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What
type of wood is the guitar made from?
What type of soundboard is used?
Is the guitar bound?
Are the tuners enclosed?
How does the guitar look?
What kind of warranties and guarantees are offered?
What about price?
What type of
wood is the guitar made from?
The type and quality of wood used to construct
the acoustic guitar is the most important factor in determining
sound, durability, and appearance.
Plywood is often used in cheaply-made
acoustic guitars. Unlike cedar and spruce, plywood is a
low-quality wood that will pull itself apart over time, and does
not produce a good resonant sound.
 Back and Sides:
The
type of wood that is used for the back and sides of the guitar
is not as important as it is with the soundboard, as long as it
is real wood. Examples of good quality wood used for the
back and sides of an acoustic guitar include rosewood, maple,
and mahogany.
Neck: It is not critical which type of wood is used
for the neck, as long as it is solid and looks good
to you.
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
Select Spruce Soundboard. Back, sides, and
neck are mahogany.
What type of soundboard
is used?
Soundboard (Top):
 The
top of the guitar is where 90% of the tone quality and sound comes
from. Cedar and spruce are typically used for the
soundboard in higher quality acoustic guitars. Both are durable,
and produce high quality sound.
Over time, spruce will produce a better
sound than cedar or any other wood, once it is fully broken
in.
Do not buy a guitar that is made of a plywood
as it will easily come apart.
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
Select Spruce Soundboard.
Is the guitar bound?
 Binding
around the edges of the guitar will help it to hold up
better and longer. Without this binding, even slight impact on
the corners of the body or neck can cause the edges to come
apart.
Cheaply
made guitars will not use a high-quality binding. Many
guitars will have a painted edge on them to appear is though
they were bound.
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
ABS Heavy-Duty White Binding.
Are the tuners
enclosed?
 Sealed
lubricated machine heads (a.k.a. tuners) prevent dust
particles, dirt, etc. from getting inside, and will usually
perform very well the life of the guitar.
You should also make sure that your tuners
have high-precision gears (14:1 or 15:1 ratio), so it is
easy to properly tune. Anything less will result in a lot of
back and forth adjusting of the machine heads. Anything much
more will make tuning more time consuming, as it will require
more twisting before reaching the proper tightness of the string
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
Permanently Lubricated, Enclosed, Gold Tuners.
How does the
guitar look?
 Part
of the satisfaction you will gain from your guitar is derived by
its appearance. While playing for others, you will want your
guitar to sound good, as well as look good.
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
Classic, Dreadnought Style Look.
What kind of
warranties and guarantees are offered?
Warranty. Some acoustic electric guitar
manufacturers and suppliers do not offer a warranty, or only a
very short one, such as 90 days. (what are typical warranty
lengths?)
Guarantee. This is particularly
important if you are buying a guitar over the internet. Most of
the best deals for acoustic guitars are available on the
internet, but you cannot fully evaluate the guitar until you
have it in your hands.
In which case, a strong and fair money-back
guarantee policy is vital. Beware of suppliers that charge
restocking fees, or that do not offer to pay the return shipping
costs in case you do decide to return your guitar.
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
90 Day Guarantee, Lifetime Warranty.
What about price?
And of course, price is a pretty important
factor as well. Well-made acoustic guitars are notorious for
surprisingly steep prices. The most important factors that
determine price are the type and quality of wood used on the
guitar and brand name.
With this being the case, you can save
hundreds of dollars for all the same features and quality level
by buying one of the lesser recognized names
TGX-D10 Acoustic Guitar ($109):
$109
Compare
the TGX-D10 to the Esteban guitar
(as seen on
TV).
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