“If you’re out of practice, a rosewood guitar can be guaranteed to throw every imperfection into sharp relief”: How your acoustic’s back and sides affect your guitar tone

JWJ Guitars Orchestra.

The flat-top acoustic guitar is a finely balanced system of parts and forces, each of which has a profound knock-on effect on the others. From scale length to bracing, neck carve to bridge weight, the instrument we love can be remarkably sensitive to the choices and intent that goes into its creation.

As such, there is a temptation – wherever acoustic guitarists gather – to philosophise passionately about every part of the instrument. This is useful.