Steel string acoustic guitars are used to play a wide range of music including blues, country, rock, and folk. They have a "big sound" that's great for either rhythm or solo performers. They use steel strings that are made of silk and steel or bronze.

The traditional steel string acoustic (commonly called the folk guitar) has a large, bell-shaped body. It usually has six strings, but twelve-string guitars are also popular. Basic components include a soundboard and hollow body (or soundbox) with an attached narrow neck across which the strings are stretched. Plucking or strumming the strings generates the sound. The vibration of the strings is transferred to the soundboard (the guitar's top) through the bridge and amplified by the soundbox.

The guitar's top, back and sides are made of different types of wood, each with unique tonal characteristics. The back and sides are often made of mahogany or rosewood and the top is usually spruce or cedar.

Most acoustic guitars have necks made of mahogany with a fretted fingerboard made of rosewood or ebony. On a steel string acoustic, the neck is attached to the body at the 14th fret. Some acoustics feature a "cutaway" body on the treble side which allows the player to easily reach the higher frets.

See the section on Woods and Construction for more information.

Because of the tremendous stress created by steel strings when they are tuned to pitch - about 175 lbs. of tension - the guitar's neck can bow forward, causing the strings to raise higher off the neck. This makes playing uncomfortable, especially for beginners. To counteract this, most steel string acoustics feature an adjustable truss rod which can straighten the neck and bring the strings closer to the frets for easier playing action.

During the dry months of winter, when the guitar's wood may shrink, the neck has a tendency to "back-bow." This can cause the strings to vibrate against the metal frets creating "fret buzz." In this case, loosening the truss rod will allow the neck to return to the correct position.

See the section on guitar & bass accessories for guitar care products.

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