Soundport on 'boxy' parlor?
 

Anyone 'loosened up' the sound by doing this? I'm asking about parlors, because it's in my mind that they are mentioned more often than larger sizes for their 'tightness'.

Hello, I have made some soundports. Both in guitars and ukuleles, but mostly in the latters. The results have been variying. The soundports were both in solid wood and laminate sided instruments.
One ukulele where the soundports diameter exceeded more then 50% of the depth of the ukulele, it seemed to give it a little too boomy bass. Don´t know though if that was the reason. (Instrument in mahogany, solid top laminate sides and back.)
Sometimes and most times I have been very pleased. Even lots of high quality luthier built instruments today are made with a soundport. For two of the instruments I have made doors to be able to close the soundport.
(I wonder how a soundport will affect the value in a vintage instrument.)

I find side soundports really do not affect the sound too much, IMO they lend more to giving the player a better feedback of what their instrument sounds like whilst being played

Steve

Two points have me considering the making of a port on a Larrivee S/R parlor.

First, a barndoor control panel's removal (upper bout front) from a classical guitar, greatly broadened the overall sound, as much volume coming from the 'port' as from the top. Far less satisfying was a quarter-sized port that I cut into a Rainsong parlor, on the side of the upper bout, optimally placed (so I thought) to 'point' at my ear, and it is too focussed, too loud.

The Larrivee's sound, as it now stands, naturally enough comes from the lower bout/bridge area, and due to the smaller body size it seems constrained, but I hope to expand its breadth. I imagine that a port as small as the Rainsong's, but placed more to the front/closer to the neck, is a reasonable hope.

Hi, but that´s exactly the purpose of the soundport imho, isn´t it?
The question might be, will the projected sound decrease in a similar way as the players "share" of the sound increases?
The energy of the vibrating strings, plates, etc. can´t increase for the reason of opening another hole in the body.

Cheers

The first part of my reply which did not get quoted saids that i do not think it affects it. :D

Procedure complete - the parlor is no longer boxy/constrained.

Hopefully very small port/ports.

I didn't see this until now - I'd have chimed in a bunch.

Glad it worked out!

I guess the port size matters, the US quarter size is pretty focussed, whereas the gap (3" by 2.5") from the barndoor removal on the classical produces a full sound. Does the shape matter as well?

I don't think the shape matters much - but placement does.

I always get into my playing position with the instrument I'm modifying and place the port(s) where they are pointing right at my ears (mostly do small/dual ports these days like the one pictured on a Cordoba I owned)

I would guess that if you reduced the size of the "barn door" port on the classical, the overall effect would be improved.

The classical sounds very pleasing with the large gap, and so too the parlor with its small port. The general conversation of ports, my take, has been about hearing, more or less, what is heard off of the top, but now also through the side. What I'm impressed by at this moment is the expansion of the overall sound, similar to a stereo 'spread', with seemingly fortified sustain. I don't know all of the possible contributors that go into this effect.