#1
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Ported upper bout....?
I have noticed a ported upper bout on a number of "boutique" guitars.
Simple question - why would anyone want this?
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#2
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lots of threads on this - do a search for port or sound port.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...archid=8138306
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"One small heart, and a great big soul that's driving" |
#3
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Quote:
Best, Jayne |
#4
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Quote:
Acoustic guitars are pretty infamous for sounding somewhat different to the player vs. to an audience. Sometimes this can get fairly extreme, especially onstage. The majority of a guitar's sound comes from the vibrating top, with some of it coming from the soundhole. Neither of those is radiating towards the player (unless your playing position is mighty unorthodox).
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-Gordon 1978 Larrivee L-26 cutaway 1988 Larrivee L-28 cutaway 2006 Larrivee L03-R 2009 Larrivee LV03-R 2016 Irvin SJ cutaway 2020 Irvin SJ cutaway (build thread) K+K, Dazzo, Schatten/ToneDexter Notable Journey website Facebook page Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art. - Leonardo Da Vinci Last edited by Gordon Currie; 08-27-2019 at 02:40 PM. |
#5
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There are lots of posts about this, but I will add the one thing I have found and has been documented and reported many times by others, much to my surprise, the port allows for more forward projection of sound as well and not just up to the player. This to me in counter intuitive, but really does seem to be the case. I think of it more as a 3D sound...why it adds to forward projection, I can not say in terms of physics, but perhaps someone else will.
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#6
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Here's my standard answer:
I think on most guitars, if the ports are small relative to the body size, it CAN also increase the volume out front. When done properly, the air resonance changes and I think they work like a breather hole on a gas can. Other key benefits I've found from ports: It can smooth out boomy low end and make instruments easier to mic/record - especially found this true in classicals. Seems to make any strident trebles more smooth and fat sounding. I've never ported a guitar and wasn't happy with the results (done a couple dozen now) and will never own another without one (or two!)
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"One small heart, and a great big soul that's driving" |
#7
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One more thing...
It makes it much easier to sing if you can hear your guitar better.
I play a LOT of non amplified gigs, and some of them can get noisy! I LOVE my JK Customs with the ports! Also makes retrieving a lost pick in the axe very simple and fast. I am with Fitness on this. I would prefer to play a ported guitar whenever possible. Cheers Paul
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#8
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By the way - I've grown to like dual ports the best - as seen here. Properly placed (directed at each ear in the player's specific playing position) they add an ambience to the sound that is hard to describe.
I first experienced it about 10 years ago in an early Josh House guitar. It haunted me for a long time. The ports I installed on this Cordoba Solista are now slightly larger and more beveled. This guitar is head and shoulders better than any other classical I've owned, and there have been some very expensive brazilian ones in there
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"One small heart, and a great big soul that's driving" |
#9
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If you scroll to the bottom of this page you can glean a little more info from the testing that we have done on side sound ports. You can add a port to an existing guitar but the danger is raising the Helmholtz frequency of the soundbox too much and then the guitar will sound thin and almost tinny sounding. We engineer for side sound ports on the front end by reducing the diameter of the main sound hole by the volume of the port that we add to the side, so the Helmholtz frequency is unaffected by the port.
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#10
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It just makes the guitar different. I haven’t found one universal outcome from having a sound port. In some cases, I like what I hear. In others I don’t. They can introduce too much treble and can be a little directional and unpleasant. They can also make a guitar sound fuller, but it all depends on the guitar.
I think the basic idea is to give the player more of a sense of what a listener might hear, but I still evaluate each guitar on its own merits as a whole. I would not usually insist on a sound port on an instrument. I only have one guitar with a sound port, which sounds stellar, but I have others without one (all the others, in fact) that sound just as good.
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#11
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I believe Tim McKnight!
Very interesting, Tim. Once again you are a veritable font of information!
Juston, my guess is the builder and build have a LOT to do with the ability of the ports to add to the driver's enjoyment! As always. Carry on and remain musical. Paul
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3 John Kinnaird SS 12c CUSTOMS: Big Maple/Cedar Dread Jumbo Spanish Cedar/WRC Jumbo OLD Brazilian RW/WRC R.T 2 12c sinker RW/Claro 96 422ce bought new! 96 LKSM 12 552ce 12x12 J. Stepick Bari Weissy WRC/Walnut More Last edited by TomB'sox; 08-28-2019 at 08:16 AM. Reason: spelling |
#12
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My poljakoff has it and it sounds great to me. I also used to own a ryan that had the acoustic flutes that also made a definite positive contribution to the sound being better heard by the player.
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#13
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Yes - that's why I always stress small ports to those interested and I've never had anything but much more warmth and fullness. Too big and you lose the roundness of the tone for sure!
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"One small heart, and a great big soul that's driving" |
#14
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G.W. Barry is building me a 12 fret steel string acoustic guitar this coming build season. He offers a side port option. I played one of his guitars without a side port and another with a side port. Both guitars sounded great but I could hear the one with the side port much better, so I'm going with that option.
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#15
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I put a port in one of my guitars and was very sorry that I did afterwards, so be careful. I don't like them in steal string guitars but I love them in classical guitars.
A few months back a gentleman came to my shop to do some work. He is loosing his hearing and he had this old Takamine with barn door electronics that were bad. So he removed the electronics and was astounded at how much better he could hear the guitar. So he had me add ports to all of his guitars. They definitely aid in hearing yourself but like Tim said, it comes with a risk unless it's designed that way. |