Body Styles - Acoustic Body Shapes Explained...

Most manufacturers make and market bodies with unique and varied names, shapes and design characteristics. Some of these body shapes have evolved over time in search of improved sound, volume, or playability, whilst others have remained essentially the same since their inception. The range of sizes and shapes available makes it possible for players to find the perfect guitar for their purpose. Here's a basic overview of many of the most common styles available.

Compact, Baby, Backpacker or Travel Guitar - These are small body guitars for smaller players or for taking on the road. Some are scaled down versions of full-sized body shapes. Others are unique shapes. Their compact size makes them ideal travel guitars.

00, or 'Grand Concert' - this body style is most directly derived from the classical guitar. It has the thinnest soundbox and the smallest overall size of the major styles, making it very comfortable to play but also one of the quietest. Its smaller size makes it suitable for younger or smaller-framed players. These guitars are commonly called "parlor steels" as they are well-suited to smaller rooms. Martin's '00' series and Taylor's GC series are common examples.

000, or 'Grand Auditorium' - very similar in design to the Grand Concert, but slightly wider and deeper. Many GA-style guitars also have a convex back panel to increase the volume of space in the soundbox without making the soundbox deeper at the edges, which would affect comfort and playability. The result is a very balanced tone, comparable to the 00 but with greater volume and dynamic range and slightly more low-end response, without sacrificing the ergonomics of the classical style, making these body styles very popular. Eric Clapton's signature Martin guitar, for example, is of this style. Taylor's GA and '14' series and Martin's '000' series are well-known examples of the Grand Auditorium style.

Dreadnought - arguably the most common body style, incorporates a deeper soundbox, but a smaller and less-pronounced upper bout (the area of the soundbox between the waist and neck) than most styles, giving a somewhat wedge-shaped appearance – hence its name, relating to a class of warship. The dreadnought style was designed by Martin Guitars to produce a deeper sound than "classic" style guitars, with very present bass fundamentals. This body style's combination of a small profile with a deep sound has made it immensely popular, and it has since been copied by virtually every major steel-string maker. Martin's "D" series such as the D-28, and Gibson's 'Hummingbird' are classic examples of the dreadnought style.

Jumbo - The Jumbo body style is bigger again than a Grand Auditorium but similarly proportioned, and is generally designed to provide a deeper tone, similar to a dreadnought (the body style was designed by Gibson to compete with the dreadnought) but with maximum resonant space for greater volume and sustain. This comes at the expense of being oversized, with a very deep sound, and thus somewhat more difficult to play. The foremost example of this style is the Gibson J-200, but like the dreadnought, most guitar manufacturers have at least one jumbo model.

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