You know, what I like !!!

[Acoustic Beatle]

Hi guys, being a bit of a newbie here on AGF I,m some what over whelmed by the technical jargon ie 000 - 18 etc , different terminology when relating to the size of any particular guitar ,short scale guitars, and so on- I do plead ignorance to these matters, but before becoming a member on the forum if I liked the sound and visual impact of any particular guitar within my budget that was enough for me, but now as they say " a little knowledge is dangerous ", so over to you guys , would you kindly bring me up to speed please ????/

[warfrat73]

It's an awful lot that you're asking, and very open ended. Recognizing that you don't know what it is you don't know, I understand that you can't be more specific, but there's a lot of info out there, and for some of it to make sense it really needs to be put into context.

To answer the couple of specific question that you ask.

A 000 is a mid-sized guitar (to our modern sensibilities anyway) based on the original martin sizing.

This shows the basic shape differences in Martin inspired guitar designs:



Here's a link to the spec sheets of various Martin guitar dimensions, to give you a sense of the actual relative sizes: http://www.martinguitar.com/features.../sizetype.html

Gibson had it's own shapes and size, and there are some newer ones too, like the Grand Auditorium, that have become fairly standard.

Scale length refers to the distance between the nut and the saddle. Short scale is obviously a fairly relative term. But in practice it frequently means a guitar built with a scale length of less than 25.4", which is the standard scale length of Martin Dreadnaughts and OMs. Short scale Martin guitars, such as the 000, generally use a 24.9" scale. Many classic Gibson models use scale lengths that are shorter than Martin used. The J-45, for example uses a 24.75" scale. Scale length contributes to string tension, volume, tone, and playability. The different scale lengths used helped create the signature tones of these guitars.

Here's a link to a thread that might answer some of your other questions:http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...ht=terminology

[Mobilemike]

It is a lot of information, but don't be too concerned by trying to learn everything all at once - the more you hang out here the more you will absorb. I've been here awhile and I definitely don't know everything, but I learn more every day and thats what makes this a fun place!

Google is also your friend - if you see a term you don't know (like 000-18), a quick copy/paste into google can give you all the info you want.

-Mike

[roylor4]

Here is another big piece of the puzzle - how tonewoods affect the guitars sound.



Top plays the biggest role in general term when you're talking about "factory built" guitars. The back and sides (when solid) can significantly "color" the tone. Other factors such as bracing size and type, wood thicknesses + dozens more make differences too.

FWIW - It took me a long time to gradually learn most of this stuff and playing lots of guitars. I still have a lot to learn too. You aren't gonna learn everything overnight or even in a year or two.

[Kip Carter]

Great stuff for Reference!

[guit3090]

very interesting!

[Acoustic Beatle]

Thanks you guys ,very helpful ...the ball is in, the game is on !!! Let it begin !!!!

[warbles]

Originally Posted by roylor4

Wow, that is an awesome, and comprehensive, diagram!
Thank you for sharing.

[fazool]

The combinations of options results in an enormous number of guitar variations.
Even if you limit yourself to just very common discrete choices, such as:

• about 8 common shapes
• about 9 common body woods
• about 5 common top woods
• long or short scale
• 2 common nut widths

Just selecting from that very limited list and you will end up with 1440 different combinations of guitar specs.

Now add in things like

• Bracing type
• fingerboard material
• slot or paddle head
• cutaway type
• electronics or not

And you are quickly up to about 18,000 combinations.


Now start adding in subtle variations like Engleman versus Sitka versus Adirondack Spruce. Then add in things like cosmetics, binding, glue types, bevel, gloss or satin, etc. etc.

And pretty quickly you end up with hundreds of thousands of possible combinations of guitar specifications.

And that doesn't include the personal variations of a custom BTO luthier or boutique shop - that's just for big manufacturer specifications.

So.....

Don't sweat it too much if you don't memorize all half-million possible guitar specifications.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Acoustic Beatle

Thanks you guys ,very helpful ...the ball is in, the game is on !!! Let it begin !!!!

Are you aware that on your 1 month AGF anniversary you're given a test when you login? Glad to see you're prepping for it.

There's some great info in this thread. I'll add that a "12 fret" guitar is one where the neck joins the body at the 12th fret. More commonly, it is at the 14th fret.

[Mobilemike]

For reference, this page has some awesome information about wood types and combinations:

http://petrosguitars.com/the-guitar/...-combinations/

-Mike

[Silly Moustache]

It may be an outmoded concept but there are some great reference books out there.

The first one I'd recommend is "The Martin Book" by Walter Carter with loads of very useful info about history, models, production numbers etc.

Gibson's Fabulous Flat-Top Guitars by Whitford, Vinopal, and Erlewhine. Similar info t the above - or as much is possible from Gibson.

There are many more but these are, in my opinion, the two most vital.

[jseth]

No matter HOW MUCH information you acquire about guitars, your own "rule of thumb" is the final arbiter... don't forget that one!

I do happen to know a bit about acoustic guitars, knowledge accrued over half a century of loving them and playing them...

But I'd rather play them and feel it... rather than play them and think about it...