Dreadnought Acoustic Guitars
The most common of all the acoustic guitar shapes, the dreadnought acoustic guitar was originally developed by C.F. Martin & Co in 1916. Due to its bigger body size than the orchestra models of the time, the dreadnought offered a louder sound and greater projection, enabling it to cut through the mix of big bands and large ensembles. Its tonality became synonymous with folk, bluegrass and other American music styles, and the dreadnought grew to be the shape we most often think of when we think of an acoustic guitar. Often utilising a 14-fret neck, with a spruce top and rosewood or mahogany back and sides, many guitar companies took Martin’s design and developed iconic dreadnought models of their own. Companies such as Gibson and Guild became highly regarded guitar manufacturers, due in part to some of their widely played dreadnought acoustics such as the slope-shouldered Gibson J-45, square-shouldered Gibson Hummingbird and Martin D-28. In comparatively recent years, Australian manufacturers such as Maton and Cole Clark have built their name with high-quality acoustic guitars, often using native timbers and developing high-quality pickup systems for the performing musician.
Browse the Dreadnought range from the world's best brands
Browse the World of Music range of dreadnought acoustic guitars in our web store. We ship fully insured Australia-wide for those shopping online, and if you need assistance finding the right guitar for you, please contact one of our staff or pop into our Melbourne store.