# Four Guitar Myths Debunked



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Well if this was posted before it was a while back and it deserves to be seen & discussed again-
Four Guitar Myths Debunked

Four Guitar Myths DebunkedFour Guitar Myths Debunked

The article has short explanations for these:


> 1. A guitar’s sound comes out of the soundhole.
> 2. Cracks in the top of a guitar ruin the sound.
> 3. Guitar necks should always be perfectly straight.
> 4. Tying your strap to the peghead (instead of a strap button on the heel) can warp the neck.


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## fredyfreeloader (Dec 11, 2010)

Excellent little article well worth reading (again)


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

Cheers! Thanks for sharing. I just won a bar bet.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

zontar said:


> Well if this was posted before it was a while back and it deserves to be seen & discussed again-
> Four Guitar Myths Debunked
> 
> Four Guitar Myths DebunkedFour Guitar Myths Debunked
> ...


#1. Its amazing how different it sounds when I'm infront of the hole listening to someone play the guitar instead of on the other side playing the guitar. I noticed this yesterday at Folkway while playing an OM28V then listening to the staff play it. Mainly just louder. Which leaves me to believe that most of the sound is projecting out that hole.

#2. I'm sure a severely neglected guitar, let dry out enough the resulting cracks could alter the sound as your bridge lifts off.

#3. I like my electrics pretty close to straight, if not perfectly straight. 

#4. I had not heard this myth. I heard that tying the strap up at the head behind the nut can have the potential to put the guitar out of tune by pulling the neck, which I guess to me makes sense. As well I think it looks bad.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Good points to remember and since I'm thinking about moving the strap to the head on my electric because of the body size (the guitar's, not mine), point four is well timed.

Thanks for posting.

PS: Willie Nelson is glad of #2.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

With respect to number one, most of the sound emanates from the face of the guitar. Think of it as a speaker with the bridge being the cone. The sound hole allows air to move in and out as the top vibrates, much like a vent on a speaker cabinet.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

bw66 said:


> The sound hole allows air to move in and out as the top vibrates, much like a vent on a speaker cabinet.


indeed, the hole is the passage by which resonance comes into play...without that hole, the guitar wouldn't have much volume.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

When micing an acoustic guitar in stereo I point one mic towards the neck where it meets the body and the other at the bridge. I never mic the sound hole.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

hardasmum said:


> When micing an acoustic guitar in stereo I point one mic towards the neck where it meets the body and the other at the bridge. I never mic the sound hole.


I've always mic'd the bridge when playing live, though I've had a few sound operators look at me funny when I've asked for that.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

hardasmum said:


> When micing an acoustic guitar in stereo I point one mic towards the neck where it meets the body and the other at the bridge. I never mic the sound hole.



Thats strange. Back in the late 70's - early 80's when I played bluegrass if that mic wasn't at the hole you'd get buried by the banjo, mandolin, stand up bass, etc.

Here's a vid of Tony Rice (one of the best, if not the best).
When he wants to be heard, when he's picking it looks like he shoves that hole right up to the mic.

[video=youtube;_u964a0f38s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u964a0f38s[/video]


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Never heard of a dobro capo before........learn sumthin' new everyday ...



guitarman2 said:


> T
> Here's a vid of Tony Rice (one of the best, if not the best).
> When he wants to be heard, when he's picking it looks like he shoves that hole right up to the mic.
> 
> [video=youtube;_u964a0f38s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u964a0f38s[/video]


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

guitarman2 said:


> hardasmum said:
> 
> 
> > When micing an acoustic guitar in stereo I point one mic towards the neck where it meets the body and the other at the bridge. I never mic the sound hole.
> ...


I don't know about live sound, that's a different world to me. I was referring to in the studio.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

hardasmum said:


> I don't know about live sound, that's a different world to me. I was referring to in the studio.


On a noisy stage, the sound hole might be your best option for pure volume, but for me, you get better balanced tone at the bridge.


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