• Join the A7X Discord!

    We're updating the community and moving all social content from the community to the Discord. All lessons related conversations will still take place here though! Join the Discord below and view the full announcement for more details

    JOIN THE DISCORD VIEW THREAD

Acoustic guitar insanely hard to play – what to do?

Dominik Gräber

Hot Topic Tourer
Contest Winner!
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    2,787
    1
    5,982
    26
    Saarland
    www.instagram.com
    6
  • #1
    So the first guitar I ever played and still play is an acoustic guitar my brother got as a gift from a relative from the US. The guitar is a very small Martin, this one to be exact:
    https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/little-martin/lx-black-little-martin/
    Besides that it has way too much bass and lacks that steely high pitch of many acoustic guitars, it is insanely hard to play, even after more than three years of playing. The strings are really hard to press down and to get to ring properly. I tried other acoustics and with no other it is as bad as with this one.
    Do you have any tips for me how to make it more playable? I can’t say anymore which strings I have on it, but I remember they were even lighter than the originals. Should I go with even lighter strings?
     

    idssdi

    Sold-out Crowd Surfer
    Nov 11, 2019
    5,336
    6,749
    Groningen
    11
  • #2
    Some acoustic guitars are setup horribly. The action is really high and stuff like that. So checking how it is setup might be a good idea. Figuring out what gauge strings you have might also be a good idea (in standard I think most people use 10s or 11s)
     

    Jake Young

    Free Bird Player
    Nov 11, 2019
    193
    1
  • #5
    If your actions good man..there’s not a whole lot you can do besides find the lightest gauge acoustic strings you can and play the crap out of it! I know you said others aren’t as bad..but for some reason? That’s just the nature of the damn things..I have a fairly high end Takamine and a Taylor around the same price plays unbelievable compared to it.. If you play it more regularly (lol or attempt to play it) it should get “easier” aaand your electric will feel easier also! It’s a win/win type thing! As far as making it sound better..you could have a new nut made. It’s a pretty common and fairly inexpensive thing to do for acoustics. It will change the tone..but I can’t say it’ll be closer to what you want? Changing the bridge would make it sound different too..but it’s not as common of a change unless you have problems and it could get a little pricy. Half the beauty of guitars is they all sorta have their own voice!..especially acoustics. Give it a name and cuss it from time to time! But learn to love it! It’s unique!! aaaand maybe change the nut when you get some extra cash haha
     
    C

    Christopher Lonski

    Free Bird Player
    Nov 11, 2019
    275
    1
    58
  • #6
    check the neck relief. Most modern acoustics still have a truss rod and that’s usually the only real adjustable thing on them. 9/10 times if your acoustic isnt playing properly, its either a poorly made acoustic or its the neck relief. Martins aren’t poorly made, so…
     
    C

    Christopher Lonski

    Free Bird Player
    Nov 11, 2019
    275
    1
    58
  • #7
    Also, as previously mentioned by Jake, lighter gauge strings help. The only thing to consider with this is the harder you strum, the more it will throw your chords out of tune. Thats why acoustic strings are usually so thick. People like to strum hard for more volume and the heavier the strings, the better it stays in tune and the more it projects the sound. Also, adjust the truss rod with a new set of whatever gauge you wanna use as the strings and truss rod are opposing forces. Everytime you change stings, you should be checking the neck bow and adjusting it. Even if you dont change the strings, check it quite a bit. The neck bow changes CONSTANTLY.
     

    Noah Berends

    Campfire Attention Holder
  •
    • Nov 11, 2019
    408
    86
    Fort Wayne, IN
    13
  • #9
    Ok, given all the information presented and since action is good, I’d say it’s probably set up with the string gauge too high. If the neck had too much/too little bow, the action near the first few frets would be extremely high OR you would be getting fret buzz, respectively. I run my acoustic guitar with .11 gauge strings and even that is pretty high tension compared to what I’m used to. I think run of the mill acoustic strings are .13’s, which in my mind is insane. Try popping some .10’s or .11’s on and see how that turns out. And like Christopher mentioned make sure the neck relief translates well to the lower tension if that’s something you feel comfortable adjusting yourself. And that’s only if you run into that issue.
     

    Similar threads

    Ulnar/cubital nerve problems. Have you experienced? Do you know good prevention and therapy?
    Replies
    2
    Views
    1K
    General Chat
    Alicia Willis
    Building a guitar
    Replies
    8
    Views
    1K
    General Chat
    Possessed Sinner
    New Album Discussion/FirstVS.Changing Impressions/Easter eggs/Favorite song from LIBAD?
    Replies
    13
    Views
    2K
    General Chat
    MerkTheDon
    5
    Hello all!
    Replies
    5
    Views
    769
    Introduce Yourself!
    William B.
    W
    • Question
    Playing guitar recently
    Replies
    5
    Views
    1K
    Lessons, Studying, & Practicing
    Ed Seith
    Menu
    Log in
    Register