About Parlor guitars

[JohnW63]

Here is a video I stumbled on.



It opened my eyes on what parlors could sound like. I always assumed that would sound a bit thin and not sound very " rich " . All of the above sounded really good. It that because they are high end are mic'd well, are in a good room and played very nicely?

Does this match you experience with these small guitars?

 

[GAD]

Much of Jethro Tull's acoustic stuff - which I love - was played on a parlor guitar.

Ian's Instruments - Jethro Tull

jethrotull.com

 

[GGJaguar]

Does this match you experience with these small guitars?

Yes and no. I love my Eastman E-20P. Its size runs on the upper end of what is considered a parlor guitar (it's more or less a Size 0 in Martin-speak). Like most parlor guitars it's a 12-fretter with a 24 3/4" scale. All solid woods with red spruce top certainly help. It's amazingly loud for it's size and has a rich sound. It's not boxy at all. Recording King and Blueridge also make all solid woods parlor models that sound really nice and are comparable to the Eastman in terms of sound, playability and price.

With that said, I have played plenty of parlor size guitars that sound boxy. That sound works for a lot of players, but not for me. I find that a lot of the boxiness comes from those models that have either all-laminated construction or laminated wood bodies with solid spruce tops. I also find mahogany bodies to be more boxy sounding than rosewood in this size guitar. But all solid woods and brand don't always mean the guitar will be great sounding. I played one (expensive!) Froggy Bottom parlor that I thought was just awful with a tight and constricted sound. On the other hand, most of the high end parlors I've played all sounded pretty darn good (but not thousands of dollars better than my Eastman). One last note - parlors are often are designed for fingerstyle playing so flat pickers need to play lightly to bring out the best in them.

 

[AcornHouse]

I think the M-20 (and F-20) certainly qualify as parlors; certainly like Ian’s Martin. It’s sound is a rich as the bigger guitars, but with a little more clarity maybe. I think it works well recorded for certain songs, but more than many might think.

 

[spoox]

I had a very nice early Washburn rosewood parlor that I traded in on my Dobro Model 76. A few years later I realized how much I missed it for songwriting
and kept reading about the Guild F-20, which eventually led me to LTG. The F-20 I finally got is one of the early maple bodied ones and is my favorite
acoustic for figuring out songs. Incredibly loud for such a small body.

 

[bobouz]

I love small-body guitars & have had many, but have found them to be soooo inconsistent, even from the same manufacturer - and regardless of price. Just gotta try them, find the good ones, & enjoy!

 

[FNG]

Bunch of videos of a guy playing slide on old Levin parlor guitars. Sounds pretty good!

 

[rmoretti49]

I will add another vote in favor of the Eastman E20P and the Blueridge BR-361. I have directly compared these two (I own the BR-361), and found them to be excellent in both tone and volume. I had a slight preference for the BR-361, and I suspect that is because the adirondack top on the Eastman needed time to open up, whereas the BR-361 was already 10 years old.

But I own other parlor-size range guitars as well. Of these, the 2 most impressive are the Breedlove Oregon Concertina (spruce over myrtlewood), and the Pono 0-15 (all mango wood). The Breedlove, in particular, has superior tone and surprising bass.

 

[gjmalcyon]

She Must Be Obeyed has her late mother's '51 Martin O-15 (one of 575 made that year). It's been back to the mothership in Nazareth a couple of times for repairs - pickguard crack, neck reset, new bridge. I am gob-smacked at how great this no-frills all-mahogany guitar sounds. It has none of the boxy quack I've always associated with small guitars. It sounds like a much larger instrument and is so comfortable to play.

 

[tonepoet]

I think the M-20 (and F-20) certainly qualify as parlors

+1 on the Guild M-20. My favorite acoustic. I agree on AcornHouse's remarks on the clarity of it. The highs sparkle and the bass tone is rich and warm. And also I find the M-20 to have great dynamics. When you strum lightly, it can get very soft. Whereas, on larger guitars, soft strumming is still pretty loud.

 

[tonepoet]

Much of Jethro Tull's acoustic stuff - which I love - was played on a parlor guitar.

Ian's Instruments - Jethro Tull

jethrotull.com

Here's a video where you can see Anderson playing what I think is an F-112