Tone Descriptions

Acoustic Guitar Tone Description Definitions

If you look at an acoustic guitar's description online, or you ask for an acoustic guitar's description from an employee, you will most probably see and hear words like "midrange", "bright", "crisp", "smooth", "fat", "treble", and many, many more suggestive words.
The challenge of auditory descriptions is putting sounds that we hear into words in order to describe them to other people. "Tone words", or "tone descriptions", as they are called, are ambiguous and can be very confusing. This page's aim is to have you understand these words.

The VERY first definitions you need to know about tone terminology are bass, midrange, and treble. They really help define other tone terms. There is a LOT of science behind these three definitions, but let's just focus on the very basics.

Bass: Sounds that classify as "bass" are "low" sounds/frequencies. They fall approximately around 20Hz-140Hz frequencies. If an acoustic guitar has an emphasis on low strings and low notes, one might say that this guitar has a great bass response.
Midrange: Sounds that classify as "midrange" (or "middle", "mid" for short) are "middle" sounds/frequencies. They fall approximately around 600Hz-1,200Hz frequencies. If an acoustic guitar has an emphasis on the middle strings and middle notes, one might say that this guitar has a great mid response.
Treble: Sounds that classify as "treble" (or "high end") are "high" sounds/frequencies. They fall approximately around 2,400Hz-20,000Hz frequencies. If an acoustic guitar has an emphasis on the high strings and high notes, one might say that this guitar has a great treble response.

If you want to get into detail, here are sub-categories of bass, midrange, and treble.

*These are approximations…that actual numbers are very debatable.

(Deep) Bass = 10 Hz to 100 Hz
Mid Bass = 100 Hz to 300 Hz
Low Mid = 300 Hz to 600 Hz
Midrange = 600 Hz to 1,200 Hz
High Mid = 1,200 Hz to 2,400 Hz
Low Treble = 2,400 kHz to 4,800 Hz
Mid Treble = 4,800 Hz to 9,600 Hz
High Treble = 9,600 Hz to 20,000Hz.

You should also be aware of these words before you read into acoustic tone words.

Attack: The beginning of a sound, the first thing you hear
Decay: The fadeout of a sound, to its very end
Reverberation: (Reverb for short) The re-echo/reflected persistence of a sound after it has stopped
Sustain: How long a sound lasts

Let's move on to descriptive ACOUSTIC GUITAR oriented tone words. Be warned, sometimes tone descriptions used for electric guitars (or amps or pedals) have a different meaning when used with acoustic guitars. Also, keep in mind that many tone words are used very loosely, without a single, certain definition.

Aggressive: A very forward, treble-oriented bright sound. Strum a chord, and you'll hear the higher frequencies. An acoustic guitar with an aggressive attack has a very dominating sound.
Airy/Spacious: Has a very spacious, open sound, with decent sustain. Imagine the sound is surrounded by a large space full of air. It has a slight reverb.
Ambient: Impression of an acoustic space. See Airy.

Balanced: A fairly equal representation of treble, midrange, and bass.
Ballsy/Bassy: Emphasis on low frequencies. Strong bass response.
Bassy/Ballsy: Emphasis on low frequencies. Strong bass response.
Bell (Tone): Resonant, chiming, ringing tone, like a bell. A single strum lasts a long time. Long sustain.
Bloated/Tubby: Excessive mid-bass, dampening deep bass and low midrange frequencies.
Blurred: A very short lived response, a sustain that is too short (decays too quickly). Strum a chord and it dies too fast.
Bright: Emphasis on high frequencies. Strong treble response.
Brilliant: Very, very bright.
Brittle/Edgy/Steely/Raspy: Excessive treble, harsh high notes. A negative brilliance. Harmonics are too strong/piercing.

Clean: Very low to no extraneous noise, smooth. Easy to hear individual notes, with a wide frequency response (meaning it is rather balanced).
Clear/Transparent: The low concentration of midrange frequencies, giving the acoustic guitar a sense of cleanness.
Closed: Opposite of open. Lacking clean upper midrange and treble frequencies.
Complex: A "developed" tone. It is overtones (different frequencies that resonate during the main frequency). Very beautiful sounding, very full.
Crisp: Bright attack, rather short sustain.

Dark/Dull: Opposite of bright. Weak high frequencies/notes.
Delicate: Very high frequencies, very airy tone.
Detailed: Easy to hear soft single notes/features in the music, articulate.
Dull/Dark: Opposite of bright. Weak high frequencies/notes.

Edgy/Steely/Brittle/Raspy: Excessive treble, harsh high notes. A negative brilliance. Harmonics are too strong/piercing.

Fat: A wall of sound; loud, but not excessively loud. A broad range of midrange frequencies and a good low frequency response with excellent harmonics.
Full: A very balanced sound, with good bass response.

Gentle: Opposite of edgy. Treble, harmonics, and upper midrange may be a little weak.
Glare: Like edgy, but a little less extreme. A little too bright.

Hard/Harsh: Excessive upper midrange. Short attack and short decay. Rather abrasive.
Harsh/Hard: Excessive upper midrange. Short attack and short decay. Rather abrasive.
Heavy: Good low frequency (bass) response.
Hollow/Honky/Nasal: Recessed (low) midrange response.
Honky/Hollow/Nasal: Recessed (low) midrange response.

Jangly: Heavy midrange and treble response. Twelve string acoustic guitars are often called this.

Liquid: A "textureless" sound, a sense of getting all the frequencies. Rather balanced.
Lush: Very rich, full, complex sound.

Mellow: Reduced high frequencies
Muddy: Unclear tone (not clear). Weak harmonics, weak sustain.
Muffled: Sounds like it is covered with a blanket. Weak treble and upper midrange frequencies.

Opaque: Unclear (not clear), lacking transparency. Too much midrange.
Open: Has clean upper midrange and treble frequencies.

Piercing: Screechy, having a sharp treble response. Hard on the ears.
Puffy: Having a "bump" in the low midrange. Meaning that low midrange frequencies are brought out more.
Punchy: An aggressive attack, strong mid-range response. This term is used a bit more for electric guitars.

Raspy/Steely/Brittle/Edgy: Excessive treble, harsh high notes. A negative brilliance. Harmonics are too strong/piercing.
Round: Small decrease in treble frequencies, not edgy. Provides a more full sound.

Sharp/Strident: Basically the same thing as harsh and edgy, except with a much harder attack.
Smeared: Blurred, also lacking detail.
Smooth: Easy on the ears, very fluid. Excellent midrange response.
Spacious/Airy: Has a very open sound, with decent sustain. Imagine the sound is surrounded by a large space full of air. It has a slight reverb.
Steely/Brittle/Edgy/Raspy: Excessive treble, harsh high notes. A negative brilliance. Harmonics are too strong/piercing.
Strident/Sharp: Basically the same thing as harsh and edgy, except with a much harder attack.
Sweet: Delicate, with a good high frequency (treble) response.

Thick: Heavy bass response, but a lack of articulation and clarity in the lower frequencies.
Thin: Weak bass response
Transparent/Clear: The low concentration of midrange frequencies, giving the acoustic guitar a sense of cleanness.

Warm: Good bass and mid-bass response with gentle high frequenices. It's like fat, except with a softer volume. Some reverb and sustain.
Wooly: Loose bass response (lacks clarity). Powerful and unwieldy low frequencies or weak high frequencies.