Comparison Baton Rouge AR11C/ACE vs Fender CD-60SCE

A special protective pad that protects the soundboard from accidental contact with the pick.

The pickguard is usually located at the sound hole below the strings (if the guitar is considered in the standard playing position). With a dynamic, aggressive performance (especially when playing chords), it is in this place that the pick clamped in the hand most often hits; hitting an unprotected body causes damage to the surface of the body, which degrades the appearance and acoustic characteristics of the guitar. Pickguard prevents such damage: such an overlay is usually made of a hard material that is resistant to contact with most picks. Accordingly, the presence of this part is highly recommended if you plan to use the pick extensively when playing.

Note that the protective overlay usually differs in colour from the main material of the deck, due to which it is clearly visible.

The material from which the top of the guitar is made is the flat part of the body on which the bridge (see below) and the sound hole are located.

A wide variety of materials are found in modern guitars — from spruce, maple or cedar, which are familiar in our latitudes, to expensive mahogany and “exotics” like bubinga (“African rosewood”) or koa, which grows only in Hawaii. Each material has its own characteristics that affect the sound and other properties of the instrument (for example, appearance and durability). However, the sound of a guitar largely depends on a number of other factors besides the material — the type of instrument, the shape of the body, etc. Therefore, models made of similar materials may well sound noticeably different. In addition, note that expensive woods can be used solely for aesthetic purposes and have no advantages over cheaper materials.

In light of all this, we can say that the data on materials are more of a reference value, and when choosing, it is more likely to focus on more significant characteristics (for example, the same body shape), as well as practical data about the tool (reviews, reviews, audio recordings of the game etc.). Detailed data on materials may be required only by professional musicians, luthier masters, etc.; this information, if desired, can be found in special sources.

The material from which the bridge (string holder) of the guitar is made is a device with which the strings are attached to the top deck.

Theoretically, the colour of the sound of an instrument depends on the characteristics of all its details. However, in the case of the bridge, this influence is so insignificant that the data on the material in this case are more of general reference and advertising than of real practical value. The variety of such materials is quite large; among the most common are rosewood, mongoy and ebony.

The type of truss provided in the guitar neck design.

The truss rod is a long metal rod located inside the neck of the guitar (along it). It is designed to provide the desired stiffness and prevent neck distortion due to string tension. This function is relevant for models that use metal strings — primarily acoustic ones (see "Type"); Nylon guitars don't need an anchor.

Often it is possible to adjust the tension force of the anchor — to change the degree of deflection of the neck. This can be useful both for adjusting to the guitarist's preferences and for correcting neck distortion that develops over time.

Note that the lack of information on the anchor does not mean the absence of the latter: some manufacturers simply do not bother to mention it in the basic data on the tool. So in such cases, you can try to find more detailed information on the selected model.

Specific options for the anchor can be as follows:

— Single. An anchor in the form of a single rod is the simplest and most inexpensive option. At the same time, the strength and rigidity of such a rod is sufficient in most cases.

— Double. Twin anchor, consisting of two rods. A pair of rods provides increased strength and reliability compared to a single truss rod, and also provides additional protection against lateral deformations of the fingerboard (deviations to the right / left). At the same time, a double anchor is not cheap, despite the fact...that the described advantages are really important only in professional music, where even the slightest deviations from the reference sound are unacceptable. Therefore, the double anchor is found mainly in premium tools.

— Is absent. The complete absence of an anchor in the design of the neck. Despite the useful properties of this part, its use is far from always justified: for example, the neck can be made of durable and elastic materials that “work” well without additional reinforcement. Another reason for the one-piece construction is that mounting a metal rod disrupts the neck's uniformity and can degrade the instrument's acoustic performance, which can be critical on high-end models. Note that the absence of an anchor is separately indicated only for acoustic guitars and other instruments with metal strings; in "nylon" models, rods are not used by definition, and there is no need to specifically specify its absence.

Scale length of the guitar. The scale in this case is the working part of the string, in other words, the distance from the saddle (on the headstock) to the saddle (on the bridge). In most acoustic and similar guitars, the scale is set during production and is unchanged. Without going into technical details, we can say that the value of this parameter is generally a reference: it allows you to some extent estimate the overall dimensions of the instrument, as well as the size of the frets (the longer the scale, the larger the size of the frets, regardless of their number). However, there is also a practical application: with an adjustable anchor (see above), the scale length data can be useful in the tuning process.

The fingerboard material is the surface directly under the strings. Now the most commonly used materials are: rosewood, mongoy and ebony. For the value of this parameter, see p. "Top deck".