Different Guitar Designs
Steel String Guitars
An excellent choice for folk and bluegrass musicians, steel string guitars offer more volume and and harder string tension. This can make these guitars a bit harder on the fingers, requiring stronger hands to play without discomfort. Most steel string guitarists play with a pick or both pick and fingers, although finger style play is becoming increasingly popular. Dreadnaught, Parlor, Lap Steel, and Resonators are common types of steel string guitars.
Dreadnaught Acoustic Guitars
Dreadnaughts are a larger-size acoustic guitar well-suited for singing and playing. Considered the standard guitar of bluegrass music, the larger body provides the Dreadnaught with a bold and rich tone. Dreadnaught guitars can be immediately identified by their square shoulders and bottom.
Dreadnaught guitars available at White House of Music include:
DX1AE Martin Dreadnaught Acoustic Guitar
D-18 Martin Dreadnaught Acoustic Guitar
Martin D-18 Dreadnaught Guitars incorporate classic design aesthetic and a timeless sound.
Parlor Size Acoustic Guitars
Parlor guitars offer a mid-range tone, historic sound, and a smaller size. They're popular among old-school blues, folk, and fingerstyle players.
Example of parlor size guitar carried at White House of Music:
CSF1MVN Yamaha Parlor Guitar CSF1M Vintage Natural
Resonators
Another excellent option for slide guitarists, the resonation offered by these guitars lends itself to cool overtones and a unique sound. The spun metal cone takes the place of the wood top when conducting vibrations. These guitars are popular in louder bluegrass and blues roles. Some models feature a square neck designed to be played like a lap steel guitar, while others are designed to be played like a conventional guitar.
Nylon String Acoustic Guitars
Nylon string guitars work great for classical and flamenco music. Hybrid nylon string guitars work well for someone wanting to add a nylon sound to a more rock ‘n’ roll style. The hybrid is a more standard acoustic guitar design with nylon strings instead of steel strings. In my favorite part of the blog, find out what makes the Spanish and Flamenco guitar stand out from the crowd.
Spanish Style Guitars or Classical Guitars
The traditional Spanish style guitar is meant for playing pieces from the renaissance, baroque, romantic, and modern time periods. Playing this type of music on the guitar takes years to master and usually requires a guitar of a higher quality. A wider neck provides room for more intricate playing. Players can end up playing the melody, harmony, and bass lines all at once. Reading music and memorizing pieces is also paramount for this type of music.
Some high-quality Spanish guitars available through White House of Music are listed below. Note: The C5 Cordoba classical guitar is a high-quality instrument for beginners to intermediate players.
C5 Cordoba Classical Guitar
C45CO Cordoba Classical Guitar Cocobolo
Each Cordoba C5 guitar is handmade in the classic Spanish style.
Flamenco Guitars
Another type of nylon string guitar is the flamenco guitar. These guitars offer a fast action (low string height to the neck) and can produce some buzzing due to the low string height. The flamenco guitar has a more percussive sound and is designed to cut through with more “attack.”
Bass Guitars
Electric bass guitars typically feature solid-body construction with 4 steel strings (although hollow body and 5-6 string options also exist). While most bass guitar designs are electric, White House of Music also carries an acoustic-electric Ibanez model as well.
GSR200SMNGT: Ibanez Bass Natural Gray Burst
Check out this eye-popping Ibanez bass model featuring their Natural Gray Burst finish.
