jw3571 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 jumbos supposed to have more power, volume, and bass than a dread? I always thought this was supposed to be the case as they are bigger than a dread. However, I've owned two jumbos where this wasn't the case. The two guitars were a Taylor 618 and a Gibson SJ200. I wouldn't say either of these was louder or had more bass than my dreads. They sounded airier if that's a word. Is this fairly common? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brundaddy Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 jumbos supposed to have more power, volume, and bass than a dread? I always thought this was supposed to be the case as they are bigger than a dread. However, I've owned two jumbos where this wasn't the case. The two guitars were a Taylor 618 and a Gibson SJ200. I wouldn't say either of these was louder or had more bass than my dreads. They sounded airier if that's a word. Is this fairly common? Depends on the wood. A rosewood dreadnought would have more booty in the sound than a maple jumbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Yeah, it does get confusing. I think super jumbos have a "bigger" sound, but I also think it's a more balanced sound, perhaps because of the waist. Meanwhile I have a Martin M-36, which is about the shape of a "mini-jumbo" but very shallow depth, and it is louder and bassier than any dreadnought I've ever played... yet I would still call it balanced. I suppose shape is more about placing the emphasis in a certain tonal area. I don't know about volume/projection, though. Sometimes a dreadnought can sound a little thin from further away, as I think an SJ can. I think I am just further confusing the issue... Sorry... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherofpearl Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 My J100 is a monster. The growl is crazy. It's all because of the bubinga! What a gem though I rarely play it anymore I have its little brother. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Gibson super jumbos (J100, J150, J200) in rosewood are likely among the loudest acoustics ever made. Deep and resonating sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Do you guys find that, if the SJs are really loud, they get in the way of the vocals? One thing I love about my Hummingbird and J-15 is that they just never seem to get in the way of the vocals, no matter what I'm doing. With my Martins, I have to be really careful, and if I want a dynamic guitar part, I have to sing rather loud at the loud bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I've always found Martin D style guitars and their many copies to be bass heavy relative to the other strings whereas my J-185TV I find to be very balanced across the fret board...which I like. The bass is there if I really reach for it but I prefer the balance over the more dominating bass I found in D's. One of the reasons I like mahogany and maple (as opposed to rosewood) is because of how they don't get in the way of my vocals, from my vantage point as the player. And from what I read recording engineers like mahogany quite a bit. Joni Mitchell, and I suppose her recording engineers, didn't seem to have a problem with either a D style guitar (she played a D-28) or with rosewood so it's so subjective that one just has to figure out for oneself what they like best. As for loud guitars, the individual player has a lot of control of that with their hands. Or if you really want loud, plug in and turn a knob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogeye Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 If you were to measure the top of a J-200 and an J-45 they have almost the same surface area. The Jumbo is not a bigger guitar it is just shaped differently, The power of a guitar is directly proportional to its tops surface area.The bigger the top the bigger sound? Not always the case. If the top shape was long and narrow the guitar would have no volume at all. Now that we know this maybe we can direct the OP's question in a little different direction. Lots of opinions here as to choice of wood and such. Interesting to hear everyone's opinion. I would guess this is why they make so many different guitars and why we buy so many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 . Wood choices aside, I would agree that the jumbos aren't always louder than the dreads. While the top surface area might be the same, my J-200 is 16.75" at the lower bout and 12 3/8" at the upper, while my slopes are about 16" and 11.5" - I'm thinking that has an impact on the difference I hear. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Total amount of air inside has an impact, too. That's why some folks say that a deep-body 00 is bassier than a shallow-bodied 00. With the wide waist especially on a square-shoulder, it's possible it might have more air volume inside than a J-200. Supposedly it's that rear bout that really creates some oomph, which is why moving the bridge lower also creates more oomph. I've got an M-36, which has a 16" lower bout (I think?), but it is really shallow, same body depth as an 00/000/OM, but that larger top (specifically larger at the lower bout) seems to make it really bassy. Something about it makes it bassy, anyway... It also has a narrower waist than a dread which I think would continue cutting down on inner air volume and balances it (i.e. it's not a "scooped" tone). So many factors! But I think both a big, wide lower bout and air volume can create some bass. Actual volume, that I have no idea about... My M-36 is also loud as can be, too loud. Can't imagine most J-200s being as loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Age or era, wood choice, exact model, builder, repairs, this includes scale length, strings, nut, saddle, string compositions, how many bucks you'll spend, mostly, just what hogeye said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 I've owned two jumbos where this wasn't the case. I wouldn't say either of these was louder or had more bass than my dreads. They sounded airier if that's a word. Is this fairly common? Airier is a good description. Also good note separation (less bleed-over with a D). So you get a good clean jinga jinga sound. Which is what they were made for, rhythm backing for vocalists. Cowboy singers (Gary Davis of course fingerpicked them liked nobodys business, but it takes a strong hand). The more dynamic low end of Martin-style Ds oth made them bluegrass powerhouses. More boom. Gibson's slope Ds are anotehr thing altogether. Not so brighter and airy as a jumbo nor boomy as a Martin but perhaps the ulimtate 'band-in-a box". A solo performers dream (J8152 are also good that way). Not so much a difference in volume and sheer power, but of dynamics and projection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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