How to choose a guitar

The Dreadnought guitar shape is a deep toned, bold sounding traditional guitar with good volume and projection. The shoulders of the guitar are slightly squared off with a rounded bottom for good air movement, and sound resonance, from within the guitar body.

Often nicknamed ‘dreads’ and usually have a ‘D’ in their model name, such as the D6 acoustic guitar.

Grand Auditoriums are smaller in body than Dreadnoughts and have slimmer waists to give a curvy rounded shape. The smaller body makes them slightly move comfortable to hold in a sitting position and often feature a cutaway so that the lower frets can be played.

Grand Auditoriums can be identified by the letters ‘GA’ in their model name.

Orchestra body guitars are smaller than Grand Auditorium shaped models but still pack a good resonant sound. A good choice for ‘bedroom’ guitarists who like an intimate sound with a manageable body size.

Orchestra shaped guitars from Crafter are referred to as ‘T’ bodies, such as the T035 model.

Popular in the late 19th century until the ’50s, Parlour guitars are a small body guitar like the Orchestra model. The neck meets the body of the guitar at the 12th fret and as such, are often also referred to as ’12th fret’ guitars.

A traditional style of guitar that is compact and popular with fingerpick players who like a bright and unusual volume from such a small bodied guitar.

Jumbo guitars are bigger and louder than any dreadnought, grand auditorium or orchestra guitar. A real tone monster with a warm bass sound in a wide, deep body. Great for players who want a lot of sound from their guitar.

Easily identified by a ‘J’ in the model name such as the JE18.

12 string guitars are designed so that two strings sit together where you would normally have a single string, doubling your standard 6 string guitar. They are usually tuned an octave apart which gives a distinctive bell-like sound to the guitar. This type of tuning gives a rich and almost orchestral chorus sound.

All Crafter 12 string guitars have the number ’12’ in their model name.

Travel guitars are not only good for travelling with due to their compact size but may also be played by smaller, younger or beginner guitar players. The arched back on these guitars gives a good pronounced sound, just like a full size guitar, despite the smaller body.

All Crafter Travel guitars have the letters ‘TRV’ in their model name.

Hybrid guitars mix acoustic with electric sounds that produce a wide tonal palette of bright and lively sounds when played. The Slim Arch (SA model) demonstrated here comes with a single coil lipstick pickup on a hollow body which makes the guitar very versatile and a great choice for playing on stage.

Crafter also make a hybrid Slim Arch guitar (SAT model) with a humbucking pickup as well as the lipstick single coil. This means that the electric and acoustic sounds can be split into two different amps if required.