Why do most acoustics not have cutaways?

[guildfire]

I like cutaways. They look cool.

[KATMAN]

Before Takamine used cutaways,it was almost inexcistence.I like both,and have three with cutaways and two without.It's a personal preference of guitars,makes,and designs. It would be rare to see a bluegrass guitarist to use a cutaway,but not entirely.Most acoustics are made tradional style.You wouldn't want a palour guitar with a cutaway.

[Tyberious Funk]

Every so often, I'll come across a song with a solo or lick below the 12th fret. Since I don't really play electric, songs like these usually go into the "too hard" basket. I had been thinking of buying a new guitar, specifically with a cutaway, to open up my options. But reading this thread has made me re-think. Among other things, a cutaway usually adds to the price.

 

So what do you do if you are playing a song that requires access to the upper frets? Transpose?

[sixgunner455]

 

Every so often, I'll come across a song with a solo or lick below the 12th fret. Since I don't really play electric, songs like these usually go into the "too hard" basket. I had been thinking of buying a new guitar, specifically with a cutaway, to open up my options. But reading this thread has made me re-think. Among other things, a cutaway usually adds to the price. So what do you do if you are playing a song that requires access to the upper frets? Transpose?

 

 

If it's a note or two, I play them. If it's all day long up there, I skip it or play it on my Strat.

[Oldskool Texas]

 

So what do you do if you are playing a song that requires access to the upper frets? Transpose?

 

 

Yes, transpose or use a capo. You can play leads above the 12th with a non-cutaway, but it's a helluva lot easier and your hand will be in a much more natural position if you have one.

 

I play a fair amount of solos in the duo I perform with, so between the electronics making gigging life easier and the cutaway allowing access to the whole fretboard, it only makes sense for me to play a cutaway. I own both, however.

[guildfire]

Cutaways are better for live gigs for soloing especially.

[Hudman]

Two main reasons:

 

Cutaways are more expensive to build and most acoustic players don't need them.

[roners5]

I like cutaways- I play past the 12th fret a decent amount- it's nice to have the option anyway without having to adjust technique and put your whole damn hand over the front of the guitar. I don't think they look better or worse than the traditional design (I even like those crazy breedlove cutaways which most people can't stand to look at).

[Hudman]

I have big hands. I don't play above the first fret but if I barre an F chord on the 1st fret the side of my hand hits the upper bout on a symmetrical guitar. So, minimally I need the cut, a 4" nut and 5" string spacing.

 

King Kong?

[Queequeg]

I have big hands. I don't play above the first fret but if I barre an F chord on the 1st fret the side of my hand hits the upper bout on a symmetrical guitar. So, minimally I need the cut, a 4" nut and 5" string spacing.

Despite all this, you are yet another dramatic example of how guitarists get the good looking girls.

edit: Hud; you & I are on the same wavelength. just saw your post.

[JasmineTea]

[Tony Burns]

 

Im new with acoustics and the guitar in general. Can someone explain to me why most acoustic do not have cutaways. Im aware that there are a decent amount that do have cutaways but it seems like most of them dont. What is the reasoning for this? I went to guitar center and played a bunch of different acoustics, i dont know if im crazy but on acoustics without cutaways it seems impossible to play the higher frets. Im new here so try not to give me to much crap lol. Thanks for reading!

 

 

Typically , unless your a pro player and constantly play up the neck you dont need it - some guitars also sound better without the cutawy because your fooling with the sound chamber -some say it doesn't - some say it does -I say it does change the tone -plus their harder to make thus more exspensive ( some as much as 500 + )-If you really work at it you can play over the top. if all you do is a note here and their -I belive theirs enough notes to do the job without the cutaway .

[Northstar]

I love my 12-string Washburn with the cutaway:

 

[guildfire]

I love my Tak FP360SC A/E cutaway. Easy to play and excellent access to upper frets. Great gigging guitar.

[Queequeg]

 

Symmetry is overrated. If you think about it, symmetry is not a naturally occurring thing. Nothing in nature sports it, not even humans. Everyone has two sides of their face that could be two distinctly different looking people if each side was matched symmetrically with the other. Symmetry is, in contrast with the real world, surreal. -Nature Boy

 

Yo, Nature Boy-

I've given a lot of thought to what you said here and I have come to the following conclusion:

maybe yes; maybe no

And having said that, I can look myself in the mirror again.

On the other hand, I have to admit, it's not a pretty sight.

[Queequeg]

if mirrors were never created I'd still have that spinach stuck between my front teeth.

[boxorox]

I recall seeing a Santa Cruz mini-jumbo with a rounded cut back in the early 80's. Still think it's one of the most lovely guitars ever seen.

 

Being a Luddite, yer Uncle Boxo thinks electronics and cutaways are ugly compromises that depreciate the form and intended function of something that is as near perfect in design as man can make. As a pragmatist, Boxo will use whatever technology necessary to be louder than the drunken rednecks hollering for "Free Bird" right after you played "Free Bird" just to shut them up.

 

Acoustic guitars are designed to produce tones in the cello-viola range. I guess you can play viable leads up there, but it all sounds like splinkety-splapp to me.

[JasmineTea]

Symmetry is overrated. If you think about it, symmetry is not a naturally occurring thing. Nothing in nature sports it, not even humans. Everyone has two sides of their face that could be two distinctly different looking people if each side was matched symmetrically with the other. Symmetry is, in contrast with the real world, surreal. -Nature Boy

[JasmineTea]

Guitars with a cutaway belongs in a Picasso painting.

[JasmineTea]

I'd be lost if my guitar did'nt have a pickguard. I would'nt know whether to play it righty or lefty.

 

The roundness of a guitar, even though it's symmetrical, is conducive to "helping" sound move along. It's the parallel lines like you find in bracing patterns that cause standing waves. IMO, the braces should all be off kelter somewhat in order to avoid louder and softer notes.

[Whalebot]

I'm just saying, Lions man... Lions

[JasmineTea]

The problem with the upper bout is it's got too much bracing. Nix the popcycle brace, and arch the other brace in the shape of a re-curve bow so it still keeps the structure solid, but arches over the bouts, contacting at the kerfing and the bottem side of the fretboard, but not to the top.

[Terry Allan Hall]

I use the entire neck on every guitar I own. The guitar was designed to have a range of nearly five octaves. Why intentionally limit yourself to only four of them?

 

Agreed...and while I keep meaning to buy an acoustic w/ a cutaway, I've been playing up to the highest fret on my non-cutaway acoustics for so many years, it just doesn't seem a priority to me...I just lean my hand forward to get where I want to be.

 

Just a matter of making your technique fit the guitar, instead of vice versa.

[Hoddy]

Evolution...or lack of.

[JasmineTea]

I picture that perfectly. Nothing is touching the soundboard with that kind of brace. My only twitch of a thought is the piece would out of necessity need to be formed (steam bent) or made from ply. I think this because with the normal expansion and contraction of the (living) soundbox a brace simply jig-sawed out of a plank might crack at a grain boundary given the movement. There would be no grain boundary to fail in a steam-bent or ply brace.

That or maybe just make it heavy. But I like the ply idea. I was talking with Dylan about it, he said he'd done a brace like it on a Rez in order to bypass the soundholes on the upper bout.