Best Guitar For Strumming

Looking to buy the best guitar for strumming, but you aren’t exactly sure what you’re looking for? Our guitarists break down precisely what you should be checking for and how much money you can expect them to cost.

By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll understand everything you need to know about guitars for strumming, and have a good understanding of which model is ideal for you. Make sure you keep reading all the way through to find out what the guitar retailers don’t want you to know about purchasing guitars.

Table of Contents

Best Guitar For Strumming Buyers Guide

There are so many variables nowadays, it’s almost impossible to define what makes the best guitar for anything. We all have different tastes, we all hear things slightly differently, and we all have many different influences that help us to decide what’s best for us.

With that said, there are many points that need careful consideration before we make any definite choices.

Guitar Size

Generally speaking, larger bodied guitars are better for strumming. There are exceptions to this but overall larger bodied guitars are better for strumming. This is basically because the harder you play them, the louder they sound without losing any sound quality. Some good examples of large bodied guitars that stay true to the clean, clear crisp sound when strummed at a hard pace include, Jumbos and Dreadnoughts.

Wood Type

There is a lot to be said for choosing the correct type of wood for the body and the top of the acoustic guitar. Especially if you are going to use the guitar for a particular purpose, in this case strumming. If you can only choose one thing, it should be the soundboard. The soundboard should be made from one piece of wood only. You can get composite soundboards that are basically layers of varying qualities of wood glued together to produce the sound. These are found in budget guitars and should be avoided if possible. But what makes the best soundboard for strumming? Well let’s have a look at various wood types and the effect they have on the soundboard.

Wood Types For Soundboards

Let’s have a run through the more commonly used woods used for guitar soundboards. Firstly, how do soundboards work? The soundboard is the top of the guitar’s body, where the soundhole is situated. The bridge connects to the soundboard and it’s from here that the sound resonates.

Cedar

Often used on classical guitars, cedar has a bright, warmer tone than spruce and is also used on steel string acoustics.

Mahogany

Mahogany is hard, dense wood which leads to a stronger tone, well suited to strumming.

Maple

Maple is a heavier, flatter sounding wood that lends itself quite well to strumming.

Spruce

This is one of the most common woods for guitar tops or soundboards, it is a lightweight yet strong wood and is renowned for its clear,yet powerful tone. This makes spruce an ideal choice for strumming.

Price

There are some absolute bargains to be had currently, just a quick glance through the online guitar sales pages show just how many great guitars can be bought for less than £150.00 all suitable for many guitar styles including strumming. One reputable dealership has a Fender FA-125 Spruce-Top Dreadnought Acoustic guitar which has all the characteristics to make it perfect for a life-time of strumming for only £99.00.