The Alvarez AGA95CEARSHB Grand Auditorium I recieved 2 weeks ago is astounding. Great low end. String definition and volume is amazing. Plays like a dream and it's friggin gorgeous. Has a bevel on top that makes it more comfortable on your arm to play. Totaly stoked over here.
Something interesting I am taking from this. Playing Solo, I would definitely go for the Non-Cutaway. But, playing with a band, the cutaway seems to take away some of the frequencies that I would take out to keep it from getting muddy in a mix.
Every guitar has their own voice, and cutaway or not, they sound different even in the same brand, batch, etc. Good experiment, thanks for making this and give everyone an idea what going on. For me, the more surface area, the more “rounded” sounds. Cutaway just a little crispier to me, but will listen this better at home with better headphones. Thanks!!!
Terrific, simple, clear comparison - thanks for this! The cutaways seemed to me just a little 'tighter and brighter' - not quite as full bodied as the non-cutaways. Both lovely. I actually have a '78 S. Yairi Parlor (non cutaway) and a recently purchased K. Yairi Parlor w. cutaway. OK, different guitars but also actually quite similar and I string them both light 10-46, each has its place - and no harm doubling them on occasion for tracks, esp. more 'intimate' finger picking! Enjoying this channel - just came across you guys, cheers!
I too heard a significant difference between each guitar in the 2 models. And I can understand there's a place for EACH, depending on intended use and setup. Even for a solo player/singer setup, it'd depend on the vocal range and tone of the singer.. ie: where to support or "leave space" for the vocals. And as others mentioned, playing in a group setting, with or without amps, there may be situations that favor one body type or the other. BOTH body types have merit, and sound great in different ways! 🥰 I'd love to hear more examples of each model/style, covering more of the fretboard, different playing styles/musical styles, since there aren't many opportunities to do a side-by-side for ones self!😉🤩
I love this video. I am as surprised as the hosts that the cut-away has such a noticeable effect on the sound of the guitar. By the way, this has become my favorite RU-vid channel, and I'm subscribed to two or three hundred channels, so that's saying something. What makes it so good? 1) It's about acoustic guitars! 2) The format is wonderful. 3) Last, but not least, this is a guitar channel with mature hosts who have class. One could not find a better combination of soft-spoken, humble, and intelligent guitar experts than Chris and Dee. Since I started watching this channel I have bought my first two Alvarez guitars.
First I just wanted to say that I love your channel and I think you’re producing the best content of this type on the Internet!! Also I think Alvarez-Yairi is making incredible guitars! I could hear a slight difference listening with headphones. I’m sure live in person it would be more substantial. So this was really surprising to me as well! I’m wondering might the way a cutaway top is voiced impact it in a way that could bring out the fullness or is it more a matter of air volume? I have a cedar-rosewood all solid Grand Auditorium and it is as full sounding as I could ever want. It is a hand-voiced guitar so perhaps they’re doing something differently with their cutaway models in terms of voicing?
You didn't A-B anything at the 15-20th frets. You only did strumming at the end of the neck. So let's appreggiate something around the 18th fret and see how they compare.
Another great video! I didn't expect to hear that much of a difference between a cutaway and non cutaway guitar. I own an Alvarez AG608CESHB 8 string and really like playing it when plugged into a PA. It looses a lot of depth though acoustically. I bought the guitar to be played plugged in, so the acoustic sound is secondary to me. It would be very interesting to hear my guitar in a non cutaway version though..
While all guitars sound different, even exact same models, my experience in comparing my own collection, is that cutaways impact the sound. If you are amped up, playing on stage , does it matter? Maybe not. Thank you for your videos
Nice video! In a mix with other electric guitar and bass, wouldn't you cut the low end of the acoustic making the cutaway a better option for songs with other instruments as opposed to non-cuts which are more suited for stand alone?
You're right. The demo is for a miked acoustic. If you're using a transducer of some sort for amplification - even as a soloist, it will be different. When you start adding other instruments into the mix, you're going to want to start notching out sections for each instrument in the mix. It's why (IMHO) dreadnaughts are not great amplified instruments. All that bottom end woof makes it feedback-prone and muddies the mix without severe EQ.
I must say I was surprised by the difference in sound. I would have thought that if there was a difference it would be minimal. All the guitars really sound great. Very articulate and rich sounding, but the non cut away has much more bass that’s full and tight. I’m really wanting the non cut away GA. As always I really enjoy your guys playing and arranging. Look forward to seeing your videos. Alvarez and Yiari have become my favorite makers. Such great instruments at a very fair price!
Excellent job, mates! Prime example of all that is great about your videos and Alvarez. I have a non-cutaway ‘89 DY-90 that has the richest voice in the stable. Yet I love cutaways for all the obvious reasons including, obviously, running scales. And I don’t have to wait until I have an electric in my hands to play the 20th fret C. If that’s not a concern, and a player doesn’t play anything way up there, your discussion and examples make clear that a non-cutaway, maybe just call it a regular, guitar would be the preferred choice.
What an interesting experiment. It makes me think about other features that could be tested, like how does a guitarist-facing sound hole alter the overall tonality? Also, though it would look strange, if a cutaway is better for some situations, might a double cutaway take those changes further in a useful way?
First time I heard quite a big difference, was in (otherwise) same specs guitars played by Tommy Emmanuel. A cutaway, and a non-cutaway, with same woods, same luthier made both. Tommy explained that although he sometimes plays cutaway guitars, his personal choice was a non-cutaway. I then speculated that, somehow, lost body volume in a cutaway guitar, must be added-in to preserve same or similar body of sound, by widening the overall dimensions of the cutaway model by 0.5" all-around or so …
I'm not aware that anybody has made such an experiment, though. Will the increased size of the cutaway guitar neutralise the loss of the cutaway part? Will the increased-size-cutaway guitar indeed sound the same as a non-cutaway guitar? Or it will still sound differently? Maybe .. the symmetrical body design of a non-cutaway guitar has more impact to the sound quality than the equal overall volume?
Thanks for this! In a way I thought the cutaway improved the dread. They all sounded great on their own ways. In a sense I thought the cutaway GA “rocked” a little harder. The non cut GA was amazing.
Agreed. Just recently got an Alvarez Grand Auditorium. Was concerned about losing some low end. Thing sounds killer all around. Clarity and projects great.
I have an old DY 62 with a cutaway. I've always figured it must matter. It sounds not so much tonally different. It seems like an envelope thing. The sound blooms differently with 1 vs 2 upper bouts. Maybe like a head voice vs a chest voice, in two singers imitating one another. Like a mouth that is opened differently, making a different vowel sound.
I'm glad you did this test because it's difficult to find non-cutaway GAs in the market: please make more such GA guitars. My preference is partly for aesthetics but I also want the potential for more bass out of a slightly smaller guitar than a dreadnought. That said, you can achieve about as much difference in EQ I'm hearing here by striking the strings either more over the sound sole or more towards the bridge. The guy doing the strumming tends to strum 1-1.5 inches closer to the bridge in your sound test videos than I'd like for hearing sound differences.
This rep for Martin guitars plays too close to the bridge too but worse (and hard, especially when hitting a single string), but is a good example of my comment above. I can hear the sound difference in the guitars but it is reduced by hand position. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9tXDIkGI9vQ.htmlfeature=shared
Thank’s for another excellent video 😊 The Lord’s love + grace be with you Hope you are all well and resting in Jesus saving love + grace 😊 Blessings friends 😊
The non cutaway had more presence and the cutaway sounded slightly choked and lacked sustain to my ears. Could be just a variation in production or the intricacies of a different set of wood that make up the guitar. Unless the booked matched tops were cut from the same log and right next to each other in the cutting process and voiced the same plus the back and sides the same you can never be that scientific in analysing any perceived differences. Interesting comparison though. 🤗
Physics insists that they sound different. The only cutaway I own is my Alvarez 8 string GA. IF it was available as a non cutaway, I would have bought it instead.
I not artisited knew any things abouts, instrum. I owned one's either those yrs, purchased a guitars, yrs, 1960s cost of owning one's. Then prices its... amounted $460,00 dollars, taxes added also $570,00 dollar's then also today's its... so expensively now amounted $1500,00 - dollar's other's names branded, amounted $2600,00 dollar's, amounted $ 3400,00 dollar's, or waited for sales save 100% 200% 300%
