how to get great sound from Acoustic Guitar ?

Question

ok Guitar Lovers. I am planning to buy a new Acoustic guitar . some of my questions are-
1.Do guitar strings play an imprtant role in giving out great sounds?
2.What about Guitar pickups, EQ ? i mean are they very important ..if so how?
3. Lastly What makes the Guitar sound very Acoustic....Some brand names please ..and oh Guys anyone of you heard a guitar Brand "Hertz"? If so can you pls help me a little regarding about that Guitar brand?

Answer 1

I haven't heard of Hertz, but in acoustic guitars, there are two name brands that stand apart, Martin and Taylor. Taylor is the best of the best in my opinion, and has the best sound. New guitar strings can play a role in the sound, but it really is the guitar that makes it. Go to a shop and try out a bunch until you find one that you enjoy the sound of. I have a Martin Dreadnaught-15 that has a very soft sound to it, but I love it. There are some that have a more tin quality to the sound, but it really boils down to what you like. Try out a bunch, if the guys at the store aren't patient with you, go elsewhere. When you are planning to spend almost a grand on a guitar, they better be helpful. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

In general, strings do matter. New strings will sound brighter, have more sustain, sound fuller, will have more "snap", etc. There are different types of strings, and different ways that strings can be wound, and it all makes a difference. The differences might be subtle, and you may not always notice a significant difference if the rest of your rig isn't putting out a decent tone.



Same thing with pickups and EQ. Actually, I'd say that it's all about EQ. Every part of your rig eq's the sound, at least a little... everything from the cable to the type of wood in your guitar to the speakers, etc. Everything contributes. Good pickups will make a huge difference, but only if your amp/speakers don't suck.



In my personal opinion, priority goes something like this :



amp/speakers > pickups > pedals > guitar body > cables



Everyone will disagree with me on this, but I'm specifically thinking of distortion when I make that list.



What I'm trying to say is that if your amp sucks, then you'll hear a difference with different pickups, but you probably won't hear any difference at all with better cables. Priorities! If you can upgrade just one part of your gear, it should be the amp or speakers, because they make the single biggest contribution to your tone.



Knowing how to use EQ to your advantage is one of those voodoo black-box things that most guitarists don't get but make such a huge difference!



3. Wood + cavities = acoustic resonance (ie an "acoustic" sound). So a fully hollow guitar with a large body will have a fuller and more "acoustic" tone than a semi-hollowbody guitar or a solidbody.



Never heard of 'Hertz'.



I personally love Takamine guitars, and their generic brand, which I *think* is called Lotus, something like that. I have a Fender acoustic, and that's pretty decent too.

Answer 3

Since you are asking about pickups and EQ you must be looking at acoustic electrics and Im guessing lower end ones. I certainly wouldnt buy a guitar brand Hertz.



If you are just starting out a lower end acoustic electric will do fine, and you will be able to plug in an amp and play with others.



What makes an acoustic guitar sound great to me, is an all wood guitar. Most of the above acoustic electrics are made of particle board or only part of the guitar is solid wood. A solid wood guitar with the right strings is a beautiful thing. It also starts at about $400. Taylor is a good brand of solid wood acoustics.



As far as the entry level acoustic electrics, I agree with the other guy, Takamine makes some nice guitars in the $250 range.There are also nice starter acoustics called Avalon. They are harder to find though, and made by the company that made the best acoustics, Lowden. A Lowden sells for $2500-10000. The Avalon sells for about $250 also.



Good luck