Quote:
Originally Posted by Tøf
Last year I recorded my X20 together with a Martin OM-28 2018, fingerpicking and flatpicking (I deleted it since then, it wasn’t worth the file size anyway  ). The main objective was to check if the side soundhole on the X20 was giving the player the actual sound heard by the audience.
My conclusion was that both instruments were (subjectively) equally loud, and while the X20 sounded better to my ears than the Martin when played, I gave the Martin a slight edge over the Emerald tone wise when recorded a few meters away. |
Yeah, to me that offset soundhole is a huge part of the appeal of current Emeralds. When I first got an X20, I had a Martin 000-15M. The X20 sounded better and significantly louder than the Martin - TO ME. But recording, the difference in volume was much MUCH smaller. Then I got an older model X7 (with the front facing soundhole) and it was a good sounding guitar, but SOOO quiet. And of course, when recorded, it was only a little bit less loud than the X20. But in every other respect I actually preferred it to the X20, so I got a new model X7, which does have the offset soundhole. And it's awesome - my perfect guitar. I sold my other acoustics.
Point being the offset soundhole doesn't make the guitar louder or better sounding, but it makes it both louder and better sounding to the PLAYER. As I am often my whole audience, that MATTERS, to me at least. I'm sure a well designed soundport in a more traditional guitar with a center-soundhole would do the same thing, but I've never played one. I'm sure my old D28 may have been louder than the X20, but to me as a player, the X20 sounded louder. And very similar too FWIW. If you're plugging in, I'm sure this offset soundhole is much much less important, maybe totally irrelevant. But for playing acoustically and hearing yourself, it makes a HUGE difference.