Why do we all reach for the same words when describing our acoustic guitars? Luthiers chime in on how we talk about sound.
Someone—the historical record is unsure exactly who—once opined that writing about music is the same as dancing about architecture. The speaker saw little value in trying to formally analyze or describe a piece of music, an art form so inherently personal and subjective. I might also find it hard to communicate to someone what makes a musical work exciting to me, but when it comes to guitar tone, this is exactly my job at Acoustic Music Works. Whether it’s over the phone or in copy on our website, I’m called upon daily to put the tonal attributes of a particular instrument into words.
It got me thinking: Why don’t I contact some of my luthier friends and industry colleagues to see if there are common threads in how we talk about acoustic guitar tone? It turns out that many of us are speaking a similar language when we discuss what we’re hearing, with many adjectives and buzzwords cropping up again and again.
Trevor Healy of Healy Guitars told me he finds himself using a wide variety of descriptors while communicating in his work, including “sparkle,” “headroom,” “compression,” “body,” and “roundness.” Trevor’s preference is for terms that can somehow be objectively measured, like those pertaining to sustain and EQ. In the end, he relies on customer input, asking them, “How does it make you feel?”
“Every great cello in the world is made of maple. Have you ever heard a bright cello?”—Dana Bourgeois
Brian Dickel, who took over for Jeff Huss when he retired from Huss & Dalton, prefers to keep it simple. “I think descriptors that convey tone in general terms that are easy to interpret such as thin, muddy, dark, warm, etc. work universally better than more flowery language,” he told me. Brian says that “woody,” “warm,” and “balanced” come up most often, and these reflect the tonal profile that he tries to impart into Huss & Dalton guitars.
I’ve always marveled at Chuck Baleno’s scientific approach to voicing, relying on the study of frequencies to dial in a consistently strong sound in his flattop guitars. Baleno says, “I will use ‘tight,’ ‘loose,’ and ‘resonant pitch’ related to frequencies in Hz. Resonant pitch is the main top resonant frequency, found by doing spectrum audio analysis. A tight guitar is in the higher range of frequencies. This will cut through in a band setting, and have strong projection. A loose guitar would be in the lower range of frequencies, and typically has a stronger bass. Obviously, we want the best of both!”
“In the end, he relies on customer input, asking them, ‘How does it make you feel?’”
Certain tone woods almost always prompt the same descriptors. Rosewood is “lush” and mahogany is “woody.” These descriptors can spark deeper conversations, and both are usually considered complementary. Maple, though, is frequently tagged with “bright,” which can be read as vaguely pejorative, and an opinion often issued before the guitar is even played or heard. Here, the wood’s pale appearance might be creating some negative association that can be hard for certain players to overcome. Staining the wood a darker color can flip the mental switch for some skeptics, but as a lover of maple guitars, I prefer Dana Bourgeois’ insight: “Every great cello in the world is made of maple. Have you ever heard a bright cello?”
These luthiers and I are mostly simpatico on the meaning of many tonal descriptors, and it makes me think that a kind of common language has started to naturally develop on the subject. Sometimes, though, enthusiasm for an instrument’s sound can be successfully communicated in a more unusual way. Steve Miklas, owner of Acoustic Music Works, tells of a particular Huss & Dalton CM—made with cedar over koa—which had a tonal profile that he found difficult to put into words. Online, Miklas listed the requisite specs, and then wrote simply, “This guitar is like Thanksgiving dinner. After playing it, you may need to take a nap!” A customer called almost immediately to say, “When I read that, I knew exactly what you meant! I’ll take it!”
Poetry about luthiery? I don’t think anyone would mind.
Sure, the economy isn’t what it was a few months ago. But what do you do if you find the one?
Guitar shopping is certainly different than it was 18 months ago. And we’re all grateful that manufacturers like Martin and Taylor are shipping more new guitars. That means your favorite music store probably doesn’t have as many empty hooks as it did during the crazy days of Covid. Stores that sell new instruments are also moving inventory more slowly as recent Wall Street jitters over inflation and the economy filter down to dinner-table talks about family finances. Even worse, personal budgets for music gear have to compete with vacations, events, and dining out. As a result, some guitar shoppers are wondering if that new guitar purchase should be postponed, especially considering that most new models will be available in the future when the world will hopefully feel at least a little more secure and predictable.
The put-it-off brakes are harder to apply, however, when it’s a bucket-list vintage instrument you’ve been looking for since long before we even knew how to spell “Covid.” What do you do when a guitar turns up that has everything you’ve wanted and the condition is just what you were hoping for, with the right combination of real-life wear and originality? It has the sound and playability you’ve been after and doesn’t need any work, so there’s no guessing about whether a neck reset and gluing those loose braces will change the sound, but in the wrong direction. And what will make passing up your bucket-list special even more difficult is knowing you might have to wait years before another example comes along that checks all those boxes.
“Even if only a few hundred Gibson J-185 models from the early 1950s, for instance, have survived in playable condition, there will still be significant variation in those examples today.”
This is where the differences between players who buy new guitars and those who buy used and vintage become obvious. Those who search for new models are often looking for the right combination of woods, body style, and neck shape, but within a known set of parameters determined by the builder. A new Taylor is always going to have a certain feel and look that’s distinctly different from any Martin or Gibson, for instance. But Taylor offers a lot of variety within the boundaries of “Taylorness,” especially when you add torrefied tops and different bracing patterns into the mix. Taylor probably offers more distinctly different steel-string models today than all American guitar manufacturers combined were putting into music stores in the 1960s. Martin and Gibson now offer multiple options of the same model, depending on how far back you want to turn the clock. The reissue of a D-28 from 1937 is different from a reissue of the 1954 version, which is different from the Standard Series D-28, and so on. Martin and other instrument manufacturers more than hold up their end of the bargain when it comes to offering variety, yet all new or nearly new guitars have one thing in common, and that is while they do vary, they are not unique. This is partly because current manufacturing methods are so dialed-in thanks to technology like CNC, but it’s primarily because those guitars haven’t lived a guitar life yet.
In contrast, a production guitar that’s many decades old is often very different even when compared to other examples of the same model from the same year. Yes, guitars back then were made more by hand, so even siblings from the same batch will often vary both in how they sound and how they feel. But the biggest difference is usually because of what happened to those guitars after they left the factory. A few lived ideal under-the-bed-in-a-case lives, some were played often but carefully, some got played a lot—often carelessly—and show it, some were heavily modified, and some were simply played and cracked and cooked and traveled until they were worn out. Even if only a few hundred Gibson J-185 models from the early 1950s, for instance, have survived in playable condition, there will still be significant variation in those examples today.
Those who seek out vintage guitars usually have their own standards for what kind of wear and repair they will tolerate. Some are more focused on originality of all parts and finish and will tolerate small cracks and repairs; others can’t live with a cracked soundboard no matter how superb the condition of the rest of the guitar. So, when a vintage-guitar seeker finds the right combination of features in an old instrument … well, you can see where this is going. Fiscal uncertainties may prevail, and the purchase of a new guitar will get postponed. But when the just-right old guitar comes along, many of us will go for it, even if the price is steep. As one true vintage hound told me years ago, “I’d rather buy the right guitar at the wrong time than be dreaming about the one that got away years later.”
After several years away, luthiers and enthusiasts gathered across the country in 2022. Here’s how it went down.
After two years of being locked up in our shops, guitar makers everywhere were eager to be reunited in 2022, when many beloved industry events returned. These guitar shows allow qualifying luthiers to showcase their work and connect with players and buyers. More importantly, they’re a wonderful opportunity for the guitar-building community to come together, and I couldn’t wait to see what my friends had been gluing up.
If you’re a guitar lover, attending any of these events is like walking into a dream world. The air is filled with the same passion, love, and excitement that went into building the instruments on display. It’s a contagious energy that hits you the moment you walk into the room. For us builders, these weekends are filled with life-validating moments as we get to hear our creations come to life in the hands of so many players and admirers. After investing hundreds of hours into each guitar, I can assure you there is no better feeling on the planet than watching someone fall in love with their next musical companion. This symbiotic inspiration becomes the pulse of these events, and a poignant reminder for both builders and players to keep following these crazy dreams.
Here’s a glimpse into some of the most inspirational guitar shows of 2022: the Artisan Guitar Show, Fretboard Summit, and Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival.
After investing hundreds of hours into each guitar, I can assure you there is no better feeling on the planet than watching someone fall in love with their next musical companion.
The first reunion was in April at the Artisan Guitar Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The AGS takes place in a large and elegant conference room of a very nice hotel, and perfectly walks the line of being a classy yet comfortable show. With 50-plus guitar makers displaying, this show does an excellent job of representing different styles and variations of the guitar. The result was one of the most dynamic and balanced showcases of handmade guitars that I’ve ever seen, and the quality of work was top shelf all across the show. It had everything: archtops, flattops, semi-hollow electrics, solidbodies, and beyond. It was a true guitar lovers show. The variety of guitars and music I get to experience inspires me more than anything, which is why this show is one of my all-time favorites.
All summer long, everyone was buzzing about the return of the Fretboard Summit, which took place at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, Illinois. It was a jam-packed weekend with lectures, workshops, and performances from the very best, such as luthier TJ Thompson and mandolinist Sierra Hull. This time, they decided to throw a handmade guitar show into the mix. So, after the Molly Tuttle workshop, you could wander over to the luthier’s display, and actually get your hands on some Preston Thompson Guitars. There was even a competition held in front of a live audience and a panel of judges, where luthiers Creston Lea and Duncan Price raced to assemble an electric guitar kit in one hour. It was the perfect combination of genius and madness, and something that would only go down at the Fretboard Summit.
The grand finale was September’s Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival hosted by Henriksen Amplifiers in Arvada, Colorado. For one weekend in September, some of the best archtop builders and players in the world assembled to celebrate this enigmatic instrument. More than 30 builders had archtops on display, and the archtop goodness literally spilled out of the showroom and into the lobby of a very lovely and accommodating Hilton. It was there you would find guitar legends Jimmy Bruno and Frank Vignola casually leading some of the most face-melting jam sessions you’ve ever witnessed. The energy at the show reached an all-time high as the Chinery Blue Guitar Collection—22 instruments built by some of the most prominent luthiers in the archtop world, curated by collector Scott Chinery—was revealed in a stunningly powerful display. To be in the presence of so much great history and beauty was emotional and inspiring for everyone at the archtop party. But it didn’t stop there. This infectious energy spread throughout all of Arvada. That evening, the town’s water tower lit up with blue lights in honor of this iconic collection and the magical weekend surrounding it. It was pure bliss. It was pure archtop.
That’s a wrap on 2022! From coast to coast, it was an epic reunion for guitar lovers and builders everywhere with the most successful show circuit I’ve experienced in over a decade. Filled with music, inspiration, and some pretty great memories, guitar builders are now tucked back into their workshops with their wood and glue, preparing for next year’s season of guitar shows. I invite you to come check out what my friends and I have been gluing together at any one of these exceptional events in 2023!