18 Acoustic Guitars With F-Holes - Tone Changer? (2024)

FAQs

How do F-holes affect sound? ›

The main contribution of f-hole in violin is to amplify the sound radiation (air resonance) at low frequencies, at which the soundboard is inefficient in sound radiation. The efficiency of sound radiation at low frequencies in musical instruments is improved by the use of a sound hole.

on a full hollow, the f-holes change the natural resonance of the body, lowering it a bit and increasing what's known as the "Q" or peakiness of that resonance. in practical terms, that makes the guitar a bit more full bodied and also more susceptible to feedback at stage volume levels.

The sound on guitars with F-holes is clearer. Notes sound slightly more separated and distinguished when compared to a round hole guitar. The position and shape of the sound hole seem to have a reducing effect on the resonance, which leads to a decreased overlap of notes, adding to the clarity of the sound.

Despite that, the presence of the humble f-hole has continued in some of the most iconic instruments ever made, from Gibson, Gretsch, Fender, Ibanez, PRS and many others – long after concerns for maximising acoustic volume had been solved by the magnetic pickup.

The openings on both sides of the body of the violin that are shaped like a lowercase "f" are appropriately called f-holes, and these serve to transmit to the outside air the vibrations within the body caused by the body's resonance, ringing out with a rich tone.

Some of the early f-holes were shorter and wider, but the shape became more standardized in the 1700s when the violin's development as we know it was almost complete. It's been studied that on the violin, the long, narrow “f” shape creates the optimal tone.

Semi-hollowbody guitars are tonally similar to solidbody guitars, but with a bit less sustain and a slightly less focused low end.

Gibson Lucille

King requested that, to reduce feedback, there be no F-holes. Gibson made the B.B. King Standard model from 1980 to 1985. This model had chrome hardware and dot inlays instead of block inlays.

Fluting the f-hole wings

In order to make the f-holes look more integral to the arching, the lower wings are fluted. Note that the fluting still gradually rises to the edge of the wing.

Acoustic guitars pose challenges with their thicker strings and wider neck, requiring finger strength and dexterity. Classical guitars demand precision in fingerpicking techniques and navigation of the wider neck and nylon strings. Electric guitars require technical skills and control over sound manipulation.

Who makes the easiest acoustic guitar to play? ›

John Lennon played various guitars with the Beatles and during his solo career, most notably the Rickenbacker (four variants thereof) and Epiphone Casino, along with various Gibson and Fender guitars. His other instrument of choice was the piano, on which he also composed many songs.

This experiment demonstrates one of the sometimes counterintuitive realities of guitar body tuning—a larger hole will raise the air chamber resonance, whereas a smaller one will lower it. Since bass frequencies are large waves, it is often assumed that a larger hole will sound deeper, but the physics show otherwise.

Opening tone holes

If you open the tone holes, starting from the far end, you make the pressure node move closer up the pipe - it's rather like making the pipe shorter. On the Boehm flute, each opened tone hole raises the pitch by a semitone.

The larger the sound hole the louder the volume grew; conversely, the smaller the sound hole the quieter the volume became. However, smaller holes produced a mellower sound. With no hole you only hear the sound of the string itself, so the sound was weaker and quieter.

As gas funneled from the disk onto the black hole, it occasionally rammed into itself, which send ripples of pressure waves reverberating outwards. If the black hole wasn't there at the center to drive the whole thing like a drum, the pressure waves would cease, and the giant disk would fall silent.