Does one really need a cutaway?

[fpuhan]

I have done a 180° turn-around on my opinion of cutaways. I used to be a "traditionalist" and thought cutaways didn't belong on a guitar. Then, I realized that I play all over the neck, and adding a cutaway also lets me add a capo.

No more twelve-fretters for me, and I will most definitely consider a cutaway.

[Stonehauler]

Play the instrument you want to play. You don't need a cutaway to do that. If you have a guitar you love, then don't worry about what others have.

[zcregle1]

I am always a supporter of more guitars lol. But if you are happy with your current guitar and have put a lot of miles on it, I think that bond trumps getting a new guitar with a cutaway, especially if you want to stick to just one guitar. Sticking with the guitar you have and using it to work for you and changing the way you play or learning a different way to do the things you want to do brings new inspiration and furthers that connection with the instrument. Just my two cents.

[ascotia]

I will not buy a guitar without a cutaway. I also prefer the appearance of acoustics with certain types of cutaways.

That being said, I really dislike the aesthetic of Florentine cutaways with the sharp 'horn'. I can't help but focus on the negative space which usually looks like a perfect semi-circle cut from the guitar's body. For me, that ruins the more elegant curves we associate with beautiful instruments.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

I’ve been thinking of getting a cutaway guitar since my playing does often take me up into the higher frets. A couple things have held me back.

One, I think of players like Tommy Emmanuel who play insanely good all over the FB and don’t use a cutaway. I know he has cutaway guitars, but 99% of the time he’s on his OM style Matin with no cutaway.

Two, I have only one guitar, only want to have one guitar, and I love it a lot. It’s getting older and well-seasoned and I don’t want to start over with a new model. I know I could add a second guitar but I really like the simplicity of having one great guitar to devote my playing to.

What say you?

Obviously you do not "need" it... But then again if your playing takes up to where your are reaching notes beyond the neck body connection THEN there is also no "need" not to have one. It is truly Simple As That

But far far more important,, forget what TE or anybody plays or does not play.. "They ain't you"
And never be afraid to reexamine what you think your preferences and perspectives are.. "Life is change"

[rmp]

I've a few "player" pals that will just not even consider an acoustic without a Cutaway.

Doesn't really matter to me.

[Benjo]

Do any steel strings utilize the design that classical guitar builder Thomas Humphrey did on his Millennium guitars, where there is no cutaway but either the neck is elevated slightly or the body gently slopes down at the 14th fret to enable easier access to the upper frets. That always looked like an elegant way to handle that, to my eyes at least. Not sure about the sonic implications, if any.

[Br1ck]

Of people I've seen playing cutaway guitars, 95% don't need them. It's more, by pure numbers, a fashion statement.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by mattwood

If you have a 12 fretter cutaways can definitely be useful.

I have a 12 fretter and it does make it difficult to play in the upper fretboard, something like "Wanted Dead or Alive".

On my 14 fretters I like a cutaway sometimes because I play with a capo on the 7th fret sometimes and the extra space helps.

So, there is a need for a cutaway depending upon what/how you play.

[Bridgepin]

I know I don't need a cut away, but if that fits your style by all means go for it.

[gmel555]

If you're asking primarily about 14 fretters, then for me I don't need/desire a cutaway. However, my "new favorite" body shape is a 12-fret cutaway, having the compactness of a 12 fretter and the fret reach of a 14 fretter. So, yes if it's a 12 fretter.

[Horsehockey]

I’m a 68-year-old newbie and my next or second guitar will be a short scale 12 fret wide nut designed for my age and reach.

[TBman]

I like to have it and I'll tell you why. I like to play a variety of celtic and folk music. Often the music is written with the use of a capo in mind. If you have a capo on the 4th and you need to do a harmonic at the octave, you're up there and need the room, at least my fat fingers do. So three of my all solids have cutaways - Avalon, Furch and Guild, and three don't - Gibson, Larrivee and Martin. My next guitar will most likely have a cutaway as well.

[Mark Stone]

On my Strummin' guitar (110e) I don't need a cutaway, but on my fingerpicker (814ce DLX) I do. There's some sweeeeeet chord voicings way up there for flesh-on-string stuff.

But, frankly, the day that I compared the 814ce to the other instruments in the GC high-end room (including a J-45 and a D28 and some other heavyweights), it was so much better I would have gotten it regardless of cutaway. A fingerpicker's dream, this thing is.

[wisedennis]

Tommy apparently is 6’3- 6’4 ; his fingerspan is as long as Kevin Durant..

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

I’ve been thinking of getting a cutaway guitar since my playing does often take me up into the higher frets. A couple things have held me back.

One, I think of players like Tommy Emmanuel who play insanely good all over the FB and don’t use a cutaway. I know he has cutaway guitars, but 99% of the time he’s on his OM style Matin with no cutaway.

Two, I have only one guitar, only want to have one guitar, and I love it a lot. It’s getting older and well-seasoned and I don’t want to start over with a new model. I know I could add a second guitar but I really like the simplicity of having one great guitar to devote my playing to.

What say you?