the accoustic cut away

[cabbage]

hey there,
so what are the pros and cons of the cut-away on an accoustic guitar??? I am sure it depends on the quality of the guitar and maker.
I am looking at getting a
Maton ECW80 with AP5 pickup in the next week or two and although i know the cut away would be handy with playing, i am cautious about the affect it will have on the sound??
Could all those with experience please give this novice guitar buyer a hand,
cheers,
C.

 

[Light]

On the pro side, a well designed cutaway makes it easier to get access to the higher frets, and they look cool (to some people). But they have to be well designed. If the transition from the neck to the body is not smooth (such as on Martins, Taylors, and worst of all on Larrivees), then the transition becomes a distraction when you get up there. The only major company whose cutaways heels I like is Gibsons. The transistion is smooth. Very important, in my absolutely NOT humble opinion.

On the cons side, they are expensive (they are a real bitch kitty to make). Our up charge is $450, which is not at all out of line with other custom builders.

You will note I said nothing about sound. I have yet to meet someone whose opinion I really trust who can hear a difference which is more significant than just the variability between any two guitars. And I know some people with great ears. The cutaway takes wood out of the top in a section that we now understand is not involved in sound production in any significant way. There are, on a non-cutaway guitar, two very heavy braces right under that part of the top, which are necessary to support the neck. These braces keep that part of the top from moving much, therefore the cutaway makes little to no difference.


Light

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

 

[EleKtriKaz]

Light makes some interesting points, and clearly, from the technical nature of his post, has more knowledge in this area than I.

That being said, I wish I would have known a bit more about how the shape of guitars affects the sound (this meaning that I respectfully disagree with Light). I absolutely love my Taylor 814ce cutaway. It always sounds great. It sounds great recorded, as does my friend's Larivee cutaway. But in my experience a dreadnought shape produces a more "even" sound for recording. I may get bashed by some experts here, but I honestly believe that to be the truth. "Even" is in quotations because it is one of those hard to pin down, subjective terms.

There are a few different shapes that you see very often: The Martin type OM shape, of course the dreadnought shape, and the cutaway design based off of one of these. I know that I am leaving out some shapes, but I just don't know the correct name for them.

If the guitar you are considering is mainly to be used for live performances, I would say strongly consider a cutaway due to its versatility and the ability for the player to reach higher registers. If it is going to be used mainly for recording, then try and set something up where you'll be able to record the narrowed down list of guitars that you are choosing between. I hope this helps in some way.

 

[Light]

Light makes some interesting points, and clearly, from the technical nature of his post, has more knowledge in this area than I.

That being said, I wish I would have known a bit more about how the shape of guitars affects the sound (this meaning that I respectfully disagree with Light). I absolutely love my Taylor 814ce cutaway. It always sounds great. It sounds great recorded, as does my friend's Larivee cutaway. But in my experience a dreadnought shape produces a more "even" sound for recording. I may get bashed by some experts here, but I honestly believe that to be the truth. "Even" is in quotations because it is one of those hard to pin down, subjective terms.

There are a few different shapes that you see very often: The Martin type OM shape, of course the dreadnought shape, and the cutaway design based off of one of these. I know that I am leaving out some shapes, but I just don't know the correct name for them.

If the guitar you are considering is mainly to be used for live performances, I would say strongly consider a cutaway due to its versatility and the ability for the player to reach higher registers. If it is going to be used mainly for recording, then try and set something up where you'll be able to record the narrowed down list of guitars that you are choosing between. I hope this helps in some way.

I never said the shape did not make a difference. It is one of the two or three most important parts of a guitars sound, along with the bracing/wood of the top, and the scale length. But the Cutaway makes no significant difference between two guitars which are otherwise the same shape. But remember, the bracing is also very important. You can not compare guitars of the same shape but with different bracing. For instance a Martin D-28 is not going to sound the same as a Martin DC-35 (or wherever the hell they are putting the code for the cutaway these days). The bracing on the D-35 is in a different place, and is lighter than the D-28. But a D-35 and a DC-35 (whatever) are going to sound as similar as any two guitars can sound (too many other variables, such as the density of the woods, the thickness of the finish, inconsistencies in string diameter or inconsistencies in the glue joints). There may or may not be a measurable difference, but I doubt there is anyone out there who can perceive the difference while playing. If you are not comparing otherwise identical guitars, the other differences are too big for you judge the effect of the cutaway.


Light

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

 

[Armistice]

Hey cabbage-patch

I have a Maton ECW80E (with gloss finish & gold hardware- yum!) - I also have a Messiah and have owned a 325 in the past. All with cutaway and AP5. They sound like they sound. The ECW80 sounds not as good as the Messiah and better than the 325 - as you'd expect, given the relative costs of the three axes. I've heard that a cutaway reduces bass frequencies, which, if you're recording them, usually ain't a bad thing - but whether that's true or not, I couldn't tell you.

If you like the sound of the guitar, buy it, they're a fine guitar. You may be worrying about something you can't actually hear.

My only comment is that when recording I tend to use strings with a "softer" sound like Thomastiks, rather than your normal style - softens some of the high end harshness that most of the mics I use can impart.

Ausrock has a CW80 too and swears by it, so I'm sure he'll drop by sometime to tell you about it. Not sure if his is a cutaway or not.

Good luck, long live Maton!