Cutaway question

[HapiCmpur]

I'm shopping for a new acoustic. I was initially looking for a quality dreadnought or an auditorium size instrument with no bells and whistles, but the salesdude at TGC talked me into trying some Taylor cutaways (with onboard electronics). When I expressed my concern that cutaways would have inferior tone on account of the loss of a portion of the soundbox, he told me that new innovations in bracing compensate for that.

Hmmmm...

I have to admit, I was impressed with the Taylor cutaways. I don't usually noodle around on the high notes when playing acoustic guitar, but having access to the upper neck (and finding the action on the Taylors so agreeable) I ended up being quite enamored with the cutaways. Problem is, I couldn't really judge the tone quality. As I'm sure you know, the acoustic room at TGC is not a particularly good environment to hear yourself play. It gets pretty busy in there.

Anyway, I'd like to hear from other players what they think about cutaways. I'm especially interested in hearing from those of you who play a LOT of different guitars and have a good basis for making comparisons. I hardly ever play any acoustic guitars besides the one I own, so I don't feel like I'm a very good judge of tonal differences from one guitar to the next.

 

[philboyd studge]

Sure a cutaway will effect tone some but not all that much as most resonance is developed below the bridge. Still, cutaways and pickguards will have some influence.

It kind of depends on how you'll use it. For me, I find 14 frets to the body to be enough room to get around on a steel string acoustic, even stage use. In fact in looking around I don't even own a cutaway steel string, unless you want to count the Eastman archtop I just bought. I've got two nylon hybrids with cutaways and of course electrics but no acoustic steel strings.

Maybe it's a Taylor thing for they sure make a lot of them. Anyway, you're in a price range where there's a lot of really good selection out there, so look around and play as many as you can, in as many situations. If you can, go to GC when they open and get some time by yourself in the acoustic room.

Happy shopping.

 

[punkin]

I play both acoustic and electric but I started out electric. When I thought I might like to have an acoustic, I went right for the cut aways with built in pups thinking they're the most flexible for recording and acoustic playing and the extra reach was more in line with the electric range I was so used to.

I demo'd a few and actually took one home. In the end, I never used the electric pickup and had second thoughts about the tone. I did try some simple recording tests using the built in pups but it still didn't have the full round acoustic sound I envisioned. I took it back and went for a full bodied straight up acoustic. Never a single regret. Currently I own 4 acoustics, not one of them a cut-away and none with on-board electrics.

Since you're looking in the GC...buy one...take it home play it and bring it back/exchange for another if you don't like it...exactly what I did. The sales folks totally understood.

To each their own...you gotta find what works best for you. Good luck.

 

[Light]

I'm shopping for a new acoustic. I was initially looking for a quality dreadnought or an auditorium size instrument with no bells and whistles, but the salesdude at TGC talked me into trying some Taylor cutaways (with onboard electronics). When I expressed my concern that cutaways would have inferior tone on account of the loss of a portion of the soundbox, he told me that new innovations in bracing compensate for that.

Well, he was certainly talking out of his ass, because there is no "new inovations" in the bracing to compensate for the cutaway. It is pretty much universally accepted that the cutaway make somewhere between no effect and less than no effect on the sound of the instrument.

Now, that seems odd to some people, but there is a theory as to why our ears can't notice the difference. Actually, there are two reasons. First of all, IF there is any difference, it is so small that even if one could measure the difference, you could never hear it, I don't care how good your ears are. It is very much over powered by differences in any two pieces of top wood, or even back and side wood (even withen the same species).

Second, the cutaway is in a part of the guitar that doesn't move much anyway. What we generally think of as the "operating" part of the soundboard is the roughly circular area centered around the bridge. by the time you get into the upper bout there, there is not much movement. You see, there are two VERY large and heavy braces in that part of the top, which are required to keep the guitar from falling apart under the pull of the strings. That part of the top doesn't move at ALL. It is simply too stiff.

So, don't worry about cutaways, they don't make a difference in the sound. If you will use it, then get it. If you won't use it, then for God's sake, don't PAY for it. they are expensive as shit!

Oh, and do yourself a favor and get to a decent acoustic guitar store. The Banjo Mart guys are fucking clueless, for the most part.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Light]

Oh yeah, and be extremly warry of the Taylor ES system electronics. They are extremly unreliable. You can't imagine how many of those we've had to work on. Bad juju, for sure.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[HapiCmpur]

Since you're looking in the GC...buy one...take it home play it and bring it back/exchange for another if you don't like it

Yeah, I just found out that they'll let you take 'em home for a 30-day test drive. Seems too good to be true, but I'm certainly not going to complain.

It is pretty much universally accepted that the cutaway make somewhere between no effect and less than no effect on the sound of the instrument.

I'm really surprised to hear that. I would think that even if the soundboard doesn't move much in the upper bout, there's still a lot of sound resonating around in there and affecting the projected tone. Not so, eh?

Oh, and do yourself a favor and get to a decent acoustic guitar store.

Are there any acoustic guitar stores anymore? I live in a major (sort of) metropolitan area, but there are only two places I can think of that sell a variety of acoustic guitars: One is TGC and one is a similar operation called Chuck Levin's Washington Music. The guys at Chuck's seem to know a little more than their counterparts at TGC, but there's only one salesdude for every ten or twenty customers. It's a bummer.

 

[TheRockDoc]

I still say that I have a Martin D1 with a Fishman installed, and it sounds amazing. An EQ, notch filter or compressor racked or in a box should give you most, if not all, of what you're looking for.

Nothing is for free...if you pay for on-board electronics, it's something you didn't get in the guitar construction. When you get into higher end Taylor's and such, you are getting excellent parts and an excellent guitar, but it is reflected in the price. Beware of restocking fees if you buy and return.

Personally, I favor old Guild jumbos (for what it's worth), but I also find cutaways to be a bit more balanced when your standing- kind of like cupping a baseball bat

 

[Light]

Just some comment...bashing wasn't called for

I guess he didn't like that I called them all clueless. I'll tell you what, as soon as they start hireing people who have a clue, I'll stop calling them clueless.


And yes, there are still acoustic guitar stores around. Not as many as their used to be, but they are out there. I guess I'm spoiled in that reguard, because I live about five minutes door to door from The Podium, which is easily one of the four or five best acoustic guitar store in the country (which probably means the world, though I wouldn't swear to that). Look around, though. You'll find someplace better than Banjo Mart.

HERE'S a list, from Martin's website, of Maryland Martin dealers. Always a good place to start. And to be fair, Taylor's Northeast US dealers.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Big Kenny]

Got Taylors, Gibsons and Martins and I love 'em all. The ES in my T5 sounds great but its a hybrid with a couple wierd buckers. My 615 has the older fishman, great for live sucks to record. Martin D12 45 sings and records well but I've never found a pup that does it justice so for live I use a Larrivee 03 12 with a b band, nice through an amp. The Gibson songbird(,pre songwriter)has whatever Gibson put in it. Nice balance but not much volume before feedback.

 

[Treeline]

A cutaway is not going to make any difference you would notice. Measureable? Maybe. Practically speaking? Nope. Its a cutaway that stiffens an area otherwise dominated by a neck, a heel, a solid neck block, a V-joint, heavy top bracing under the fingerboard extensiom, rigid kerfing, and the structural geometry of a boxed corner. Might as well be a solid chunk of wood to begin with.

 

[SteveK]

Are there any acoustic guitar stores anymore? I live in a major (sort of) metropolitan area, but there are only two places I can think of that sell a variety of acoustic guitars: One is TGC and one is a similar operation called Chuck Levin's Washington Music. The guys at Chuck's seem to know a little more than their counterparts at TGC, but there's only one salesdude for every ten or twenty customers. It's a bummer.

Chuck's is a great store, ask for Brian Meader, extremely knowledgable, and he'll take the time to do you right.

Personally ALL my acoustics are cutaways. Sonically it is really unnoticable, but if you need the upper fret access, there's no beating 'em. (To paraphrase Light )