8 Must-Have Acoustic Guitars for Fall 2016 (For All Budgets)

8 Must-Have Acoustic Guitars for Fall 2016 (For All Budgets) Suzy S. In the market for a new guitar? Check out these recommendations for the best acoustic guitars released this year, courtesy of Colleen from Coustii.com Buying a  new acoustic guitar is a really exciting experience. But to make the process hassle-free, youll want to spend some time considering a few important questions. Are you just starting out, or are you an experienced guitarist? Will you be playing solo, or  with  a band? What is your budget? Once you have the answers to these, its time to pick your guitar. Here is my  list of the eight  coolest acoustic guitars released in 2016. Ibanez Artwood Vintage Guitar Brand: Ibanez Name: Artwood Vintage AVD6 Price: $499.99 Ideal for practicing, as well as playing  small, intimate gigs. Ibanezs creation is a perfect mix of technological design and acoustic tradition. It has a dreadnought body with a solid sitka spruce top. The back, neck, and sides are made out of mahogany, and the bridge and fretboard are made out of rosewood. The Artwood Vintage is ideal for carrying around as it does not take too much space. It also boasts  a nice, rich sound. Dean AXS Dreadnought Guitar Brand: Dean Name: AXS Dreadnought â€" Gloss Natural Price: $179.00 Ideal for beginning guitarists on a budget. This is the most affordable acoustic guitar on this list. It has a fantastic-looking spruce top, which is reinforced with a 2-ply binding. Its a full-scale guitar with a rosewood fingerboard and solid die-cast tuners. These allow the ax to remain tuned at all times. This guitar is  great for practicing, recording, and  live jamming. Its  fun to play, even for experienced players, and has an overall good feel to it. Gibson Songwriter Koa Guitar Brand: Gibson Name: Songwriter Koa Price: $3,649.00 Ideal for guitarists who like nice things and arent afraid to admit it. The Gibson Songwriter Koa has set the bar for  a great acoustic guitar. Its soothing, musical sound originates from the koa wood from which it is made. Gibson  even added a new compound radius fingerboard to give you the feel of an electric guitar. Perhaps no guitar is perfect, but Ive  yet to find a flaw in this one. If you can only buy one guitar in your life, this is the one you should choose! Gibson Hummingbird Red Spruce Guitar Brand: Gibson Name: Hummingbird Red Spruce Price: $3,649.00 Ideal for advanced guitarists who plan to perform. This electric-acoustic guitar offers a comfortable rounded mahogany neck and a solid rosewood fingerboard. Keeping a firm grasp on the guitar is easy and your fingers just slide down the polished fingerboard. Its design is bright and eye-catching, and you can see the almost 60 years of experience that  Gibson put into making the Hummingbird. This  is probably why megastars like  Jimmy Page, John McLaughlin, Keith Richards, and Sheryl Crow count the Hummingbird as one of their favorites! Dean Craig Wayne Boyd Gloss Natural Guitar Brand: Dean Name: Craig Wayne Boyd A/E â€" Gloss Natural Price: $449.00 Ideal for an intermediate guitarist who enjoys a good-looking ax. This name might sound familiar: Craig Wayne Boyd rose to fame after winning Season 7 of the NBC reality singing show The Voice. Now, hes  released the guitar that helped him achieve this fame. This model even  features his initials at the top. Its body is made of mahogany, and the quilt ash top makes this guitar great for the eyes and the ears. Its C-shaped neck makes it a very comfortable guitar to use. What better way to follow in Boyd’s footsteps than by choosing this guitar? Yamaha FG180-50TH Guitar Brand: Yamaha Name: FG180-50th Price: $1,300 Ideal for an experienced guitarist  who  prefers to play folk music. Yamaha released this guitar to celebrate  the 50th anniversary of the FG180. Its a limited edition model that  holds much of the folk tradition that helped make the FG180 great in the first place. This is an ideal  guitar for practically anything, from practicing to recording. It sounds great in small venues and even in big mega concerts. Martin X Series Custom 2016 X1-DE Guitar Brand: Martin Name: X Series 2016 X1-DE Price: $599.99 Ideal for environmentally friendly guitarists. This guitar is easy to play and easy on the  environment, as its made with HPL (High Pressure Laminate). It also has  a strong Stratabond neck and robust Richlite fingerboard. The X Series offers an unexpected deep tone that  sounds great, plugged in or not. Orleans Stage Acoustic Guitar Brand: Schecter Name: Orleans Stage Acoustic Price: Coming this Fall! Ideal for performing artists who like to stand out. Unlike most traditional acoustic guitars, the Orleans Stage comes in a vibrant Vampyre Red Burst Satin color. Its expected to be released in the fall of 2016.  The Stage acoustic has a 25-1/2 scale, 20-fret fingerboards, and black chrome hardware. Its base material, body and neck, are all made out of maple. Readers, what are the best acoustic guitars youve tried out this year? Leave a comment below and let us know! Further Reading: Gibson’s 2017 Electric Guitar Collection How to Buy a Guitar: All Your Questions Answered Buying the Best Beginner Acoustic Guitar | What to Avoid Colleen has a passion for guitars and ukuleles. She enjoys jamming, teaching, and getting others involved in music. Her website, Coustii, focuses specifically on guitars and ukes. Photo by Kyle McCluer Need Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

6 Ways to Avoid Falling Behind During Winter Session

6 Ways to Avoid Falling Behind During Winter Session The winter courses offered by your college or university are a great opportunity to get ahead in your major or to catch up on electives. The potential downside, however, is that winter classes cover in 2-4 weeks what normal courses cover in 15-16. Avoiding falling behind requires an attitude and approach tailored to a more intensive, faster pace. While some support will be provided by the structure of the course itself, its essential to look ahead and to incorporate certain strategies in order to succeed. Ways to avoid falling behind during winter session include attending class, communicating with your professor, and dedicating time outside of the course to assignments. Excited for winter session, but looking for ways to stay on top of your coursework? Here are six. 1. Be realistic about the time commitment winter session will demand A significant portion of winter session success is developing realistic expectations with regard to the intensity of the class and the amount of work required. Review the syllabus immediately, and create a calendar that notes any: Assignments Exams Readings. Try to assess how much time your coursework will takehow many hours of work should you expect to put in per hour of class time? Being honest with yourself about what the workload will look like will help you avoid underestimating the needed effort and falling behind. 2. Prioritize your winter session course in your schedule Wherever its feasible, cut back on other commitments for the duration of winter sessionor at least dont agree to anything new. A winter semester is not the time to pick up extra work shifts or to agree to taking care of your neighbors dog. Make sure your class remains the priority. [RELATED: Stress Management Tips for Busy Students] 3. Treat winter session like a job Once you have a realistic idea of the amount of time required for the class and your other scheduled commitments, build yourself a daily schedule for completing coursework and readingand then treat it like a job. Show up for your scheduled shifts, and work to the schedule, rather than to the assignments. If you finish early for the day, stay until the shift is over and work ahead. 4. Go to your winter session class periods This may seem fairly obvious, but short semesters mean attendance is even more critical than usual. Attending class is more efficient than trying to catch up on your own. Maximize your efficiency by committing to attending every class and engaging fully. Also, keep in mind that with a stricter attendance policy comes harsher consequences if you miss classes. Missing more than the allotted number of classes may end up being reflected in your final grade. [RELATED: Top 5 College Study Tips] 5. Put extra effort into winter session If you do fall behind, be prepared to accept the consequences of either extra work or lower gradesbut dont quit! Whats most important is not to turn a mistake or mishap into a failure by throwing in the towel when you miss an assignment, fall behind on readings, or have to miss a class. Dont throw away potential success because you cant achieve perfectionjust put in the extra time. 6. Communicate with your winter session instructor Be sure to attend office hours and to stay in touch with your professor. Its easier to get help with assignments if you have a pre-existing relationship, and the instructor is aware of how hard youre working. Helping students succeed is part of their job, so feel free to count on them. The rigor and intensity of a winter session course can feel intimidating, but adequate preparation and the right attitude will mean you can take advantage of its benefits. Just make sure you truly understand whats required of you, create a plan, and are prepared for any unexpected setbacks with good communication and a little forward thinking. [RELATED: Should I Graduate College Early?] Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.