Guitar Types & Construction
What Is a Guitar Cutaway?
A cutaway is a recessed section in the upper part of the guitar body beside the neck. It gives the fretting hand more room to reach the upper fretboard near and beyond the neck joint.
A cutaway does not create additional frets by itself. It makes existing high positions easier to approach.
Single and Double Cutaways
A single-cutaway guitar has one recessed side, usually below the treble side of the neck. A double-cutaway body has recesses on both sides. Many electric guitars use double cutaways for access, balance and visual design.
Acoustic, classical and archtop guitars commonly use a single cutaway because the second side may not add useful fretting access.
Common Cutaway Shapes
A Venetian cutaway has a rounded curve. A Florentine cutaway comes to a sharper point. These names describe broad design families; builders may use their own variations.
The shape affects hand clearance, construction difficulty and appearance. A sharp-looking cutaway is not automatically deeper or easier to use than a rounded one.
Access and Technique
A cutaway is helpful for lead guitar, chord melody, classical arrangements, jazz voicings and any repertoire that uses high positions. The heel shape, neck joint and body depth still influence access, so two guitars with cutaways may feel very different.
Good upper-fret technique also requires position shifts and a thumb placement that allows the hand to move. A cutaway cannot compensate for squeezing the neck or leaving the wrist locked.
Does a Cutaway Change Tone?
Removing part of an acoustic body changes its geometry and internal air volume, but the audible result depends on the complete design. Soundboard dimensions, bracing, body depth and materials may matter more than the presence of a cutaway by itself.
Choose according to the repertoire and the specific guitar rather than assuming every non-cutaway instrument sounds better or every cutaway instrument is less resonant.
Upper-Fret Access Test
- Play a scale beginning near the twelfth fret.
- Move the thumb and forearm rather than stretching only the fingers.
- Check whether the palm collides with the body or heel.
- Try a high-position chord and a bend.
- Compare seated and standing access.
Why the Cutaway Matters
A cutaway connects body design to practical range. It is valuable when the music regularly uses high frets, but it is unnecessary when the player’s repertoire and technique remain mainly in lower positions.
Kalymi Tip
Buy the cutaway for a musical reason. Play the highest notes and chord shapes you actually use instead of judging access from appearance.
When upper positions still feel difficult, examine the whole movement. Shift the arm, release the thumb and let the hand travel around the body rather than stretching from a fixed lower position.
A cutaway can make advanced repertoire easier, but it does not replace learning position changes. Practise the shift first, then use the extra clearance to finish it cleanly.
Related Terms
Learn More
- Guitar Learning Path
- Which Instrument Should You Learn First?
- Guitar Arrangements
- Kalymi Music Library
- Guitar Chords Chart
- Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Anatomy
Reviewed by
Brent C. Robitaille,
music educator and founder of
Kalymi Music.