“Gibson bracing is tall, thin, light, and lightly mortised into lining. "Small differences in design add up to a noticeable difference in tone between a Gibson and a Martin, but not so much between a round-shoulder and a square-shoulder guitar."ĭana Bourgeois, the luthier behind Bourgeois Guitars, attributes much of the sonic distinctions to different bracing styles and scale lengths. Martin’s and Gibson’s designs vary in many more ways than just shoulder design. Perceived difference in performance likely has little to do with shoulder shape and a lot more to do with the the sum of construction differences. There is no way, for instance, to hear what a mahogany D-18 with rounded shoulders sounds like in comparison to a conventional one with squared shoulders. After all, manufacturers don’t make two models of the same guitar that are identical on every count except for shoulder shape. While this may be true of some guitars designed with rounded shoulders, there’s no scientific way to test this argument. The argument does that rounded shoulders lend clarity and balance by diffusing the overwhelming bass response associated with some dreadnoughts. Some players prefer the look of a certain style of shoulder, but others believe that shape influences a guitar’s sound. This distinction in design is a subtle one, but a debate continues over whether shoulder shape is purely an aesthetic concern or a significant influence on a guitar’s performance. Some dreadnoughts feature squared shoulders, meaning the top of the body is flat, while others feature rounded or "sloped" shoulders, with a more gradual curve from the body to the neck. The dreadnought, the gold standard design for the steel–string flat top, is built so similarly by so many manufacturers that players tend to look for minor differences that can account for substantive differences in quality.Īnd much like how the judge at the chili cook off may pay attention to the cut of beef used in the stew, dreadnought lovers will debate the merits of shoulder shape. With so many variations available on a simple theme, exercising discerning taste means paying attention to subtle differences. Acoustic guitar aficionados often find themselves in a similar position to the judge at a chili cook-off.
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