel Steel Strings	p. 65
Flatwounds	p. 66
Half-Rounds	p. 66
Coated Strings	p. 66
Silk-and-Steel Strings	p. 67
Cryogenically Frozen Strings	p. 67
Gut Strings	p. 68
Plain Nylon Strings	p. 68
Wound Nylon Strings	p. 69
Carbon Trebles	p. 70
Polished Basses	p. 70
Gauges and Tensions	p. 70
Strings for Specialty Instruments	p. 72
String Care	p. 73
Body Styles	p. 75
Flattop Shapes and Sizes	p. 76
Dreadnought	p. 76
0, 00, 000 (Concert, Grand Concert, Auditorium)	p. 80
OM (Orchestra Model)	p. 86
Martin's Switch from 12 to 14 Frets	p. 88
Jumbo	p. 89
Mini-Jumbo	p. 92
Parlor Guitars	p. 94
Other Flattop Shapes	p. 97
Nylon-String Shapes and Sizes	p. 100
Classical vs. Flamenco	p. 101
Hybrid Instruments	p. 102
Archtop Sizes and Shapes	p. 103
Thin-Body Acoustic-Electrics	p. 106
Ovations	p. 108
Cutaways	p. 110
Venetian, Florentine, or Maccaferri Style	p. 112
Double Cutaways	p. 113
Variations	p. 114
12-Strings	p. 114
Selmer/Maccaferri-Style Guitars	p. 115
Baritones	p. 116
Acoustic Basses	p. 117
Resonator Guitars	p. 118
Requintos and Terz Guitars	p. 120
Tenor Guitars	p. 121
Seven-Strings	p. 122
Solid-Bodies	p. 122
Harp Guitars	p. 124
Weissenborns	p. 125
The Top	p. 127
It's the Most Important Part of the Guitar	p. 127
Solid or Laminated	p. 127
Spruce	p. 128
Cedar	p. 130
Mahogany	p. 131
Koa	p. 131
Other Woods	p. 132
Alternative Materials	p. 132
Top Bracing	p. 134
Function	p. 135
Bracing Materials for Soundboards	p. 135
Alternatives	p. 135
Soundboard Bracing on Flattop Guitars	p. 136
Color Section	p. 137
Ladder Bracing	p. 153
Cross or X-Bracing	p. 154
Double X	p. 155
Kasha	p. 156
A-Frame	p. 156
Scalloped Braces	p. 157
Ovations	p. 158
The Bridge Plate	p. 159
Nylon-String Bracing	p. 159
Fan Bracing	p. 159
Lattice Bracing	p. 160
Kasha Bracing	p. 161
Archtop Bracing	p. 161
Bracing for Round and Oval Soundhole Archtops	p. 161
Tone Bar Bracing	p. 162
X-Bracing on Archtops	p. 162
The Soundhole	p. 163
Size	p. 164
Round	p. 164
Oval	p. 164
Rosette	p. 165
f-Holes	p. 168
Unusual Placement	p. 170
Enlarged Soundhole	p. 171
Side Soundholes	p. 172
The Bridge	p. 172
History of Bridge Designs	p. 172
Flattop Steel-String	p. 174
Pinless Bridges	p. 175
Nylon Strings	p. 176
Bridge Materials	p. 177
Saddles	p. 178
Saddle Slot	p. 179
Compensation	p. 179
Archtop Bridges	p. 181
The Back and Sides	p. 183
Woods and Their Sounds	p. 183
Slab-Cut, Quartersawn, Veneers	p. 184
Solid or Laminate	p. 185
Mahogany	p. 186
Indian Rosewood	p. 187
Brazilian Rosewood	p. 188
Maple	p. 190
Cypress	p. 192
Koa	p. 192
Walnut	p. 193
Cherry	p. 194
Other Woods	p. 194
Synthetic Materials	p. 196
Ovation Guitars	p. 197
Graphite Guitars	p. 199
Martin X-Series	p. 200
Construction	p. 201
Arched vs. Flat Back	p. 201
Carved or Pressed (for Arched Backs)	p. 202
Two-Piece vs. Three-Piece	p. 203
Taper	p. 204
Bracing and Back Strip	p. 204
Lining	p. 205
Side Reinforcements	p. 205
Endblock	p. 205
Neckblock	p. 206
Binding	p. 206
Center Strip	p. 207
Glues and Finishes	p. 209
Glue	p. 209
Hide Glue	p. 209
White Glue	p. 211
Solvent Glue	p. 212
Epoxy	p. 213
Super Glue	p. 213
Conclusion	p. 214
Finishes	p. 214
French Polish	p. 215
Nitrocellulose Lacquer	p. 217
Catalyzed Polymer Finishes	p. 219
Colored Finishes	p. 222
Body Hardware	p. 225
Pickguards (Scratchplates)	p. 225
Pickguards on Flattops	p. 226
Pickguards on Archtop Guitars	p. 229
Floating Pickguards on Flattop Guitars	p. 230
Golpeador on Flamenco Guitars	p. 230
Temporary Pickguards	p. 231
Adding or Removing a Pickguard on a Flattop Guitar	p. 232
Strap Buttons	p. 233
Installing Strap Buttons	p. 234
Tailpieces	p. 236
Armrests and Guitar Supports	p. 238
Pickups and Electronics	p. 241
History	p. 241
Active or Passive	p. 246
Under-Saddle Transducers	p. 247
Hexaphonic Pickups	p. 250
Piezo Pickups for Archtop Guitars	p. 250
How Are Under-Saddle Pickups Installed?	p. 250
Soundboard Transducers	p. 252
Magnetic Pickups	p. 256
Humbucker vs. Single-Coil	p. 256
Magnetic Pickups for Flattop Guitars	p. 256
Flattops with Built-in Magnetic Pickups	p. 259
Magnetic Pickups for Archtop Guitars	p. 261
Internal Microphones	p. 261
Mounting of Internal Mics	p. 262
Phantom Power	p. 263
Preamps	p. 263
Onboard Controls	p. 264
Volume	p. 265
Equalization	p. 265
Notch Filter	p. 266
Phase	p. 266
Blending	p. 266
Do I Need Onboard Controls?	p. 267
Output Jack	p. 268
Mono vs. Stereo Jacks	p. 269
Outboard Gear	p. 270
Care and Maintenance	p. 273
Cleaning the Guitar	p. 273
Procedures for Different Finishes	p. 273
Strings, Frets, and Fingerboard	p. 276
Adjusting the Truss Rod	p. 277
Adjusting Action	p. 279
Adjusting Intonation	p. 282
Tuning Difficulties	p. 283
Buzz Diagnosis	p. 285
Troubleshooting Electronics	p. 290
Installing Strings	p. 292
Steel Strings	p. 293
Nylon Strings	p. 301
Archtops	p. 306
A Brief Introduction to More Serious Repairs	p. 308
Cracks in the Wood	p. 308
Broken Headstocks	p. 309
Unglued Bridges and Fretboards	p. 310
Broken Truss Rods	p. 310
Refrets	p. 310
Neck Resets	p. 311
Special Considerations	p. 312
Temperature and Humidity	p. 312
How to Store a Guitar	p. 314
How to Travel with a Guitar	p. 316
What to Look for When Buying a Guitar	p. 319
What's the "Best?"	p. 319
How Much Do I Have to Spend?	p. 320
Budget Instruments	p. 321
Mid-Level Steel-String Flattops	p. 323
Mid-Level Nylon-String Guitars (Classical and Flamenco)	p. 325
High-End Guitars	p. 326
Archtop and Selmer/Maccaferri-Style Guitars	p. 330
New vs. Used	p. 333
Conditions and Repairs to Watch Out for with a Used Guitar	p. 334
Vintage Guitars	p. 337
Vintage Reissues	p. 339
Factory-Built or Custom-Made	p. 341
What Does "Handmade" Mean?	p. 344
Amount of Ornamentation ("Appointments")	p. 345
Should I Get an Acoustic-Electric If I Don't Really Need It?	p. 347
Buying Online and Through Mail Order	p. 348
Do I Need More Than One Guitar?	p. 320
A Look into the Future	p. 353
Alternative Woods	p. 353
Alternative Materials	p. 356
New Finishes	p. 356
Improved Amplification	p. 357
High-Tech Classicals	p. 358
Adjustable Neck Angle	p. 359
CNC and the Small Shop	p. 360
Coated Strings	p. 362
New Factories Opening Up in a Changing Global Economy	p. 362
Decrease in Availability of Vintage Instruments	p. 363
Steel-String's Acceptance in Classical Music	p. 364
Final Thoughts	p. 365
About the Authors	p. 367
Bibliography	p. 370
Index	p. 373
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Acoustic Guitar

The Composition, Construction and Evolution of One of World's Most Beloved Instruments

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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