Classification of Acoustic Guitars

Classified by Body Type

• D 型 (Dreadnought)
  • Features: Large body with no prominent waist, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. This structure gives the guitar a sound that seems to "travel backward and return," offering excellent resonance and thick bass.
  • Application: Perfect for upbeat strumming styles, making it an outstanding accompaniment guitar for self-accompanied singing or backing others. It works best with a pick.
• A 型 (Auditorium)
  • Features: Relatively smaller body than D-type, with a slimmer waist. It has a clear and balanced tone, charming midrange, sensitive sound production, and concentrated volume.
  • Application: Suited for guitar solos, especially fingerstyle playing, such as arpeggio accompaniment, solos, and fingerpicking. It feels great for finger strumming and also works well with a pick.
• OM 型 (Orchestra Model)
  • Features: Similar in shape to the A-type, with a smaller difference in area between the top and bottom of the body, and a thinner body than the A-type. It has prominent high-frequency performance and a clear tone.
  • Application: Suitable for fingerstyle playing, often used in country, blues, modern fingerpicking, self-accompanied singing, and other styles.
• J 型 (Jumbo)
  • Features: Large body with excellent resonance, rich dynamic tone, sufficient guarantee for high, mid, and low frequencies, huge volume, and full bass.
  • Application: Versatile for various styles, suitable for singing and playing, fingerstyle, strumming, performance, pick playing, and finger picking.

Classified by Material

• Plywood Guitar
  • Features: Made of synthetic panels for the top, back, and sides. Affordable and less affected by temperature and humidity, but with relatively ordinary tone.
  • Application: Suitable for beginners on a budget with low tone requirements.
• Solid Top Guitar
  • Features: The top is made of solid wood, while the back and sides are plywood. The uniform direction of wood fibers is more conducive to sound vibration and transmission, producing better tone resonance at a moderate price.
  • Application: A popular choice for beginners moving to the next level.
• All-Solid Guitar
  • Features: Both the top and back/sides are made of solid wood ，offering higher-quality tone but being sensitive to temperature and humidity, requiring careful maintenance.
  • Application: Suited for advanced players with some experience or professional guitar enthusiasts.

Classified by Function

• Acoustic Folk Guitar
  • Features: Made of solid wood, commonly using mahogany, rosewood, teak, etc. It has good resonance and stable tone, producing warm and rich sounds.
  • Application: Widely used in various music styles, such as singing with accompaniment, fingerpicking, and ensemble playing.
• Electro-Acoustic Folk Guitar
  • Features: Enhances sound through a built-in pickup and amplifier system, usually with higher volume and a wider range. It is equipped with functions like a tuner and volume control for easy tone adjustment.
  • Application: Suitable for performances in large venues.
• Semi-Hollow Folk Guitar
  • Features: Combines the characteristics of traditional folk guitars and electric guitars, with a hollow resonance chamber that produces brighter and clearer sounds. Players can adjust the tone by switching between electro-acoustic mode and pure acoustic mode with a pick.
  • Application: Widely used in jazz, rock, and other music styles.
• 12-String Folk Guitar
  • Features: Twice the number of strings as a traditional guitar, with fuller and richer tone.
  • Application: Suitable for playing harmony and chord music, but requires certain skills and strength due to higher playing difficulty.

Classified by Size

• Small-Size Folk Guitar
  • Features: Usually with a smaller body and string length, lightweight and suitable for small hands. It has relatively lower volume and resonance but clear and bright tone.
  • Application: Ideal for children, beginners, or players who prefer small instruments, and convenient for travel.
• Medium-Size Folk Guitar
  • Features: Body size and string length between small and large sizes, offering both playability and relatively strong volume and resonance.
  • Application: Suitable for players with different needs, versatile.
• Large-Size Folk Guitar
  • Features: Larger body and string length, capable of producing higher volume and stronger resonance, providing a richer and fuller tone experience.
  • Application: Suited for players who pursue deep and mellow tones, as well as those who need to showcase power and musical warmth in their performance.