Parlor guitar

[Dirty Bill]

You all that have a parlor guitar,size 0,how do you like it compared to a Dread naught or 000 ? I don't have one of them parlor guitars. Can't have an empty spot.....

[AndrewG]

I guess my AP70 Alvarez 12-fret slothead (14 1/8" lower bout), just about falls into the 00 'parlour' category, and so far I'm liking it very much. Naturally it's very different to my medium jumbo LJ6 and LL16 'dread', but it's nice to have some tonal variety. For a part laminate, small body guitar the projection and sustain are quite remarkable. Dirt cheap (relatively), also. I did own a Guild M-120 which was very slightly smaller than size 00 at 13 3/4", but i felt it was just too small, tonally. Admittedly I haven't played that many size 0 or smaller, so there's probably something absolutely stellar out there.

[The Bard Rocks]

First, let me state: I have learned that (so far) that I am not bothered by the size of my guitars (I have played extra large ones, larger than a dread, that would bother my shoulders if I owned them). Here's what I find: the parlours are sweet but I find myself hunching over them. With a 12 fret neck, I find my left hand unable to stretch out as far as I'd like. My right hand tends to go too far forward and I have to keep correcting myself. I find they have a nice sound, but are quieter. In terms of size, they can punch above their weight, but you still lose some volume.

You will get a lot of answers from folks who really like them, so don't just listen to me. If you play on the couch, you will find them very comfortable. If you have shoulder problems, you will think that are saviors. The sound will be more balanced, less obvious bass (but it will still be audible). There are many things to like about them and you'll hear about it from aficionados.

But they are not for everybody.

[Mr. Jelly]

Dreads have a ton of bass compared to 00 guitars. This makes them appear to have more tone and volume. The 00 guitars may appear thin and weak compared to a dread. The 00 are more balanced so the high end strings like the B and A strings don't sound as thin as they do on dreads. They are not over shadowed by the bass sound. People like the 00s as they have more string to string balance so it feels like you are playing the whole instrument and not compensating to deal with the weight of the bass of a dread. It's like an ear acclimation thing.

[KenL]

I have an Eastman E10P SB that I like very much. My others are dreadnoughts.

The Eastman is a blast to play, and the sound might surprise you. Very loud, punchy, not boxy. Great fingerpicker with a 1 13/16" nut and a chunky neck.

Like the Bard said above, great couch guitar. This is the one I usually grab if I'm watching a movie or something. Very comfortable.

You can pick them up used all day long for $700-800, with a nice case. Can't go wrong for that price.

[00Buck]

I've been through a bunch of parlors and O's in less than $1000 range. Most of them are dull. The best of them, by far in my view, are the Eastmans (E10P and E20P) and the Blueridges (BR 341,361,371). All of these guitars are pretty loud with a decent bass response. In fact, the E20P was a little too bass heavy for my taste.

If you find one that suits your ear, they are much more comfortable than a dread or 000. The smaller lower bout is a lot easier on the shoulder.

[Otterhound]

A 12 fret 0 can be very special . I built one . Just a bit deeper than the norm , it is very balanced . Don't sell them cheap because the good ones make a dred seem like a waste of wood . Let the slings and arrows fly .

[roylor4]

One thing I will add as a parlor owner (I have a cheapo lam that isn't in my sig and my wife owns a Seagull Grand that I occasionally pick up) is their cutting power.

While dreads have a huge, open and bass heavy sound; OM's have an even tone throughout; some Parlors have a tone rife with high-mids and trebles. They cut through a mix differently, as many other higher pitched instruments do. Not as big a difference as something like a mando or fiddle, but you get the idea.

For me, the longer I play, the more I am gravitating to the tone and comfort of smaller guitars.

[Brent Hahn]

I'm confessing to a fib here, because it's not in the list in my signature, but I have a Martin 016NY, and it's lovely. It's super-responsive, it's got as much of that beautiful "nasal" bluegrass flatpick tone as you'd find in a pre-war dread, and it's freakishly lightweight. And the short scale makes for lower tension and easier bending -- you might not normally associate parlor guitars with bluesy bending, but the feature's available if you want it.

Only two slight downsides I can think of: 1. The 12-fret format means the tippy top notes are a stretch, and 2. As a new set of strings ages, the intonation seems to go south a lot faster than with longer-scale guitars.

[pjbelsch]

I have a martin 0-18. Yeah its not cheap, Sometimes i see a d-18 and im like man i want one so bad because of the sound. Then i play mine and it washes away those wants/needs. I am a martin homer so sue me. But i think its the best guitar i have ever owned. And usually after 6 months i get sick of a guitar and this baby i am on almost a year and couldnt imagine my life without it. perfect for the couch and perfect on the stage alone or with a band. just exceptional.

[SMan]

The older I get and more shoulder pain I have the more I play smaller bodied guitars. (I don't play near as much as I used to) I mainly play my HV GS Mini, a maple parlor I built a few years back, and a thin hollow bodied jazz guitar my friend built and gave to me about a year ago. All very comfortable for me. My larger guitars mostly stay in their cases.

[mr. beaumont]

I'm into smaller guitars these days...I've settled on a 16" 2.5" deep archtop, and recently acquired a cheapie size 0 flattop which is REALLY small for me, but I'm loving the feel of it.

It's a sound of it's own. If you can get past the idea of it not sounding like whatever your ears are used too, it's really cool. It's like finding a new color in a box of paint you've never used before, or something.

Parlors are great, but they can be a little limiting. They are, however, a blast to play.

IMO, you really get what you pay for, in terms of tone. The best I've ever played was a Martin 0-28VS with rosewood back and sides -- I couldn't believe the tone and responsiveness -- if I'd had a spare $3000, I'd have bought it. But almost every affordable one I've tried seemed kind of anemic, so I pretty much live in "00" land these days. I think they're more versatile, and they fill the small-body niche nicely.

[Tailgate215]

Originally Posted by KenL

I have an Eastman E10P SB that I like very much. My others are dreadnoughts.

The Eastman is a blast to play, and the sound might surprise you. Very loud, punchy, not boxy. Great fingerpicker with a 1 13/16" nut and a chunky neck.

Like the Bard said above, great couch guitar. This is the one I usually grab if I'm watching a movie or something. Very comfortable.

You can pick them up used all day long for $700-800, with a nice case. Can't go wrong for that price.

+1 on Eastman10P ...bought used from Elderly for $800 a year ago and I find I reach for it way more often than my Martin D41 or Gibson J45. Love the size and feel. Sounds much bigger than it looks like it would. This is a keeper and the price was right.

[bsman]

Since I normally play by myself, I am much less concerned with how a guitar cuts through the mix and much more concerned with how it accompanies my voice, and I have found that a dread is not a good match for me. The size difficult, especially on the couch, and I have to strain my voice to keep up with the volume. I recently donated my Tacoma dread to the local high school, and my remaining acoustics (at this point - always subject to change! ) are a Tak 12-string "jumbo", a Martin custom 000-15 gloss, an Emerald X7 and a Journey Overhead 420. Oddly, I find that the Journey is the guitar I'm most likely to grab. The combination of the spruce top and small body seem to produce a ringing tone that sustains like mad, blends beautifully with my voice, and it's just plain comfy to play with the combination of 1 3/4" nut, 24.5" scale and 14 frets. The Emerald has been pretty much relegated to the position of "office guitar" because I can throw it in the trunk and not worry, and the Martin is something I take out of the case every couple of days (the smell is intoxicating - like a vintage cuban cigar box) but I find that in terms of playability it isn't as ideal for me as the Journey. I'm contemplating seeing if I can find someone with a Larrivee parlor who would be willing to trade...