Trick Guitar tone

The acoustic guitar is such a beautifully-sounding instrument and for the best tones, you want something of high-quality. Maybe you're with a friend and you're examining their guitar or you're looking in the store for a new guitar of your own.

Whatever the reason...

It's nice to know that you can identify a quality acoustic guitar when you need to. Here are a few things to look for:

1. Where the neck meets the body should be seamless and tight.

Since the strings are constantly giving tension to the neck, you want to check for flaws. Make sure the body and neck are connected cleanly without gaps.

Check to see if the strings are getting the best of the guitar neck by actually bending it away from the body. That's not very good.

2. The action of the instrument is good for you.

More importantly, how does the thing play? It doesn't really matter how much of a high-quality acoustic guitar you have if you can't play it comfortably.

See how easily it is to play your common riffs and if the strings are easy to press down to the frets.

3. The twist of the neck can be present, but not crazy.

Turn the guitar so that you're staring from the bottom of the instrument to the headstock of the neck. (like looking down a rifle) You should be able to see if the neck is bending slightly.

Most guitars have a very slight bend when they have been used for awhile. A high-quality acoustic guitar has either a slight or almost no bend, but if you find one that's bending a lot...

that's a problem.

4. Dirty hardware should be expected, but only so much.

Your guitar's hardware is going to get dirty if you do things like play when it's hot out and you begin to sweat all over it. Finding hardware that's dirty is ok, but rusty means that this player kept very poor care of their instrument.

5. The general condition should meet your approval.

Just be honest with yourself. If you look at an acoustic guitar for its overall quality and you see a disgusting-looking thing, it probably hasn't been cared for.

Use some common sense when checking over a used instrument, or even in the stores so you can tell if you have your hands on a high-quality acoustic guitar or not.

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My important guitar supplement links:
How To Guitar Play- Important Tips For Beginning Guitarists
Fast Electric Guitar Learning Course
Best Acoustic Guitar Lessons

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How To Guitar Tune

Playing the guitar live in front of people is a completely different game than in your bedroom by yourself. There never comes a time where your pillow or clothes on the floor are going to laugh or say something negative at you while your strumming.

(Unless your home is possessed?...)

But, playing guitar in coffee shops and open mike nights is a great way to ease your mind on the idea of playing live.

For guitarists that have never been to an open mike night, you simply add your name to a list of performers, they call your name when it's your turn, and then you play for up to 20 minutes. It's a simple system, but it works.

The best part about playing at coffee shops and open mike nights are how generally supportive the people are.

You're not going to be booed off or pelted with raw vegetables, but you'll always receive a smile and a good amount of applause when you're done. Bring a friend out and the both of you can have some silly fun up on stage.

I mean, it's really great to be able to play the guitar, but sharing your talent with others is what turns your talent into a musical contribution to society. And you're not trying to be a free-loader are you? That's what I thought.