Cutaway Vs. Non-Cutaway

[harmonicchaos]

i personally like both but if i had to choose only one acoustic i would choose one with a cutaway for more versatility but if i could have more than one acoustic i'd have both.

[tioga_man]

if you play down there, it makes sense. if you don't, it doesn't.

[fortyearspickn]

I always thought the cutaway would have to affect the tone and never justify my need to play that high on the scale.

[AndrewG]

I think cutaway guitars are ugly; cutaway dreads even moreso.

[tioga_man]

I always thought the cutaway would have to affect the tone and never justify my need to play that high on the scale.

 

It has to have some effect. But I don't think I can hear it. And - FWIW - being an engineer' date=' I did some modeling of guitar tops and looked at the resonant mode structure of the first 20 modes that define what a top would sound like. While there are some differences in how the modes distribute areas of vibration over the top, there weren't any obvious dead spots ... or at least any more compared to a non-cutaway.

 

I don't play down there so I don't need a cutaway ( although I have one in an early 1979-80 Washburn thinbody) . But if people do play there, I think they will gain more than they lose by getting a cutaway.

[retrosurfer1959]

I actually like cutaways probably comes from playing electric but I like the access and reach.