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  #16  
Old 04-20-2012, 06:04 PM
donh donh is offline
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Get a professional setup, or learn your butt off and do it yourself (a really good pro will always do better - the key is finding the Really Good Pro).

Play about with the strings, with an ear for not volume but TONE.

Regardless of the seeming results of the above, strive always to be aware of the unique tone of your fine instrument. Once your properly key in on that, the instrument will always bloom in your sensorium and sheer volume will cease to be an issue.
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  #17  
Old 04-20-2012, 06:56 PM
Rick Homan Rick Homan is offline
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Lots of good thoughts here. I second the consensus that heavier string gauge is at best a trade-off.

BTW, more volume in what situation? Playing for your own satisfaction? To accompany a singer? A group of singers? Playing with other instruments? Performing unplugged?

If it's playing for your own enjoyment, then the suggestion of playing in a smaller room, or a room without wall-to-wall carpet or an "acoustic" ceiling is a very good one. I love taking my guitars around to different rooms.

To the suggestions of playing nearer the soundhole and adding fingerpicks or a heavier flatpick, I would throw in just learning to hit the strings harder with whatever. About twelve years ago, in a workshop, I heard Tuck Andress answer a question about his superior tone by saying, "You pretty much bludgeon the guitar." My accuracy suffered at first as I began trying to take bigger strokes, but I got it back and it payed-off.
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  #18  
Old 04-20-2012, 10:14 PM
dangrunloh dangrunloh is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Homan View Post
Lots of good thoughts here. I second the consensus that heavier string gauge is at best a trade-off.

BTW, more volume in what situation? Playing for your own satisfaction? To accompany a singer? A group of singers? Playing with other instruments? Performing unplugged?

If it's playing for your own enjoyment, then the suggestion of playing in a smaller room, or a room without wall-to-wall carpet or an "acoustic" ceiling is a very good one. I love taking my guitars around to different rooms.

To the suggestions of playing nearer the soundhole and adding fingerpicks or a heavier flatpick, I would throw in just learning to hit the strings harder with whatever. About twelve years ago, in a workshop, I heard Tuck Andress answer a question about his superior tone by saying, "You pretty much bludgeon the guitar." My accuracy suffered at first as I began trying to take bigger strokes, but I got it back and it payed-off.
Unplugged mine sounds louder when playing toward a set of wood doors and simply fabulous next to the redwood siding on my deck. It's amazing.

Agree number one method is pick choice. An acrylic pick like Gravity or V-pick (or other stiff hard picks) will bump the volume up considerably.
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  #19  
Old 04-20-2012, 10:18 PM
TimberlineGuy TimberlineGuy is offline
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reach your hand in the soundhole with a chisel and shave those braces!!

Kori, you know I'm kidding.... i switched pick material, shape, and thickness and saw volume improvements that surprised me!
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  #20  
Old 04-20-2012, 11:59 PM
wcap wcap is offline
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Redwood is relatively soft. A bit like cedar. Am I correct?

If so, you might want to check and make sure the guitar can actually handle heavier strings. In my cedar topped Goodall the label inside specifically says to use light strings only. I don't know whether this is also a concern with redwood (or with Santa Cruz guitars).
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  #21  
Old 04-21-2012, 06:56 AM
jbslive jbslive is offline
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This seems to be a case of the maker realizing that their guitars end up mic'd and/or have some sort of pick up system and so they shoot for the best tone they can achieve and not so much in making a guitar that will be loud. This info could be totally wrong but it's just an observation after many years of playing low and high end guitars.
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