Stupid question amnesty

michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Wed Jun 09, 2010 11:39 pm

This thread is an invitation to bring out the questions that you thought were just too dumb to ask. Of course there are no stupid questions, but sometimes we get too shy to ask because we think people might think we're foolish for know knowing the answer. If you can't ask it here at TG then where are you ever going to be able to.


Acoustic?
OK I'll get the ball rolling. I never know what to call my Yamaha FG413S. Is it a steel string guitar? Is it an acoustic guitar. I'm beginning to think the proper term for dreadnoughts and other shaped guitars is 'acoustic guitar', but why is it called an acoustic since my classical/nylon string is also an acoustic because it isn't amplified. There are many guitar types that are not amplified, which I collective think of as acoustic.

So besides dreadnought, which family of guitar does my Yamaha belong to?


Submit an answer or an additional question as you like.


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:25 am

michelew wrote:
This thread is an invitation to bring out the questions that you thought were just too dumb to ask. Of course there are no stupid questions, but sometimes we get too shy to ask because we think people might think we're foolish for know knowing the answer. If you can't ask it here at TG then where are you ever going to be able to.


Acoustic?
OK I'll get the ball rolling. I never know what to call my Yamaha FG413S. Is it a steel string guitar? Is it an acoustic guitar. I'm beginning to think the proper term for dreadnoughts and other shaped guitars is 'acoustic guitar', but why is it called an acoustic since my classical/nylon string is also an acoustic because it isn't amplified. There are many guitar types that are not amplified, which I collective think of as acoustic.

So besides dreadnought, which family of guitar does my Yamaha belong to?


Submit an answer or an additional question as you like.
I think you know the awnser,,,ages ages ago there were only guitars they call ''guitars'',,when they invented electric guitars they began the call the ''guitars'' , acoustic guitars..

ps On the moment i have no question(s),,but memorise this thread..


BigBear
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 11:02 am
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:30 am

Michele- I subscribe to the theory that the only dumb question is the one that doesn't get asked. This isn't a dumb question at all.

Both steel string and nylon string guitars are "acoustic" because their sound comes from vibrations of the wooden acoustic box and not from electronics. That seems too simple right?

Where it gets more complicated is when the guitar is a hollow body like an arched top jazz guitar that still makes sound without electronics but is intended to be played plugged in to an amp. My point is that just because a guitar has a wooden box doesn't make it acoustic since it is not intended to be played that way.

In the heyday of acoustic guitars, the 60's, most people thought of an acoustic guitar as any with steel strings on them. But then the popularity of acoustic guitars died in the 80's, due to music trends. The classical guitar, which had always been there, made a small comeback due to their ease of play. Then in the 90's and 2000's acoustic guitars really exploded due to the manufacturers like Taylor, Takamine, Yamaha etc. ability to make very good quality instruments for a relatively low price compared to the junk we played in the 60's!!

Today, the term "acoustic guitar" is generally thought to mean steel string.

Hope that helps! :cheer:


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:42 am

Thanks Willem.

And thanks Rick for your great explanation.


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:46 am

Well that was painless and now I know for sure.

Now I pass the baton to anyone else that has a question that they think is dumb (remember there's no such thing) to ask it. As Bear said the only dumb question in that one that never gets asked.

BTW - I used stupid in the title just to get people's attention.


User avatar
neverfoundthetime
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:14 pm
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:28 am

I love this little concept of yours of having a safe place to ask anything that may cause the not-knowing embarrassment Michele. Have a pizza on me!

Un-plugged is a term that came in to play at some point in the last 40 years (anyone know the first time it was used?). That would cover and non-electrified stuff ... although, all the MTV Unplugged I've seen has some electrification otherwise we would hear it, right? I found Rick's info interesting and would still say there is room to say that any unplugged and non electrified guitars are acoustic guitars (with a sound box or body). That would include my nylon string Takamine and all your guitars including your classical ... although the classical guitar is more accurately defined by that name.

The term "Folk guitar" is another one I've heard often ... I always thought it referred to the nylon guitars (like mine) which were not Spanish classical guitars, or is it another term for a type of acoustic guitar. Anyone have a view on that?


willem
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 7:53 am
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:47 am

neverfoundthetime wrote:
The term "Folk guitar" is another one I've heard often ... I always thought it referred to the nylon guitars (like mine) which were not Spanish classical guitars, or is it another term for a type of acoustic guitar. Anyone have a view on that?[/quote]


If anybody have a view on the term ''folk guitar'' then i think you have also a view on the term ''country guitar'' or ''bleus guitar''....,,my view is that they are only guitars (a brand) that are most used for that kind of music a or by artist that played that music,,,folk--country--bleus,,, i see now diffrents then only the sound..


jayswett
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Apr 04, 2009 9:44 pm
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:59 am

"Folk Guitar" in my mind is a steel string guitar, smaller than a dreadnaught and shaped differently (narrower mid section to make it look more like an hourglass). Intended mostly for fingerstyle playing. I'm not sure how accurate this is. I'm guessing it's a bit more complicated than that.


michelew
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:43 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 4:14 am

Ah ha! Chris you see my quandary exactly. They are all acoustic guitars. So what is the difference between a classical and a folk guitar or a gypsy guitar for that matter. Going with Willem's theory (which is a good one) my Hofner could be a 'classical' or a 'folk guitar' depending on what I play on it. But, it is described as a classical on manufacturer's site. It was made in Germany (so not Spanish), it has nylon strings and a classical shape (wide neck and smaller body than a dreadnaught - smaller hips too).

So along the same lines, I could call my dreadnought a 'county guitar' if that's what I play on it. I play a mix of musical styles on it.

But, other guitars types like blues guitars, jazz guitars, resonators, and even electric (regardless of whether they are are semi hollow or solid) all conjure up an image of a fairly specific type of instrument. Even though some of them are generally used for a certain type of music the shape doesn't dictate what you can play on it.

So why is a dreadnaught (maybe that is the type-name I should be using) called an 'acoustic' as a general term for that type of steel string guitar even though many other guitars are acoustic in nature. Add to that that many of these guitars are now amplified through various expression systems so no longer acoustic. Although I guess as Bear described it is the hollow body and vibrating top that creates the sound.

Maybe it is also the breadth of music that is played on these types of guitars that has resulted in the name acoustic staying with it too.

You can probably see the crazy pedantic loops that my brain goes through at times. Inconsistencies drive me crazy.

If you've gotten this far you're a champion and patient.

So any more thoughts on this issue?


AndyT
Posts: 0
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:06 am
Status: Offline

Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:52 am

a·cous·tic   /əˈkustɪk/ Show Spelled[uh-koo-stik] Show IPA
–adjective Also, a·cous·ti·cal.
1.pertaining to the sense or organs of hearing, to sound, or to the science of sound.
2.(of a building material) designed for controlling sound.
3.Music
a.of, pertaining to, or being a musical instrument whose sound is not electrically enhanced or modified.
b.arranged for or made up of such instruments: an acoustic solo; an acoustic group.


Post Reply Previous topicNext topic