Is volume important to you?

[H165]

Sounds like you're a perfect candidate for a nice old 17"/18" Big Band-era archtop, something that could cut through and drive a 20-piece horn section without amplification - here's one that'll get the job done, for about the price of a new custom build:

Indeed. Here's my old ('40s) monster Broadway:



and my little 15" Patrician for emergencies :

[columbia]

I think volume is important in acoustic settings but after hearing the same instrument being played by different people I realized how much right hand technique and pick type contributes to being heard. You can get a "cannon" but if your right hand attack isn't strong, or if you're using a thin pick, it's not going to make too much of a difference.

[s2y]

Usually an OM/GA are adequate. As much as I'd like to sit in with a bluegrass band, there aren't any in my area.

[mr. beaumont]

Really depends on my use for a guitar. If the intent is to play with others, it's nice to have volume for the times it's my turn to lead.

I do want a dynamic range in a loud guitar though. Loud for the sake of being loud is never good.

[J Patrick]

…I have heard loud guitars in the hands of players who should have been playing more quietly..…and quiet guitars in the hands of players that needed a louder guitar….context is everything….

[gfspencer]

Originally Posted by Brent Hutto

Volume, beyond the bare minimum, matters not at all to me. I only play at home for myself (and my wife and the cat I guess). But I want a full, pleasing tone with some punch and depth to it. That's what I strive for in my playing and what I'm looking for when choosing a guitar.

Same here . . . but my cat isn't interested.

[gibpicker]

Yep. 12345

[Dean Riley]

Volume matters to me - but I think I have realized too much. It's a fine line for me. Dumb fletcher-munson lol, but when I line my acoustics up, it's tough to not feel like my HD-35 sounds "best" when it may be just louder then my other guitars (sounds amazing tho).

But I am trying to look past sheer volume and hear balance more - and I had a sort of epiphany while playing around with recording a few weeks back... I traded a D-18 for a Southern Jumbo, and man, micing the Gibson just works so well for recording. I just slap a mic on and it's "there" and sits so nice in the mix... I love my martins and still prefer them acoustically (partially due to volume, not gonn lie) but the realization that instrument voicing, for some applications, is more important then volume hit home. I have always struggled to get a good "strummed" or "background" recorded acoustic tone with my martins... they are just "bam here I am look at me" type of recorded sound - which can be really cool - but sometimes the soothing, less assertive tone of the gibson just works better.

[mercy]

its important if you play acoustically but not if you dont

[Tnfiddler]

I play a lot of Bluegrass gigs and hit a lot of festivals. A loud guitar is one thing I want, for sure, in the unplugged setting. When I play gigs or at church, where I’m plugged in, volume is something I’m not a fan of. Enough to be heard in a blend is just right for me.

[martingitdave]

I don’t have a lot of guitars right now and prefer to play one mostly. It needs to be responsive for folk picking and singing ballads and loud as heck when playing in ensemble and bluegrass. It limits me to dreads and jumbos.

[gmel555]

A guitar being loud (the proverbial "cannon") matters very little to me. What's more important is to maintain excellent tone throughout a reasonable dynamic volume range, based on how I'm playing it.

[dspoel]

This guitar goes to 11. 1 more.

[merlin666]

My guitars are all very loud, and while I appreciate this for acoustic jams with fiddles, banjos, and mandolins it can be a challenge for singing. While I think that I have fairly good pipes it takes some effort to tone down the guitar, and I often used to strain my voice. As I am not interested in using amplification I have shifted to using ukuleles to accompany my singing in most settings, which provide sufficient volume for me.

[bufflehead]

When I need volume, I pull out the dreadnought. Otherwise, I enjoy jamming with a smaller guitar. It's nice to have alternatives, both acoustically and plugged in.