Dreadnoughts and jumbos — a visual comparison and a few rambling thoughts

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Maybe the J45 is Drumbo.

Very informative. Thanks for providing the illustrations. Great stuff.

Originally Posted by HodgdonExtreme

I think it's rather incredible how such (seemingly) minor variations in shape can have such dramatic effects on tone.

Originally Posted by FLRon

I appreciate the work that went into this informative post. Thanks for doing this.

Originally Posted by elmcmeen

Fabulous job! Did you have time for anything else while doing this post, like eating or sleeping?

Originally Posted by vintage40s

I second that!!

Fantastic work!

Yes, as others have said there are other things to consider, such as bracing and body thickness.

With that being said, Really appreciative of seeing the overlays. We all knew the general differences, but seeing the overlays really helps understand the exacting differences.

So cool to see the Guild 55 and the SJ200 differences.

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by vintage40s

I second that!!

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

Fantastic work!

Yes, as others have said there are other things to consider, such as bracing and body thickness.

With that being said, Really appreciative of seeing the overlays. We all knew the general differences, but seeing the overlays really helps understand the exacting differences.

So cool to see the Guild 55 and the SJ200 differences.

Thank you!

I expected the F-55 and SJ-200 to overlap more than they did. That said, the jumbo-size characteristics still come through pretty clearly for both. If Taylor still made their x15 jumbo shape, I might have added that one as well.

Maybe someday I'll do a similar, wider-ranging post like this for concert, auditorium, dreadnought, and jumbo sizes, with 4–6 most iconic/common examples of each shape.

[MartinGibsonFan]

I think the visual differences are obvious.

I think the sonic difference are obvious as well.

Jumbo shape (rounder) gives an airy sound, a less projected sound, sort of like a Martin D35

A dreadnought shape give a direct sound, at least for me the player.

That's just my experience from the Jumbos I have in my arsenal, i have to admit i don't have any Jumbos on the Martin side, all mine are on the Gibson side.

Both are good (Jumbo and Dreadnought) just gives more reason to own more guitars for variety sake

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by MartinGibsonFan

I think the visual differences are obvious.

I think the sonic difference are obvious as well.

Jumbo shape (rounder) gives an airy sound, a less projected sound, sort of like a Martin D35

A dreadnought shape give a direct sound, at least for me the player.

That's just my experience from the Jumbos I have in my arsenal, i have to admit i don't have any Jumbos on the Martin side, all mine are on the Gibson side.

Both are good (Jumbo and Dreadnought) just gives more reason to own more guitars for variety sake

Yes, there are obvious visual differences — hence the reason most add the "slope-shoulder" when categorizing the Gibson shape as a dreadnought. That said, when compared to guitars of different sizes — jumbos, small jumbos, orchestra models, auditorium models, etc — the visual differences between the two shapes appear more subtle, which is why they're typically classified together by brands, builders, and shops. Illustrating that was the reason for this post, with the historical context a secondary aim.

As for sonic differences, those are again going to be more apparent when comparing either of the two shapes directly than when compared with other shapes and sizes.

And while there are stereotypical attributes we give to a Martin or Martin-style dreadnought versus a Gibson or Gibson-esque equivalent, it's not necessarily absolute.

For instance, my Martin D-18 has a more airy sound than my J-35-style guitar, which I would hold up to about any Martin or Martin-style guitar I've ever played in terms of projection and volume. Similarly, I've found examples of the Gibson Advanced Jumbo to be every bit as direct as a D-28 or HD-28, if not more so.

It would seem both of these shapes can be built and braced to get a variety of flavors, and can simultaneously be similar but different in good ways. And yes — all the more reason to have a couple on hand