What Is A Dreadnought Guitar? Dreadnought guitar might be new to you, but it may probably be the acoustic guitar you used before. Dreadnought is the term used for an acoustic guitar’s body shape, and it is derived from the name of a British battleship from 1906. A few of these battleship’s characteristics are similar to the big body of dreadnought guitar. If you want to know more about this type of acoustic guitar, let’s get into it!
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Dreadnought Guitar Explained
A dreadnought guitar refers to the body shape of an acoustic guitar. It is characterized by having a large body and an undefined waist. It means that the top and bottom bouts of the guitar have a similar width than classical guitars, among other types of acoustic guitar shapes. This musical instrument also features a larger body than others.
On the other hand, dreadnought nowadays is considered to be within the standard size range of guitars. It is different when it was first launched because back then, it has a larger body compared to the usual guitar.
Our Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars Popular?
Dreadnought acoustic guitars are newer than other acoustic guitar types. But despite that, it has become among the most popular guitar shapes around the world. It might be the most popular guitar for quite some time, but the place might have been taken by the Grand Performance/ Grand Auditorium guitar shape.
Compared to dreadnought acoustic guitars, this type of guitar shape features a more defined waist. It was first launched in the early 1900s and started to become popular in the mid-1900s. Today, among the most popular acoustic guitar shape you can find is the dreadnought. It might be because of its wide-ranging usage in popular music genres.
What Is The Sound Of Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar?
Because of the large body of this type of acoustic guitar, it produces a loud, round sound. Its large soundboard means that there is a lot of reverberation that makes it capable of increasing volume.
This musical instrument is ideal for acoustic rock, country, pop, bluegrass, as well as other popular guitar-driven music genres. In the early days, dreadnought acoustic guitars are mostly used by folk musicians. But today, they prefer using Grand Auditorium/ Grand Performance or 00/Concert guitars.
Dreadnought’s Playability
When it comes to playability, the dreadnought is not too different from other steel string guitar shapes. Its shape makes it easier for other guitar players to use when sitting and getting their arms around the guitar’s wide lower bout.
Aside from that, some dreadnought guitars lately, have a slightly narrower neck. At the moment, most dreadnought guitars have a neck size of about 43mm. In comparison, concert and grand auditorium guitars have 44mm neck width, making it easier for flat-picking and chords.
Conclusion
In conclusion, dreadnought guitar is a shape type of acoustic guitar with a relatively larger body compared to other types. It produces a louder, round guitar sound that is ideal for genres like acoustic rock, pop, and many more. If you want to explore the sound of dreadnought guitar, you can start with this beginner set, Donner Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar. Or enhance your guitar skill with Fender Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar.
