Small Body Vs Narrow Body...

Jetfire · December 2020

Played a few Takamine guitars were had a very thin body and were very nice to play but I felt suffered acoustically due to the lack of depth in the body (maybe a little thin sounding).

Im finding that as I get older Im not such a fan of big bodied acoustics and would potentially like something that has more electric characteristics ... (but I dont want a variax before anyone says anything..)

Cirrus · December 2020

I just sold a small body (Taylor GS mini) and bought a Tak (af261) that I've used loads over the years from a friend when he decided to sell it.

The GS Mini had more body & low end, but the Tak still sounds bigger to my ears, even if it's thinner sounding. And actually it records very well, though it does sound thinner especially alongside the grand auditorium Alvarez I got recently - it wouldn't be my choice if I could only have one guitar, but it's a great option to have to hand.

And of course there's more to it than just the depth of the body - the Tak's more heavily braced as it's designed to be viable on a loud stage and the sound coming out the jack socket has been given equal priority to the acoustic tone.

JohnS37 · December 2020

I think that’s why 335s and similar semis are so popular, best of both worlds. Or have I got the stick by the wrong end?

Jetfire · December 2020

The one Takamine I played was this one:

https://www.takamine.com/TSP178AC-SBB

And it was very comfortable, felt great and I would love to have another go.

In terms of a hollow body, I have wondered this over an acoustic for a duo I am currently part of so not the wrong end of the stick as its all currently in the mix.

ICBM · December 2020

That type of electro-acoustic never really has a good acoustic tone and volume - they're not really meant to have, they're designed for amplification, so you actually *want* less resonance and bottom end, or feedback becomes a bigger problem.

Funkfingers · December 2020

JohnS37 said:

I think that’s why 335s and similar semis are so popular, best of both worlds. Or have I got the stick by the wrong end?

335s are very definitely electric guitars. It takes some complex/expensive electronics to transduce the acoustic sound from one and, even then, it will not be entirely convincing. Case in point #1: Alex Lifeson of Rush has piezo systems built into some of his electric guitars for convenience on stage. To my ears, these always manage to sound a bit plasticky. Case in point #2: Martin Taylor has both piezo and magnetic pickups in his signature guitars. He tends to use either the small magnetic pickup by itself or both signals blended. This suggests that the isolated piezo signal does not stand up to close scrutiny.

There used to be a Fishman-powered version of the Fender MIM Deluxe Telecaster with a piezo bridge and a buffered pre-amp. Probably okay for playing backing parts on a couple of songs in a set but no substitute for a fully acoustic guitar with a professional transducer system fitted.

Jetfire said:

Played a few Takamine guitars were had a very thin body and were very nice to play but I felt suffered acoustically due to the lack of depth in the body (maybe a little thin sounding).

I have similar reservations about the LAG Tramontane slim-body electro-acoustic guitars I have tried.

Jetfire said:

as I get older, I'm not such a fan of big bodied acoustics

Parlour and 000 sizes could be the answer. Invest in something with solid top, back and sides. Add the professional transducer system of your choice.

Last thing I remember, you had a Faith electro-acoustic. Do they offer smaller bodies?

Alternatively, if you are visiting your parents during the end-of-year holiday period, there is a retailer in Pembroke who could let you try some nice, expensive pieces.

richman6100 · December 2020

I have an Auden electro-acoustic parlour - the Marlow model. I'm not sure if they're still currently making it - it seems to go in and out of production. As I say, it's a parlour size, but with a slightly deeper body which gives it more lower end than most smaller body guitars. I love it and definitely recommend you trying one if you can find one. It's easily my most played acoustic and I have more 'glamorous' models in terms or price/prestige. I did try parlour models from several makers (including Faith Guitars) and most sounded pretty boxy and uninspiring to me. I also tried thinner, slightly larger bodied guitars too, but I wasn't so impressed. the Marlow ticked all the boxes for frequency range and comfort. It has a 14th fret body join, but they do a 12th fret one called the Emily Rose. Very nice too, but the ones I tried felt a tad short for me and had a wider nut. I guess your other option is to try something like the Fender Acoustasonic or Godin equivalent models. These obviously require an amp. I have Godin Acousticaster that I bought after a shoulder operation made playing acoustic guitars too painful for a couple of years. It's a versatile thing and although I don't play it much these days, I've yet to really want to part with it. It's surprisingly good with pedals too.

Funkfingers · December 2020

The Furch Green (or, possibly, Yellow) series parlour guitar I heard sounded excellent. For well over a grand, it bloody well ought to!

Godin Acousticaster is a good call, especially if the thread starter has any thoughts of guitar synthesis.

TimmyO · January 2021

As something more manageable size-wise I was really impressed when I tried a bunch of 00-ish guitars. Martin 00-17 and -17S, Eastman something or other, Martin CEO-7 - all were much more ‘complete’ sounds than I was expecting from something so small

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Small Body Vs Narrow Body...

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