Does a cutaway affect the sound on an acoustic?

[lemonstar]

I was thinking about this - having seen some acoustic guitars with a chamfer on the back at the top - like a Strat - to soften that hard edge that can give you guitarists nipple if you sit down and play - but it made me wonder if the bottom cutaway also might adversely affect the sound - not everyone needs that cutaway if they don't play any lead lines that need access to those top end frets. 

[Dad3353]

32 minutes ago, lemonstar said:

I was thinking about this - having seen some acoustic guitars with a chamfer on the back at the top - like a Strat - to soften that hard edge that can give you guitarists nipple if you sit down and play - but it made me wonder if the bottom cutaway also might adversely affect the sound - not everyone needs that cutaway if they don't play any lead lines that need access to those top end frets. 

 

Not quite the right question, I think..? Does it affect the sound..? Yes, to a lesser or greater extent. Does it adversely affect the sound..? Not necessarily. Any acoustic instrument sounds as it sounds. f that's the sound you're after, then that's fine. If, on a full-bodied acoustic with a pleasing sound one could get out the band-saw and cut a chuck off for access to the high notes, the sound would, in all probability, be severely impaired. If, however, the guitar was designed and built that way, taking into account the cutaway, the result would very likely please a least some of the customers for that guitar. The reply, then, is really : if it sounds fine as it is, it sounds fine. There are many acoustic guitars with this feature, many of them sound great.
It's also true that many guitarists wanting/needing this feature play through amps, or record with the built-in electronics. This, too, alters radically the result, as the sound is no longer merely a function of the acoustic properties, but a sum of all the elements used. In that respect, a cutaway has little bearing on the phonics in absolute terms; again, if it sounds fine in the end, it's fine. Whether one plays up the neck or not, it's worth giving all guitars a listen, to appreciate their qualities.
Hope this helps. 

Edited January 21, 2023 by Dad3353

[ezbass]

First up, guitarist's nipple, not something that I've ever suffered from, but it made me smile.

 

Second...

 

25 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Not quite the right question, I think..? Does it affect the sound..? Yes, to a lesser or greater extent. Does it adversely affect the sound..? Not necessarily. Any acoustic instrument sounds as it sounds. f that's the sound you're after, then that's fine. If, on a full-bodied acoustic with a pleasing sound one could get out the band-saw and cut a chuck off for access to the high notes, the sound would, in all probability, be severely impaired. If, however, the guitar was designed and built that way, taking into account the cutaway, the result would very likely please a least some of the customers for that guitar. The reply, then, is really : if it sounds fine as it is, it sounds fine. There are many acoustic guitars with this feature, many of them sound great.
It's also true that many guitarists wanting/needing this feature play through amps, or record with the built-in electronics. This, too, alters radically the result, as the sound is no longer merely a function of the acoustic properties, but a sum of all the elements used. In that respect, a cutaway has little bearing on the phonics in absolute terms; again, if it sounds fine in the end, it's fine. Whether one plays up the neck or not, it's worth giving all guitars a listen, to appreciate their qualities.
Hope this helps. 

 

Er... nothing to add here.

[lemonstar]

That's a fair enough point @Dad3353- the designers will not have overlooked any possibly adverse effect on the sound - it's just that I've never had the chance to play two identical models side-by-side - one with and one without the cutaway - I wondered if there was a well known/generally accepted difference - I've never had the cutaway so obviously never had the opportunity to dabble up the top end. I wondered what the nature of the impact on the sound was. I'm tempted to think that as I don't play out-and-out lead lines/solos that I won't bother buying a guitar with the cutaway - but I also think - if I had the cutaway - I might expand my playing in that direction. I'm in the market for a new guitar right now - in the next few months I'm planning on venturing out to try and few guitars - I'm looking for excuses to get out in my campervan - I hate not using it as much over the winter months so I'm keen to get out and park up on sites where I can commute in (bus/train/walk) to places with good guitar shops - Richards Guitars in Stratford is one place I'm looking at right now.  Buying a guitar is not a decision I take lightly - it's like deciding on whether to date someone or not IMHO! You've got to live with the decision. I've always been really grateful to all my guitars - for all the great moments they brought into my life - for all the songs I wrote, for the open mics, for the time I spent with them. I hate that buying a guitar can be like speed dating! You've got to admit - haven't we all known people that have spent big money on guitars and raved about them initially and then a year in you find that they've sold them on - it's a sad waste of money and invested time, effort and emotion. I had a friend who had the who's who of electric and acoustic guitars - Fender, Gibson, Martin - the lot - he never had any of them for long - I would hate to go through that.