Sound Ports?

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by Dogma

Assuming a casual play-for-oneself approach to the guitar, how do you feel about sound ports?
Are they a must-have for you?
Okay if they are present in a guitar you like anyway?
Would you specify one in a custom build?
Do you specifically not like them for one reason or another?

I am interested in others' experience.

Thanks!

They always interested me. So I had a custom build done in 2019 and I specified a sound port. Thrilled with the result, I think they should be on every guitar. They give me the player instant / extra volume.

The luthier who built my guitar had never built a guitar with a sound port before mine. He has added a sound port to one of his demo models and is now getting regular requests to include sound ports on his custom builds.

He said when someone plays his demo model he covers and uncovers the sound port with his hand while they are playing and that does the trick.

I play a lot of fingerstyle without nails or fingerpicks so getting volume from my guitars is problematic. The sound port gives me extra volume and makes my playing more enjoyable for me.

[Alan Carruth]

A ported guitar usually does sound louder to the player. In fact, it should, since the port is directing some sound from inside the box, that is not normally heard, toward them: objectively it is more powerful at the player's ear. Also, since the port tends to put out some high frequencies it will usually sound noticeably louder in the subjective sense, even if the actual amount of added power is small. What the port seems not to do is increase the output of the guitar overall, particularly out in front. You tend to get more output at some few select frequency ranges, and a bit less elsewhere. That, at least, is what I see in my measurements.

Keep in mind that this is the guitar we're talking about: it is inherently complex.

[jricc]

Originally Posted by Alan Carruth

A ported guitar usually does sound louder to the player. In fact, it should, since the port is directing some sound from inside the box, that is not normally heard, toward them: objectively it is more powerful at the player's ear. Also, since the port tends to put out some high frequencies it will usually sound noticeably louder in the subjective sense, even if the actual amount of added power is small. What the port seems not to do is increase the output of the guitar overall, particularly out in front. You tend to get more output at some few select frequency ranges, and a bit less elsewhere. That, at least, is what I see in my measurements.

Keep in mind that this is the guitar we're talking about: it is inherently complex.

Hi Alan, I always love reading your comments, although sometimes in a techinical sense they are over my head . I'm currently reading an interesting book, 'Guitar - An American Life" in which your are mentioned and acknowledged. Cheers.