Got a parlor

I want to want a parlor but...
I don’t care for boxy sounding guitars at all.
I’d have to play it first.

 

Congrats! I recently got a Gretsch parlor guitar. I've always favored my electrics, but I love this little parlor guitar. It's perfect for sitting on the couch, but with the sound hole pickup it sounds surprisingly good with my band too. Enjoy!

 

What are the neck width and string spacing like on those guitars? I wouldn’t mind getting a parlor guitar one of these days, but my long spindly fingers need some space to make the chord shapes!

 

That boxy sound was the main reason I had stayed away from them. And they definitely can sound boxy, but I discovered a few things after having one: (1) the sound opens up after playing it a bit, (2) they make great acoustic electrics (no feedback), and (3) that boxy sound is more prevalent to you, when you are sitting behind it playing it, than it is to the audience. Sitting in front of my son while he played it, it was much louder and open sounding that I perceived it while I was playing it.

 

Interesting. That is pretty close to a Gibson electric scale length, so not super short scale. I bet it is pretty comfy to play, especially with that nut width and wide fat neck profile.

 

The ones I build are typically 24.5 scale and 1-3/4 at the nut, 20 inch radius, 12 frets clear. I think that is pretty common for true parlors. I think "boxy" is a good term to describe their sound, mine certainly have a rounded bass and are amazingly loud. I think they have a fairly quick attack and short sustain which you may or may not like.

 

My (win the lottery-) dream parlour is a Goodall: http://goodallguitars.com/guitars/parlor/

25" scale, cutaway option, 12 or 14 fret neck joint. Nut width is 1 3/4" (with a slotted peghead it's 1 7/8" or 1 13/16").

 

would need to be a specific style you’re after. I have a Martin 000-28 and a Gibson L2. Blues and general fingerstyle music sounds fantastic on the small bodies. If you’re playing rock, country, bluegrass, or generally any style that’s flat picked, stick with large bodies. Small bodies with a 1.75” fingerboard don’t sound or play good at all with a flatpick IMO.

 

If you get a chance to try one of these, linked below, DO IT.

Usually Fender acoustics draw an upturned nose, but the Paramount series was well done.

https://reverb.com/item/18349071-fe...m-2e-ltd-am-aged-cognac-burst-limited-edition

 

I am waiting to stumble on to a Martin 5-18 or 5-28. Marty's sounded pretty darn good back in the day!

 

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but I just posted this at another discussion about parlor guitars. The term "parlor" is not well defined in lutherie circles, certainly not like the other classic sizes. Many people, including me, consider a "parlor" to similar to a Martin size 0 or what some people call a "small concert" - typically 12 inches or less across the lower bout. Here are three guitars that more or less fit the Martin sizing, from left to right a single ought, double ought and 12 fret triple. The only one I consider a true parlor is the single




However it really doesn't matter what you call them, small guitars are really quite wonderful and Paul Smith is building some really great acoustics - that has to be a winner.

 

congratulations! If I did not already own two parlor guitars (14 fret and 12 fret), I was eyeing the PRS.

 

I've built three of them, more or less based on Joan Baez's famous 0-42. The first was for my daughter - its kind of a girly guitar with lots of bling. Her spirit animal is the blue darner dragon fly so thats what I did for the inlay






A year or so later a friend walked into my shop with an arm full of wood. He said "you can have the Madagascar, I want you to make a guitar for my daughter out of the Braz". Well, OK






The Mad rose one stayed with me, I don't mind playing a girly guitar

 

A link to the product specs/description:
https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php/acoustics/model/se_p20_2020

Solid mahogany top, looks like laminated back/sides.
Bone nut and saddle +1

The side soundport is quite the innovation. The player can actually get a decent 'sample' of what the listener or audience might hear (I know, what a concept!?!?)

 

My latest acquisition is this lovely little lady: