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What is your loudest guitar????


onewilyfool

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This is a very interesting question. I have a Washburn OM size arch top guitar from 1932, called a Collegiate, which is VERY loud, especially with a pic, and can cut through any mix of guitars at a jam. My 1961 00-17 is amazing loud for it's size, but even across the strings, and just good tone. My EARS, tend to gravitate to my J-45 Pure Voice, which has the Adi top which gives the trebles a nice ring, AND has that heavy bass. I think generally, I hear guitars with lots of bass as being louder. Probably a preference developed over years of jamming with Dreadnaughts. I did have a J-200 Jumbo Koa, but despite of it's size, it wasn't as loud as my J-45 Pure Voice. What is YOUR loudest guitar?

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my sj200 for sure.

 

My Taylor GS is pretty loud, but not the canon the J200 is.

 

I occasionally do vocal rehearsals with my duo partner with no sound system. just two knuckle heads in his parlor with our acoustics.

 

It seems to us, when we've paid attention to this, the J200 is about twice the volume of his Takemini

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Either my J100 walnut or the Dove. I think I kind of lean toward the Dove. Maple resonates and this Dove is a real beast. The Dove has much more volume than I imagined it would have before I had one. Truly a loud and resonating guitar. You can literally hear the sound roaring out of the sound hole.

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Since I own no dread, I can't say I have a 'loud' guitar. I guess in a strum test with my Red Bear 'thin' the L0 is slightly louder than my old Martin 00018. That surprises me and makes me think I need to bring in the Martin for a set-up analysis.

 

If you don't mind me glomming on to your topic, Wily, I've been contemplating the addition of arm rests for my acoustics. Loudness and tone are different but can be related. Rumor is that arm rests restore up to 20% of tone that may otherwise be suppressed by body contact. Anyone here use and/or endorse them?

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Since I own no dread, I can't say I have a 'loud' guitar. I guess in a strum test with my Red Bear 'thin' the L0 is slightly louder than my old Martin 00018. That surprises me and makes me think I need to bring in the Martin for a set-up analysis.

 

If you don't mind me glomming on to your topic, Wily, I've been contemplating the addition of arm rests for my acoustics. Loudness and tone are different but can be related. Rumor is that arm rests restore up to 20% of tone that may otherwise be suppressed by body contact. Anyone here use and/or endorse them?

 

I had an Ovation that had very sharp edges and the arm dampened the sound board very noticeably. I thought it looked real nice and was very comfortable and it worked.

 

C93F56D4-F296-4F85-8E86-B03C74E517C5_zps0guq1v8a.jpg

 

My Country Gentleman came with one on it from the factory.

 

IMG_0285_zps0b2dadff.jpg

 

I believe I have one I picked up at a warehouse sale. If interested, PM me and let me know what kind of guitar you want to put it on and I'll check out it's shape.

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To me, there's a difference between loud as I play and loud as I sit and listen. Although it doesn't sound loud as I play my '68 Dove, people tell me that when they hear it the volume is huge. I've listened to other people playing that one, and have to agree. From any location, however, the '42 Banner J-45 takes the prize, even if you're trying to play quietly. I most often string it with Martin PB Custom Lights, and it's for sure built to be heard!

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My J45 wins but last month I was I my local store trying out some Gibson models and a J45 Custom I played was really loud , louder than a J200 . In a size v volume battle my GSMini would win but my J45 has really increased in volume and depth during its first year

 

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I've put a lot of thought into this topic. I think sometimes when we say "loud," we actually mean "projective." Other times, we mean do mean volume, as in sheer breadth of tone. I think my SJ-200 has a lot of volume, but I don't think it's particularly loud as in projective. I actually think my WM-00 is louder (really projective and responsive) than my SJ-200. It's not that my SJ-200 is quiet; the WM-00 is just really loud. It projects like crazy. The SJ-200 puts out tremendous volume and breadth of sound, but I don't think it projects that much.

 

I actually don't know if most dreadnoughts are even "loud." Voluminous, yes, but loud in the projective sense, not necessarily.

 

However, my loudest guitar, and it is actually rather too loud and sizzly for me, is my Martin M-36. I don't know if it's the Italian Alpine spruce top, the Martin design, the shallower depth, all of the above, but it has an extreme amount of projection, and it has near the "volume" of sound of my SJ-200. I have to tune my M-36 down a half-step to quieten it a bit, and it's been a chore finding strings I like on it. I think I prefer dead strings on it. I actually wish it had the standard sitka top instead, but that's how it goes. I would have been fine without any of the customizations. Except the sunburst. That was necessary. (Or I could have gotten ambertone.)

 

2562652674157d9fceb8dd6eec71cd22023e02a7.jpg

Outdated photo from a few months after I first got it

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My 1974 J-50, hands down, it is surprisingly loud. Now I know certain people who like to say the the 70's Gibson sound like they are stuffed with socks, etc. If you are talking about the tonal quality, I can understand that. But all that bracing certainly isn't making the guitar quiet. And I can quantify it as well, if I am recording then I have to lower the volume of the guitar mic if I switch from the 2008 J-50 to the 1974.

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I've put a lot of thought into this topic. I think sometimes when we say "loud," we actually mean "projective." Other times, we mean do mean volume, as in sheer breadth of tone. I think my SJ-200 has a lot of volume, but I don't think it's particularly loud as in projective. I actually think my WM-00 is louder (really projective and responsive) than my SJ-200. It's not that my SJ-200 is quiet; the WM-00 is just really loud. It projects like crazy. The SJ-200 puts out tremendous volume and breadth of sound, but I don't think it projects that much.

 

I actually don't know if most dreadnoughts are even "loud." Voluminous, yes, but loud in the projective sense, not necessarily.

 

However, my loudest guitar, and it is actually rather too loud and sizzly for me, is my Martin M-36. I don't know if it's the Italian Alpine spruce top, the Martin design, the shallower depth, all of the above, but it has an extreme amount of projection, and it has near the "volume" of sound of my SJ-200. I have to tune my M-36 down a half-step to quieten it a bit, and it's been a chore finding strings I like on it. I think I prefer dead strings on it. I actually wish it had the standard sitka top instead, but that's how it goes. I would have been fine without any of the customizations. Except the sunburst. That was necessary. (Or I could have gotten ambertone.)

 

2562652674157d9fceb8dd6eec71cd22023e02a7.jpg

Outdated photo from a few months after I first got it

Are you speaking of what used to be called 'cutting power'? I'm not sure if that's a synonym for projection as you use it here, but if that's the case I tend to agree with the concept.

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