The step-up from this level sees guitars built with a solid top, but laminated back and sides. These types of acoustic guitar usually fit within the price range from £150 to around £500, and because of their improved construction, they tend to give off a sound that is more musical in tone. You will find that around 95% of these guitars are built with a Spruce top. The Spruce top makes the guitar notes appear more defined, but also gives a degree of smoothness to the sound that is absent with laminated tops as they are too stiff to react to musical tones.

Tonewood is the most commonly used material in the construction of quality 2nd and 3rd level instruments. However, you will also commonly see 2nd level guitars being offered with either laminated Mahogany or Rosewood back and sides. At this level of construction, the choice of wood will make a difference to how the guitars sound, so make sure you choose wisely! Mahogany generally gives the guitar sound a good projection with a well-defined mid-range tone, whereas Rosewood back and sides should give your guitar a slightly warmer, bassier sound, with a subtly increased depth of tone. In other words, guitars with Rosewood construction do not sound as tight as those with a Mahogany build, although which you prefer will depend on your own individual taste.

Finally, at the third build-level, the guitar will be made completely from solid woods, which will give it a better tone, more sustain, and usually a fuller overall sound. Obviously, these guitars tend to be the most expensive, and prices can even rise to around the £3000 mark!

At the 3rd level of acoustic build it is most essential to check the wood used in the guitar construction, as they can have a drastic effect on the overall tone of the instrument. Care and attention needs to be taken when making a purchase at this level to ensure that you get the guitar that suits your needs. Obviously, I would recommend listening to a guitar at this price before you actually make a purchase, but all the same, here is a little breakdown of what sort of character you can expect from each type of wood…

You will find that the top of about 95% of 3rd level guitars will be constructed from spruce, although occasionally cedar is used as a toneboard. Cedar will give a guitar a warmer quality compared to spruce, along with giving a bit less cut to the overall sound.

The back and sides of a 3rd level guitar will most commonly be constructed from either Mahogany, Rosewood, or Maple, although rarer woods can often be found on special limited editions or guitars made from small independent companies looking to be different. Examples of more unusual types of wood include Koa, Walnut, Tasmanian Blackwood, Sapelle, and Redwood. These 'tonewoods' used for the back and sides exhibit defined timbres, allowing the acoustic musician to select which sound suits them best. As a general rule, Rosewood gives the warmest, fullest tone, Mahogany gives a tighter, punchier tone with good volume and projection, and Maple offers a crisper, brighter tone, with less of the bass response and warmth of the Rosewood and Mahogany. Nowadays there are many possible combinations of woods available to the musician, so as I have already mentioned, it is best to get out there and have a listen for yourself!

Body Shape and design

So, we've covered material, but that isn't the end of the story, as acoustic guitars also offer many body shapes and sizes. The most common body sizes for an acoustic guitar are Jumbo, Dreadnought, Grand Concert, Orchestral, Grand Auditorium, Concert, Parlor, and Folk (which is usually similar to the Concert size). Naturally, the smaller models are more popular for playing at home as they are easier to sit and hold compared to the larger Dreadnought and Jumbo guitars, although it is definitely worth trying out a few sizes to find the one that is most comfortable for you.

Please note that the information given her is only intended as general guidelines. Sometimes it is useful to have a salesperson play a selection of acoustics so that you can hear the sound from a listener's perspective. When you are playing yourself, your ears are above and behind the soundhole, which means you hear the tone in a different way to an audience or microphone.

We hope this information has been both interesting and useful! If you have any more questions then we have a wealth of guitar experts here at Absolute Music who would be only too happy to help you out. Happy shopping!