What does guitar size 38 mean. Acoustic guitar body types
Few beginner musicians study with a teacher or attend a music school. Most domestic guitar lovers are self-taught, who got the instrument from relatives or friends. They, as a rule, also show the first chords. Choosing the right guitar for a particular performer is not an easy task. You need to know the size of the guitar, ideal for the chosen purposes, its type, understand what sound it should make. Let's try to figure it out generally accepted sizes this musical instrument.
guitar type
First of all, before buying an instrument, you need to decide what type of guitar you need:
- Classical - a six-string instrument with softer
- Acoustic - a type of classical guitar, but the number of which may vary.
- An electric guitar is a guitar with an electromagnetic pickup.
- The bass guitar is usually a four-string instrument designed to produce low sounds.
The listed types are the most popular and versatile, available in most music stores. There are rarer varieties, such as those with multiple necks, but these are more for professionals.
Understanding what kind of music will be played will help beginner guitarists choose an instrument. So, for romances, classical works, flamenco or bard song is ideal for classical guitar. It is the easiest, on an instrument of this type they teach to play music schools, choosing the size of the guitar depending on the age of the student. For rock music, blues, jazz, country and other rhythmic melodies, it is better to choose an acoustic, electric or bass guitar. The latter is the most difficult for beginners to master, as it has a longer neck and tighter strings.
Classical guitar dimensions
You need to understand that a ten-year-old child and an adult guy are a big difference. What is convenient little man, does not fit an adult at all, therefore, in the classical models of the instrument, the international size grid has long been applicable. A person of any age and complexion will be able to choose the right tool for himself.
The size of the guitar is 4/4 (four quarters) fits an adult - it is a full standard 7/8 smaller than standard, ideal for teenagers or short adult players. This guitar size is ideal for bards and travelers, it is lighter and easier to transport. A 3/4 guitar, the size of which is intended for children aged 8-11 years old, is a popular option, because most often it is at this age that parents take their children to learn how to play the string instrument. If a child is 5-9 years old, then he needs 1/2 guitar, up to 6 years old - 1/8.
Acoustic guitar sizes
Options acoustic guitars duplicate the classical classification, but differ in the design of the case and its size. Unlike the classical guitar, the acoustic guitar has stiffer steel strings and a thinner neck. The body of this guitar is larger than that of the classical model. acoustic instruments distinguishes between the number of strings (6, 7 or 12), the size of the guitar and the shape of the body. Depending on the size (from smaller to larger), the tool is distinguished:
- The Grand Concert is a compact descendant of the classic acoustic guitar that does not have the loudest sound due to the small amount of air in the body. A good option for teenagers and children.
- Grand Auditorium are guitars that are slightly larger and often feature a domed back. The sound of the instrument is deeper, richer.
- Dreadnought is one of the most popular designs to date. Feature dreadnought - the near part of the body is much closer to the neck, and the far part is enlarged. Such models have a deeper body, which gives a special sound.
- The jumbo is an oversized version of the Grand Auditorium guitar, with volume approaching that of a dreadnought. They were created as competitors to dreadnoughts, they have a richer sound. Not everyone is comfortable with them, so they also release mini-versions of the Jumbo guitar.
- have 6 pairs of strings combined, which can be tuned in different ways (usually the interval is one octave), which makes it possible to create a choir effect.
Bass guitar features
The dimensions of the bass guitar are much larger compared to classical or acoustic guitars (about 1.1 meters in length). But such a guitar is one of the "youngest" - it appeared in the 50s of the last century thanks to the American master Leo Fender.
Bass guitars are the same electric instruments, but they produce lower sounds. They have a one-piece body, special sensors and control knobs. These guitars are popular among performers. hard rock and country music. In order to hear the sound of the bass, it must be connected with a cable with a plug to the amplifier and speaker. A plug or "jack" is inserted into the socket on the body of the instrument intended for it, the signals from the sensors are sent to the amplifier, which, in turn, converts the signal and transmits it to the speaker.
What material to prefer?
Most tools are made by combining wood different breeds. Plastic or metal is used less often. Experts say that there is no "best" or "worst" type of wood - the instrument must be chosen according to sound and convenience.
Brand and country of origin
Choosing a brand is especially important when buying electric and bass guitars, since their production standards are not clearly defined. Different manufacturers vary the number of strings, change the shape of the body and the electronic components of the guitar. Now every brand works for a certain niche. So, Jackson - for metalheads, Fender - for getting a "clean" sound, Gibson releases an instrument with a "fat" sound, Yamaha - the optimal ratio of price and quality, but these are conditional signs. All of the manufacturers listed above produce fairly versatile guitars.
It is believed that serial production is only produced in the USA and Japan. For classical guitars the leader of the upper price segment is Spain. However, the declared country of origin does not guarantee the quality of the tool, especially since fakes are often found on the market. When buying, you need to check the quality of gluing parts of the guitar, the evenness of the neck, the absence of cracks.
Tool cost
Used tools are definitely cheaper (2-3 times). On average, starting from 5,000 Russian rubles, you can buy an instrument suitable for training. Professional guitars are much more expensive. In addition to the instrument itself, you need a case (preferably waterproof and frost-resistant), a tuner for tuning and other accessories - picks, a capo, a strap. For an electric or bass guitar, you need a combo amp.
To the regiment musical instruments arrived at my house.
A guitar has been added to the company along with the violin, which was also purchased from tmart a year and a half ago.
My daughter said long and hard: "I want a guitar."
I answered: “You don’t play the violin, and the same will happen with the guitar.”
But in the end we agreed on "at least some."
In our city, the cheapest guitar costs about 75 dollars. Therefore, looking at the price of Tmartovskaya, you can have mercy :)
Before buying consulted with a friend. He certainly recommended guitars for almost 3 times the price. There are also metal strings. And they look more solid.
And, of course, you need to hold the guitar in your hands ...
But it was decided not to covet the very expensive.
So I chose this guitar.
I want to draw your attention right now. Tmart has Hong Kong, US and UK warehouses. The guitars are predominantly American. But if someone decides to make a purchase, pay attention. Hong Kong warehouse prices are usually lower.
Parcel ... Yes, it was the parcel, since it weighed more than 2 kg, it came in a large box. 
Unpacked. And there is another box. Exactly the same as in the description of the store for some guitars. 
In addition to the guitar itself, a strap and a case were ordered. Tmart sells guitars separately and with accessories. I don't need some of them. Therefore, paying almost 2 times more, I think, does not make sense. Unless the "surcharge" for accessories is not quite small.
I open the box. Guitar like a guitar :) 
I apologize in advance for the angles. I'll show you the parts of the guitar as best I can.
Location of strings. 
There are no labels anywhere to identify the manufacturer. This may complement low price guitars with relevant thoughts :) 
What my friend immediately noticed was that there are no dots on the fretboard showing the frets.
The strings are located relatively far from the fretboard. 
Also a disadvantage is the raw metal pins.
A friend advised me to remove the strings and slightly file the white plastics so that the strings were closer to the neck. 
Location of strings. 
The strap can only be attached from below. It is difficult to find a suitable place from above. 
Back view. Back wall at this price of course plywood. 
Side view. 
I asked a friend to tune the guitar and play a little to somehow show the possibilities of the guitar. Although, of course, the camera could not capture all the sound.
My friend gave this guitar a completely brief description- G.
The guitar suited my daughter better.
Although everything can change. Initially, she was not embarrassed by the relative distance of the strings from the fretboard. Now she said that it would be nice to file.
She is not embarrassed by the relatively small size of the tool. Vice versa. This size seems right for her.
The sound of the guitar also suits her.
And a friend, when he tuned the guitar, noted that the neck was probably weak, since you tune one string, the second one goes out of tune, etc.
This is the collection of stringed musical instruments I have at home. 
Summary
In general, the tool suitable for those, who wants to play the guitar professionally, but can arrange a complete beginner to just “play” but not develop.
Although apparently we can not do without dope.
In my city, the cost of guitars starts from $75, but here it is a third cheaper, and even a 12% refund of the cost of the goods using the topcashback return service.
Guitar for the price. And probably no more. Unlike the violin, which cost less than $100, but sounds better than local violins that cost a little more than $100.
By the way, now there will be 10% discounts on all guitars for a couple of days in March, but my review has nothing to do with it.
Happy and useful shopping.
I plan to buy +5 Add to favorites Liked the review +19 +34In this article, we will look at the main points that you should pay attention to when choosing a guitar. Consciously purchase a guitar will help you 4 simple stage described below:
1. Choosing the type of guitar
Before buying a guitar, you need to decide what kind of music you want to play. For the performance of classical, melodic works, nylon strings are suitable for you, which have a rich, deep and soft sound, dominated by a rich timbre, they are equipped with classical guitars. metal strings they sound loud, clear and loud, such qualities are characteristic of rock music, acoustic guitars are equipped with them. It should be noted that a guitar that is rated for nylon strings cannot be set to metal strings, and nylon strings cannot be set to a guitar that is rated for metal strings.
2. Choosing the type of material from which the top of the guitar is made
The top of the guitar can be made of laminate or solid wood.
Guitars with a laminate top deck are less whimsical to storage and operation conditions. For example, if you are going to take a guitar on camping trips and sing songs around a campfire, then it is better to limit yourself to choosing just such a guitar.
Guitars with an array top sound noticeably better, but they are more capricious in storage and operation. In addition, their cost is significantly higher than the cost of guitars with a laminate top. If you have chosen a guitar with a solid wood top, then pay attention to how the fibers are arranged. It is better if the fibers are even and parallel, and the distance between them is 1-2 mm. Such a deck will have better resonant properties.
3. Choosing the size of the guitar
Designed for guitars international standards sizes, designed specifically so that any musician, of any height and build, can choose an instrument that suits him in size.
Classical guitar size classification:
Acoustic guitar size classification:
4. Choosing the shape of the guitar
Acoustic guitar can have many various forms, the most common of which are dreadnought, jumbo, ovation. All of these guitars can also have a cutaway that makes it easier to play on the upper frets.
After you have decided on the choice of guitar, do not forget to pick up for it. It is necessary to protect your instrument from bumps, scratches, as well as changes in temperature and humidity. Considering that most guitar manufacturers save on strings to reduce the overall cost of the guitar, we recommend that you purchase a set (one or more, at your discretion) and replace them immediately. In addition, given that new strings will stretch and the guitar will constantly need to be tuned, it will come in handy for you to more accurate and quick setup guitars. If you are planning to learn classical guitar, then you will need. The fact is that playing the classical guitar requires the correct landing, in which the left leg must be raised. These are the main accessories that are recommended to be purchased with the guitar. Optionally, you can also buy
We continue to study the structure of the guitar and in today's article we will look at the main types of acoustic guitar bodies, as well as the influence of their shape on the sound of the instrument. We recommend that all novice guitarists read it to the end, because. here you will learn a lot of new and interesting things for yourself.
Many of you probably already know that there are quite a lot of different factors that can affect the sound of a guitar, so it’s rather difficult to describe them all in one article, but such parameters as the shape and size of the body significantly affect the sound of an acoustic guitar. We will now consider them in more detail.
The general picture is that if we know in advance the configuration and size of the body, as well as the type of wood from which it is made, then it is quite possible to predict its sound with relative ease. We already had a very detailed article about wood species, you can read it.
There are about as many sizes and shapes of acoustic guitars as there are craftsmen who make these instruments. To date, almost every lyutier easily copies in every detail any traditional instrument and plus everything, it definitely brings something of its own to the final product. But still, despite this fact, there are generally accepted standards, sizes and shapes, from which most guitar masters are repelled. Today there are three main sizes:
- Dreadnaught - Standard Western
- Orchestra Model - orchestral model
- Jumbo - "jumbo" (enlarged body)
The first two types of hull construction, which are still the most famous and common to this day, were developed by Martin. Westerns and orchestral models are the Martin D-28 and Martin OM-28, respectively. The design of the third type, or rather its development, belongs to Gibson, which has Gibson model The J-200 is still the traditional American jumbo guitar.
Below is a table that displays the main dimensions of the three structures described above. It is also worth noting that in practice, usually each individual guitar will differ slightly in size from the values in the table. But despite this, more than 90% of the instruments are guaranteed to approximately correspond to these sizes and parameters.
Well, now we will consider in particular each individual design and find out what sound characteristics are inherent in them, and also try to understand in what ways we can “adjust” the sound to the result we need.
Dreadnaught
Guitars with a "standard western" (dreadnaught) body are characterized by more pronounced bass with a peculiar "roaring" sound. Low frequencies prevail in rhythm parts and with hard accompaniment. Such a guitar is ideal for playing in an ensemble and playing chords, but for solo parts it will not always be good option. As an example, the Fender CD-60 acoustic guitar is a very high quality instrument.
Orchestra Model
The "orchestra model" body type tends to have a smooth and "soft" sound - a perfect balance between the lower and upper strings. Guitars like this are great for picking, and they're also prized by sound engineers because they're well-amplified with a regular microphone. The main disadvantage is only a weak volume of the instrument, if, for example, you play such a guitar in an acoustic ensemble. Still quite often there is not enough bass, especially with a hard accompaniment style.
jumbo
Well, the last type of case is “jumbo”, which is a kind of compromise between the two previous ones. Its main advantage is its large body, which amplifies the sound to the level of a standard western (sometimes even more), and its symmetrical configuration makes it balanced and close to an orchestral model with a characteristic "juicy" tone. "Jumbo" guitars are well suited for mixed styles of music, especially when playing on stage. The 12-string jumbo is also very popular.
Now that in in general terms Since we now understand the influence of guitar body design on the sound, we will try to consider all the details in more detail.
Effect of cabinet on sound
We already know that the larger the body of the guitar, the louder it sounds. But as for the balance of frequency characteristics, then in almost any design good master can easily correct them and make the lows, mids or highs more pronounced. All this is achieved by the correct turning of the springs and the correct selection of materials. As a rule, the sonority of the guitar increases due to the smaller thickness of the springs, and therefore usually the masters glue the body first, and then precisely “adjust” the pre-glued springs through the resonator hole.
Equally important is the diameter of the resonator hole itself. If it is too large, it will affect the lack of bass. But fortunately, most manufacturers make it a standard diameter of 4 inches (for folk guitars) and this is mainly due to the fact that many manufacturers for acoustic guitars take this size into account (the pickup must fit clearly into this hole and hold well on its edges ).
Another not unimportant moment is the width of the waist of the body, the narrower it is, the more mid and high frequencies will prevail in the instrument, and the more symmetrical the lower and upper parts of the guitar body are, the more balanced its sound will be. And the deeper the body is, the deeper the sound of the instrument will be.
Of course, there are many other factors that varying degrees may affect the sound of the instrument. For example, it can be the neck attachment, its weight, or the design of the tailpiece. Although, all these factors are not so significantly reflected in the sound and they are scrupulously taken into account only by a few masters who are trying to invent something unusual and unique. On an industrial scale, such trifles, of course, are not taken into account, but generally generally accepted standards are used.
Watching customers in our stores, we noticed that most of those who are just about to start learning to play the guitar, when choosing an instrument, often overlook such an important factor as its size. The choice is based on appearance, texture, manufacturer, price and many other indicators. However, the buyer forgets to pay attention to the fact that the guitar may not fit him in size, which means that he immediately deprives himself of the opportunity to use the instrument with comfort and maximum efficiency. Many parents, who gather their child for guitar lessons, also sin with this - it simply does not occur to them that an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old child is, whatever one may say, a huge difference. And what is convenient for a big one is completely inconvenient for a small one. At the same time, for classical guitars, international sizing standards have long been developed, created specifically so that any musician, of any height and configuration, can choose an instrument that fits in size.
These are the generally accepted and most common sizes for classical guitars.
4/4 respectively is complete guitar, all other modifications are its reduced versions and are measured in fractional parts of the full size. It should also be noted that in Lately manufacturers also began to use the 1/4 format - it is an intermediate option between 1/2 and 1/8. At the same time, the difference in the size of classical guitars lies not only in the length of the neck and body, but also in all other indicators - the thickness of the neck and body, the width, the distance between the upper and lower deck... For clarity, we present comparison table dimensions (all dimensions are in millimeters):
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Traditionally, recommendations for choosing a guitar by size are as follows:
Guitar 1/8 (and 1/4) - for children aged 3-6 years.
Guitar 1/2 - for children 6-9 years old.
Guitar 3/4 - for children 8-11 years old.
Guitar 7/8 - for teenagers and for short people with small hands.
The 4/4 guitar is a full size guitar for big teens and up.
In addition, all partial-size guitars are great as a "travel" option - they are lighter and much more convenient in size for transportation.
