Guitars FAQ terms, features and woods

ABOUT OUR GUITARS- FAQ

Spruce is a rigid wood that provides tonal clarity allowing you to play loud and strongly without distortion . Spruce is extemely strong but also light making it a favourite wood for guitar manufacture.

Catalpa is another very light but extremely strong wood - used for the neck it contributes to the light weight ensuring you can handle this Jumbo with ease.

Maple is a hardwood and used here for the fingerboard it adds a bright crisp sound to the higher notes

The cutaway makes the electric acoustic version easier to access the higher frets - The complete 4 band equaliser gives you maximum control of terble mid and bass colourisation of tone.


 

QUESTION ABOUT TYPES CLASSIC VS OTHER TYPES GUITARS

Hi, Its my husbands birthday and I have finally came up with the idea to buy him a guitar. He has mentioned in the past that he would like to learn to play, but has never done so before. As he is obviously a beginner and i dont want to spend a fortune on something that might not become a lifelong passion, is this Classic MX Pack suitable?
 
ANSWER
  
 Classic  guitars , while fine for adults are limited in the type of music you can play - classical or as a " Cheaper alternative" strumming for rock etc ,,they are softer with nylon strings and smaller bodies
this pack would be more suitable if youre not looking more than 3 months ahead or the main aim is to play classical - then its a CLassical guitar pack is fine
 
otherwise suggest

ACOUSITIC ( Steel string ) or ELECTRIC PACK pack
( See guitar packs )

(at date of writing ) Our acoustic packs currently provide an extra pickup free means he doesnt have to buy another guitar if you get an amplifier later (those pickups sell R350 )
 
Its a lot easier to play a amplified guitar for beginners,,(whether connecting to AMP or headphones via AMP ) ,,,,,as the notes dont die out when playing slowly in the beginning as they do without amplification very quickly ....when playing slowly for many weeks - months
But at least without an amplifer a steel string like the Acoustic Pack Azure Black CUTAWAY sounds much  louder than a classic nylon string  and doesnt die out quite as quickly as a nylon guitar
 
Also the Azure guitar is easier to hold in the left hand while still reaching the strings with less strain as it has a specially  thin neck

QUESTION
Hi, is the maxwell folk guitar a good guitar for a female to learn to play on? my wife is keen on starting but i don't want to buy her a guitar that looks good and is at a good price but isn't and in a few months time she's going to want something better. Should I rather spend a bit more ona better quality one, or is this fine? i have found an Ibanez v70 acoustic for about R900, would this be a better buy?
ANSWER
Hi byron youve asked our opinion for good guitar - there is really nothing "in between "
 
An ibanez V 70 or the maxwell are fine for just basic messing around
On guitar you pay for
1) sound quality ( warmth . fuillness depth of sound )
2) Ease of playing
 
Neither have much of those ..neither are setup and both are basic designs
 
in a few months time she's going to want something better. Should I rather spend a bit more ona better quality one, or is this fine?"
the simple answer is if she takes it seriously shell be frustrated more on cheaper guitar than a better guitar

Some guitars are better setup at the factory than others. Those that are not we can setup for you
 
GUITARS setups vary. Expensive guitars are sometimes more accurately setup at the factory but one can improve performance and sort out minor adjustments of any guitar by taking a guitar to a guitar luthier for setup

setup can entaol some or more of following:
 
truss rod adjustment (notes will not all be in tune when the fingerboard is perfectly straight  ) , saddle and nut shaving ...( the saddle and  lie at each of the fingerboard over which the strings lie - their height needs careful shaving so your finger need only the smallest pressure to place the string on the fretboard. ( strings arent to high )
pickups - when the height of pickups ( electric guitars ) is not optimal - buzz noises , esp when you play loud cause problems
 
thats why players have guitars setup
See various articles
 
Q Please explain to me kind of neck and size guitar  I need?
A Most females but also teenagers depnding on age and size do better on thinner neck guitars and smaller sizes + cutaway shape as they have smaller hands... ( a thinner neck allows the left hand to reach onto all strings easier with the nleft hand, -A cutaway shape makes the higher frets more accessible )
 
Playing without an amp on any guitar is tough ..notes that die out after a few secs are frusrtating to play and when playing slowly as all beginners do for months (years ) to come, amplification allows the note to sing much longer and sound much more lyrical , not dying out before youv'e had time to figure out where youll be playing the next note and then the next note , and so on . If you cant afford an electric vs acoustic electric or electric buy an acoustic guitar , at least consider buying one with a cheaper form of CLIP ON pickup
 
Anyone playing an acoustic sooner than later wants a amplifier when they realize how much nicer everything sounds

Q Does it really matter what kind of amplifier I use?

A./ Unfortutanely. Yes. A very cheap amp as opposed ot a well made amp will sound like a gravelly or indistinct voice as opposed to a clear well trained voice. Amplifier parts also have limited lifetimes and can take differing degrees of punishment

The size of the amp is less important for practicing than its quality though less than a 15W amp might be frustrating in terms of power output.
Only fomr 30 W can an amp be used in a proper band situation. A 30w amp can be used only as a Monitor amp ( Placed next to you on stage to hear yourself ) and your guitar would still have to go through a PA or much larger AMP for perfomrance purposes. Anything less than 30W used as a monitor will blow the amp as youll be playing it too loud too often
 

ABOUT OUR GUITARS

If youre looking for the cheapest guitar - by this we mean  approx  R100 to R200 cheaper ( as in general retailer superstores or even some music stores  ) we should probably tell you that yes to compete with the superstores in SA weve considered importing even cheaper guitars and brought in samples.and we do sell them on our web too, but its not really fair to ask us if they compete with better guitars ( not better "brands" just better made ). They dont, but since many people are limited by budget , like all stores we sell them too.

 For the reason outlined in orange just below we never pursued this course -  we tried so many guitars in lower priced brackets and they simply didnt fulfill what we consider essential requirements listed below

AZURE GUITARS in the Range APPROX R1400+ more exhibit these qualities

AZURE GUITARS R1000 - R1400 Exhibit :"some of these qualities " (tuning pegs and sound are are still good but for optimal playing you can request a R200 extra setup )

Excellent sustain -notes dont just die away quickly but last a good length of time after the strings are strummed or picked once - this is often a function of how the inner struts holding the back sides and top are made. if put in the incorrect places or shaped poorly that can be one of the most serious factors that cause guitar notes ot die away - Our Guitars are far better made than for that too occur


Good action - distance between strings and fretboard ( action can always be improved on ANY guitar - see below ) but for a beginner skill the action is fine -this means you wont get a guitar where the string height is so far fomr the fretboard you simply will find it impossible to play 

 


Frets frets are well rounded to touch and wont hurt your fingers - this might seem a surprising fact to mention but on many guitars even the cheaper versions of some recognisable brands - the frets are not rounded properly and the sharp edges  will hurt your fingertips

 

 


Tuning pegs - tuning pegs fit tightly enough into the neck to last a long time and hold tuning stable once strings a e stretched - once gain never take that as a given on any guitar- sadly its not always the case- but all our guitars are quality checked at the factory so that all that is correct
Buzz  electric or acoustic electric guitars in the very low  price range are sadly prone to String Buzz noises.
The very cheaper ones at stores that keep the unbeatable specials (tongue in cheek here ) will simply buzz far too much even without much pressure on the strings and thats why we wont sell them
Even without setup were pleased to say our guitars display only one or two - the buzz problems if played SERIOUSLY hs is the same situation of ANY well known brand too
 a setup will eliminate them completely iF the guitar is good enough to be adjusted (ours are but we only speak for ours )

GUITAR ENHANCEMENT - How it differs for different types of guitars
guitar enhancement essentially makes a student guitar perform like a much better guitar - and this applies to  ANY brand -
(Stretching strings )
Please note ENHANCEMENT is VERY different and involved much more advanced work that only a qualified Luthier can do . To simply stretch guitar strings so they tune easier in the beginning for instance is one thing ( and youll need to continue doing it too after its done once so see more below how to do that  - ( and it seems these days its even called a SETUP ) but to really enhance a guitar many things take place as listed below

but lets talk about stretching strings - too often misnamed SETUP when its not (which is why we use the term guitar enhancement rather than setup )

Stretching strings before you get going on your guitar means they will settle into tune for longer periods - needing less tuning as a often (new guitars without stretching need a good ear and considerable retuning over and over in the beginning -
After youve stretched your strings and then proceed to tune the guitar - instead of spending hours guessing if your guitar is in tune and wondering why the chords sound  "funny" you should seriously consider using a electronic tuner

This can be done by you following these instructions but we dont recommend it - knowing the distance to be stretched varied with each string - they arent al exactly the asme and the amount of times it must be done varies too

After youve stretched your strings and then proceed to tune the guitar - instead of spending hours guessing if your guitar is in tune and wondering why the chords sound  "funny" you should seriously consider using a electronic tuner

On the other hand - Benefits After enhancement ( as shown below ) IF youre at a skill level to warrant this kind of work - ie if you can already play well enough to benefit from these results-  the guitar will play
1) FASTER and easier
2) If Electric or electric acoustic - slight buzzes when played VERY LOUD - are eliminated
3) Fine tuning in the very high notes ( never played by beginners much ) is slightly improved

It is true that even for a beginner adjusting saddle and nut heights to a level found of handmade or advanced guitars ( the small pieces of wood the strings cross over  at either end of the guitar strings ) the guitar will be slightly easier to play - especially when playing faster passages We suggest though that consider the level of your playing first.

For a child however with little strength in their fingers this helps much more and that together with special lighter gauge strings can help playing a long to a greater degree.

For professionals a setup of any factory made guitar is always usually requested. It lifts the playability and response of guitars to much high level. A professional will tell you that NO guitar  except hand made - where all this is done by hand, can never be set in a factory to these specifications.

In fact professionals know that for a backup guitar they would get a better result to buy a cheaper ( but not too cheap [ some are so bad you cant even set them up ]

After setup a good entry level as long as its been around and quality testing proved for 10 years or more ( as all our models have ) will often be superior to entry level Bigger " status" brand names - paying only for a brand does not ensure you get the best value for money. Only the kind of knowledge were trying to impart to you here ensures that.

  Amongst the other things described  ( we suggest if you need to know more technically phone ROB rather than us at his nos above ) will also strings lie closer to the fretboard, and hence again less pressure needed , and much easier to play.

(LEFT HANDED PLAYERS - we can also setup any guitar for a left handed player

 

 

 



1.Remove all packaging and protection material such as adhesive plastic
covering pickguards and pickups.

All kinds- acoustic/ classic / acoustic electric / bass/ electric

2.Adjusting the machine heads include, adjusting the tension of the
machine head so that it turns correctly and smoothly,tightning the ferrules
on die-cast machine heads to prevent all rattles that might occur due to
loose washers.

All except classic

3.Adjust the bow of the guitar neck that it prevents string buzz,dead
strings and easier playability.

All electric and bass + acoustic electric

4.adjust the height of each saddle of the bridge so that it conforms to the
curvature of the fret board.

All except classic

5. Set intonation which will eliminate flat or sharp notes being played
because of slighly incorrect string lengths.

Electric and Bass + acoustic electric

6.Adjust pickup heights/depth to achieve the maximum tone for which the
instrument has been designed.

All kinds- acoustic/ classic / acoustic electric / bass/ electric
7.Decrease the bridge saddle height on acoustic guitars for easier
playability and maximum tone.

8. Tune all strings - including stretching of strings

Electric and Bass + acoustic electric
8.Test instruments to ensure that all electronics
functioning optimally and final adjustments

this should NOT be confused with a SHOP SETUP
which is usually a restring......and  one or two of the above ....

 

 

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