Question about Guitar Quality

Hi Martha,

You can get a pretty good idea by comparing it to other hand mades.

I have several that defy comparison to brand name:

Flyde Orsino
McSpadden Dreadnaught
Grammer Jumbo/Dread

What wood is on the top and back?

What is the saddle and nut material?

How old is it?

Who made it?

How many have they made?

Post what you know and I'll try to give you a hand.

Of course, the most telling measure of value is what is it worth to you?

Nick

(I've already read GN's article on choosing a guitar in a shop, but it seems to me that it applies more to choosing brand-name guitars than handmade? For example, a handmade is naturally all-wood, so considerations such as avoiding plastic bridges don't really apply.)

Newbie here, but Martha's comment created a question in my head. I also read the comments about plastic bridges. I have a new Dean Traditional guitar that was given to me as a gift. I am just starting to learn on it.

The bridge is plastic as far as the pins and the bar across, but wood where it connects to the guitar itself. So I am wondering if the comment about the guitar being handmade means the bridge is also all wood. The guitar I have seems to stay in tune with only occasional minor adjustments . Is going out of tune frequently a sign a plastic bridge is going bad?

~Mark

I think the musical value of a guitar is part materials, part design, part workmanship, and part magic.

Materials: solid woods (as opposed to laminates) have better sound qualities, as a rule. There's a lot of debate over which tone woods are the 'best' - I've got a solid mahogany Martin that I just love, but lots of tonewoods have their fans - Sitka spruce or European spruce is the 'typical' top wood. Classical/flamenco guitars tend to be made of lighter woods, like Spanish Cypress, or sometimes cedar. Fingerbooards on acoustics are usually rosewood or ebony. Quality hardware is a nice touch - check the make of the tuning gears.

Design: the biggest factor in terms of tone quality is the layout of the bracing. With the strings off, you can use a small mirror to see what bracing pattern has been used - is it a full fan, or some variation? You might also be able to see (with a mirror and flashlight) the type of lining used - are they individual blocks, or a kerfed strip? (The lining is the reinforcement where the sides meet the top and back).

Workmanship: You can tell a lot about the skill of a maker by the binding and purfling. Rosettes and inlays won't tell you as much, since some makers will just go out and buy pre-made ones - but the binding is always mated to the guitar by hand.

Then there's the magic part - sometimes great materials and workmanship add up to a mediocre instrument. Sometimes so-so materials assembled on a production line make a guitar with tone that will stop you in your tracks. Those two extremes don't happen very often, but they do happen, so I consider magic a big factor. (I own an Ibanez Ragtime Special that's got the magic - it's one of the best guitars I've ever played)

There are other factors that will add to the monetary value, like how figured the grain is, and how well matched the top pieces, but they don't play much of a role in the sound, at least in my opinion.

Thanks for helping out, Nick and Note. :D Here's what (little) I know. (The guitar was a gift, so there's a lot of information I'm lacking.)

As far as wood is concerned, I know it's solid wood and I know that the fretboard is ebony. The back of the neck is rosewood. (Pretty! :D)

However, I can't identify the wood used on the body - it looks a bit like wallnut, but the grain is wrong. If this helps: it has a really intense wooden scent.

Regarding age and maker:

It's really recent, and made by a local artisan who makes 12-strings and 6-strings by himself in his studio. He's certainly not famous, but he does get many out-of-town orders.

I do know he puts at least some effort into it - he handcarves every rosette. Everything about the guitar looks very neat and tidy, yet simultaneously artisanal. (I mean: every joint is compulsively meticulous, but you could never mistake it for something machine-made.)

Concerning structure:

It was kinda hard finding a mirror small enough to fit. (I'm a female. When mirrors are concerned, the keyword is "BIG" ;) ). What I managed to see could probably best be described as 'spokes radiating off a wheel'. (The "wheel" being the soundhole.)

the type of lining used - are they individual blocks, or a kerfed strip?

:oops: You lost me... ;)

Of course, the most telling measure of value is what is it worth to you?

I've got the world's most valuable guitar. :D