[danthelion]

Hi there

If you are like me & mainly play fingerstyle on an acoustic, do you ever go above the 12th fret? If so how often & what sort of songs?

I have put '12th' fret because I have a classical which joins the body at 12 (steel strings join at 14), mine has a cutaway, but I am thinking of buying a Spanish classical which doesn't have one. I only play (or try to play) 2 songs that go beyond the 12th & use the cutaway & I think I could probably play them at a stretch without the cutaway. {Bonus points if you spot the pun}
[The songs are 'Chi Mai' & a classical version of 'Blackbird']

I am wondering if the extra money is worth it for the cutaway, especially if you don't really need or use it & you get less guitar.

Looking forward to hearing your views.

Dan

[starsailor]

Hi Danthelion, I'm pretty new to fingerpicking but I do have a go at playing up to the 12th fret but on my cheap Hokada (£70) Classical Guitar it isn't cutaway and the wide fretboard makes it accessible, my friend who is a trained Classical guitarist and teaches borrowed this guitar for 3 years and used it for teaching and gigs, he almost exclusively used it to play Classical, Spanish music and often played up to the 12th fret and never had a problem but he was an expert. It's probably going to boil down to your confidence in your ability to reach the notes, maybe try a spanish guitar without the cutaway to see how it feels before you buy would be the best way forward.

Cheers

Chris

[allthumbs]

I have both and play above the 12th fret quite often.

[JessThrasher]

I'm always above the 12th. Double cutaway...that's how. I'd even reach my left hand under the top horn when i 2 hand tap. Anyone do that here?

[danthelion]

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by hermanli_ibanezshredder

I'm always above the 12th. Double cutaway...that's how. I'd even reach my left hand under the top horn when i 2 hand tap. Anyone do that here?

Very cool! But do you fingerpick doing that on an acoustic?

By way of clarification: I am wondering if the cutaway is needed, & how many people think it is an essential part of playing an acoustic guitar. I think the venetian cutaway looks very cool on a classical. I am intent on buying a spanish made classical as soon as I can afford one. I realize that jazz players would use cutaways more than others, however even though I play a few jazz standards none of them really go above the 12th (Oops! except 'Take 5' which I half barre at the 12th).

Incidentally I have long fingers & can anchor my left thumb on the heal & my fingers can reach above the 12th to play all the notes on the upper fretboard on a non-cutaway, but obviously can't play a barre chord above the 12th on a non-cutaway.

Dan

[mike123]

The first 3 or 4 frets give me enough trouble....
maybe someday I will venture that far down

[eddiez152]

No I never do.

[Rockerbob]

I use a cutaway, but I play above the 12th fret without one at times too.

[scotty_b]

I have a cutaway on both my acoustics, but there are only a couple of songs in my fingerstyle repertoire that mean I go above the 12th fret.

[si16]

I play beyond the 12th fret on only a couple of fingerstyle tunes but I do have a cutaway. It's actually mostly for aesthetic reasons, to me they just look better.

[JessThrasher]

Originally Posted by si16

I play beyond the 12th fret on only a couple of fingerstyle tunes but I do have a cutaway. It's actually mostly for aesthetic reasons, to me they just look better.

i think that's how Leo Fender created the DOUBLE cutaway. But little did he know that people acually take advantage of it.

Sorry if my story is incorrect.

[Stratrat]

"There ain't no money above the fifth fret".

[cshude]

There's a few songs where a cutaway would be nice. Playing single notes higher up is no problem- the trouble comes when trying to play chords above the 12th with no cutaway.

herm...shredder- I think you might have missed that the thread is regarding acoustic guitars, not electrics.

[Stratrat]

Originally Posted by cshude

herm...shredder- I think you might have missed that the thread is regarding acoustic guitars, not electrics.

You mean you don't reach under the horn and 2-hand tap on your acoustic, Chris?