More Guitar Talk

Some other terms you might hear when people are discussing different types of guitars are:

• Fan Bracing: This is a style of internal construction commonly used on Spanish guitars. It is considered essential to the production of fine tone, and patterns very slightly from one maker to another.
• X-Bracing: This is the style of bracing commonly used on today’s acoustic guitars. It is designed to withstand the high tension of steel strings.
• Arch Top: This refers to a curved or arched (as opposed to flat) top. Arched top instruments are said to have a warmer sound, like a violin.
• Solid Body: This is a type of construction in which the body of the instrument is a solid piece of wood, fiberglass, or other material. The body of the instrument has no acoustic resonance, so that, without amplification, the instrument produces only a thin, barely audible sound. Hollow-body instruments have a sound chamber (like an empty box) which amplifies the sound.