Solid Wood Acoustic Guitars

Generally, solid-wood guitars tend to be priced higher than laminate-bodied guitars and are therefore usually the preserve of the more serious, often professional guitarist. However, what the solid-wood guitar costs in price is usually made up for in quality, durability and tone. For the serious guitar player, where sound and shelf-life are important, solid body guitars are a must-have. There are many companies that make fine high-end solid body acoustics. Although laminate-body guitars are more popular due to their lower cost, the tone and quality of solid body acoustics is something that attracts all guitarists looking for a purer, full-bodied tone from their instrument.

Features of Solid Wood Acoustic Guitars

Solid wood acoustic guitars are essentially guitars with bodies made from pieces of solid wood. This means that the top of the guitar is cut from one piece of wood, as is the back and the sides. The neck is also fashioned from one piece of wood. This is opposed to laminate body guitars, where the wood usually consists of several pieces glued together.

Common features of solid wood guitars include:

• Richer tone: The quality of the wood lends itself to a richer, fuller tone from the guitar, as opposed to the usually ‘dead’ tone that can be heard on a lot of the cheaper laminate body guitars.
• Sustain: Solid wood guitars produce more sustain on the notes played, as well as offering a greater range of projection in the sound. This is especially helpful for acoustic guitar players who might play in impromptu settings, such as traditional folk musicians, and may need the best natural sound projection possible.
• Aging: Solid body guitars gain a better tone as the wood they are made from ages. Although these types of guitars need more care and attention than laminate wood guitars, due to humidity and temperature-change factors, they become stronger and more mature as they age. This helps them retain their rich, full-bodied sound as time goes by.

Different Makes of Solid Wood Guitars

There are many different manufacturers of solid wood acoustics. Historically, these guitars have been in the higher price range, but in latter years the prices have generally been going downward. The production of solid-and-laminated-wood hybrid guitars has, in part, helped in this reduction of price.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of popular solid wood acoustics:

• Washburn D48SW All Solid Wood Acoustic Guitar: This make of guitar consists of an all-solid soundboard, back and sides.
• Guild GAD-50 Iced Tea Burst Acoustic Guitar: This particular make of Guild guitar is made from Indian rosewood for the back and sides, and it also features a solid spruce soundboard. The neck is an excellent example of the craftsmanship of solid wood acoustics in that it is made of one-piece mahogany.
• Fender Limited Edition ESM-60 60th Anniversary Acoustic/Electric Guitar: This guitar is one of the higher-priced items on the market for acoustic guitars, and it comes with a sitka spruce solid soundboard as well as a mahogany neck.

There are more examples of high quality solid body guitars out there. Price is always a factor when choosing the right guitar, but the discerning player will typically seek the best sound and richest tone available within any budget limitations. Solid wood guitars are almost always well worth pushing those budget limits.

Where to Find Solid Body Guitars

Any respectable music shop typically carries a wide selection of solid wood acoustics. Of course, these guitars can also be bought straight from the dealers. There are also some online resources that might be useful when searching for the right guitar.

• Ballews Music is an online retailer that carries a broad selection of solid body acoustic guitars.
• Guitar Center is another website where one can find a variety of solid body guitars.

Although buying guitars from websites doesn’t afford the opportunity to try a guitar before buying that a local store does, one positive about solid wood guitars is that the quality of the sound is almost an unspoken guarantee. This frees up the guitarist to only worry about finding a guitar that fits right and feels good to play.