Acoustic Guitars
Western Guitars
Western guitars are probably the instruments that come to mind when you think of the acoustic guitar. Some of the major Western guitar brands we sell are: Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Collings, Atkin, Eastman and more. We are even the largest Lowden dealer in Europe!
Western guitars have steel and bronze/phosphor bronze strings. This is unlike classical guitars , which have three nylon and three silver-plated strings. There is a difference in the tension the strings exert on the neck of your guitar, so the guitar plays and sounds differently.
Body Shapes
The Western Guitar has different shapes. The shape of a guitar is very decisive for the sound it produces. The most popular Western Guitar shape is probably the "Dreadnought". A Dreadnought guitar fills the room with deep basses and powerful mids, making it a favourite among musicians looking for that rich sound.
A "Jumbo" guitar shape is just slightly larger than the Dreadnought, but the difference is not very big. The main difference is that the waist is narrower than on a Dreadnought, so there is slightly less bass present. However, the body is still large. This combination leads to a nice, warm and full sound.
The Parlor guitar is the smallest Western Guitar produced. The volume of a guitar's sound depends on the size of the body. Since the Parlor guitar is the smallest model, it logically has the least volume.
The double 00, also known as the concert, is the next model in size after the parlor guitar. The number of zeros in the name indicates the size of the sound box. A single 0 model is rare, making the double 00 the first-named model.
The triple 000 model is a guitar design by Martin. Martin still offers triple 000 guitars, such as the Martin 000-28EC Eric Clapton Signature. In terms of shape, this guitar is very similar to a classical guitar, but is just slightly larger. However, the thickness of the guitar is similar to that of a classical guitar.
A Grand Auditorium guitar is just a touch larger than a triple 000. This model has a slightly wider bottom and is slightly thicker, so the guitar produces more volume. In the specification list of our products, you can always see what shape a specific guitar falls under.
What And Where?
When you go to buy an acoustic guitar, you get a lot of terms thrown at your ears. Often in English and Dutch mixed together. To make sure you know where the pick guard, nut and headstock are on a guitar, we've pasted the most important terms on this picture.
Resonators
Resonators are a unique type of acoustic guitar. Unlike the Western guitar, the body of a resonator is made of metal. This gives resonators their very distinctive bite and sound. The vibration of the string passes through the bridge to one or more spun metal resonator cones, creating the unique sound. Resonator guitars are widely used in bluegrass music and blues.
Gypsy Jazz
Gypsy Jazz instruments may seem like a combination of a steel-string and a classical guitar, but they are really an instrument in their own right. Designed by luthiers Selmer and Maccaferri, the first Gypsy Jazz guitar was an outlier for the time.
If you want to start playing Gypsy Jazz, either as a hobbyist or a professional musician, you should store for one of our Gypsy Jazz models.