Members Stackabones Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Just curious ... what do you prefer? Both could be an option, but not in this poll. If you do prefer cutaway, please indicate style in your post: Florentine, Venetian, GJ/Selmer, etc. I've noticed that some of my favorite acoustic guitars have been non-cutaway. My main steel-string gighorse for many years was an A/E Tak w/o a cutaway. My homegirl Tak gutbox is a non-cutaway. Hmmm ... I must really like non-cutaway Taks! I still play cutaways. My two main gighorses have cutaways (Alvarez AC60SC and Gitane D-500). The Alvarez came with electronics; the Gitane has an aftermarket Schatten. Oh, and please indicate electronics status in your post! Cutaway! Pretty violent term. It's too bad that we only have "non-cutaway" to distinguish non-cutaways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members garthman Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 All my acoustics are now electro-acoustic and none are cutaway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hudman Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 It's a tough call. Cutaways give you great access to the fretboard. I think cutaways look cool on more "modern" designed guitars like Taylor and Breedlove. With that being said I usually prefer the "traditional" look of non-cutaway guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 From a builders standpoint I see very few cutways that I truely like the way the neck heel and body come together. There is often a funny looking little ridge on the cut side that looks weird. And again. from a builders standpoint, unless it is executed perfectly most Florentine cutaways look, well, "pointy". A good Florentine is a chance for the luthier to really show off his binding and mitering, but if done poorly I would prefer a smooth flowing Venetian. However, I voted NO. I don't need one, generally don't like them, just call me Retro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted February 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 However, I voted NO. I don't need one, generally don't like them, just call me Retro. So, retro = feral? Wild, domesticated, feral // Traditional, cutaway, retro I'm retro feral!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 I'm afraid to vote on this one. Basically, if they could find a way to make cutaways look as classy as my Epiphone Masterbilt EF-500R, which does not have a cutaway, I would be all for cutaways. For some applications, I do occasionally find myself compensating for the lack of fretboard access. Although with my 14-fret Masterbilt it isn't a giant issue, it does occasionally manifest itself. Especially when one of the bands I'm in does an acoustic show and I have to translate a lot of what I would normally do on electric to my acoustic. As it stands, they haven't made cutaways look quite good enough to my standards yet. Like when you look at a cutaway guitar and then you look at the same guitar without a cutaway (think of like a Martin dread shape), it just seems to compromise the geometry of the thing. So I don't know. I like cutaways for practicality but I'm not a huge fan of the way they change the look of a guitar's shape. Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brahmz118 Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Anyone know if classical guitar methodology addresses the technique of reaching for the high frets? It seems odd that the guitar would be archetypically designed to have 'decorative' frets that aren't meant to be played. Kind of like a drum set with cymbals that are 10 feet away from the throne. I think the cutaway is the more sensible design, from a player's perspective. And I'm not a builder, but I would think the aesthetic credo 'form follows function' is applicable, at least as a general guideline. Are we more likely to accept non-functional frets just because they are lined up next to functional ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldGuitarPlayer Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 No cut-away here. The only acoustic guitar I have with a cut-away is my Aria Gypsy Jazz box but that's it. All my others are non cut-away. Even when I was shopping for my Martin 000-15 the shop I bought mine at also had the electric cutaway version and it just did not look right to me. So...my vote is "no cut-away" OGP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gthom Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 I like the look of non-cutaways much better. Since I can't remember the last time I needed to play at the 19th fret, I haven't missed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paganskins Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Isn't there a 10%(ish) loss in bass response with a cutaway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members happy-man Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 I play one song which has one note that I have to kind of "let loose" to get. Other than that I've not felt the need for a cutaway. Don't know if it's true, but I aways suppose that a cutaway compromises the sound somehow. I vote non-cutaway. Scott O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Minstrel Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Non for me thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarist21 Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Isn't there a 10%(ish) loss in bass response with a cutaway? Hotly debated. My personal take is that if there is a difference, it is negligible. Ellen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daklander Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 No cuts for me. I don't like the looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pascal Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Difficult question... when it comes to acoustics, I actually have two of each. So I'll say it depends on the guitar and what you're intending to play on it. And maybe also if it was designed with a cutaway (selmac, for example), or if it is a non-cutaway guitar with a cutaway(dreadnought w/ cutaway ). I tend not to miss the cutaway on a 14er. On a 12er.... well... But because the last two guitars I bought were non cutaways (and my next nylon will be too), I guess I'm in a non-cutaway mood these day. So I voted Non-cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members simplygoodmusic Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Don't like 'em. One of the believers in it affecting the sound. Call me stupid. There are exceptions, son on 80% of guitars I'd go for non cutaway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MattSkibaIsGOD Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 No cutaway. I think they're hideous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Michael Martin Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 To hell with cutaways. The frets are way too close together up there as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChiyoDad Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 At present, I prefer no cutaway. I don't seem to have problems (besides the usual). Wasn't the raised fretboard design of the Humphrey Millenium classical guitar partly an alternative solution to a cutaway? I played a Humphrey copy and liked the feature. I might consider it someday when I'm ready to upgrade to a luthier guitar. I currently don't have any guitars with electronics. That doesn't mean that I won't get one in the future. It's just that I don't have the need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnkline Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 I just pick the guitar that sings to me. The one I play the most right now happens to have a cutaway, even though I like the looks of a guitar without one when on a stand or hanging on a wall. When I'm playing the guitar, I forget about what it looks like and think about how it feels and sounds. It's an OM body style with cutaway but I didn't go looking for it like that, it found me. I'll still vote for non cutaway though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 8thStreetAfterD Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 I must have a cutaway. I play up there an awful lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C70man Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Name a famous original acoustic song on a cutaway...thought so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 The other problem I have with cuts is that the intonation just keeps getting worse the higher you go. However, if you come from an electric background you're probably bending the hell out of it up there so it doesn't much matter. Ironically I play a lot of slide which means I'm at 12 a lot - however my favorite slide axes are all 12 fretters. Sure I bump the body, but that way I know exactly where I'm at LOL. Interestingly the old tricones were all 11-1/2 fretters (altho NRP is now making a cut version of them too). I guess the only compelling arguement for a cut (unless you are one in a million who does play at the 19th fret) is if you capo a lot and then want to go an octave above the capo. That ain't me however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Symmetry is bliss. Asymmetry is chaos. :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BROLEX Posted February 13, 2008 Members Share Posted February 13, 2008 Name a famous original acoustic song on a cutaway...thought so. Doyle Dykes and the boys from Taylor guitars write brilliant songs. not your usual chord-strumming songs, but awesome compositions nonetheless. and almost all, if not all, have cutaways and use them to the fullest extent. I play a 000, non-cutaway. in hindsight, i would have gotten an OM, non-cutaway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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