What causes low volume?

dragonfly66 · #1 06-17-2010, 09:39 AM

I thought I'd ask here since everyone here is building.

I have a relatively new guitar that has not been as loud as it should be. I've talked to other owners of this same model and they all say their guitar is loud.

My question is what kind of things would cause low volume. The bass seems to sound a lot softer than the treble side in addition to just overall less volume.

So my guesses are:

* Loose bracing on the top
* Saddle not seated properly

That's all I've got so far so any other suggestions of what to check I would appreciate it.

poorbs · #2 06-17-2010, 11:55 AM

If you're talking about a mass produced guitar, some are going to be great and some are going to be duds, with the bulk being pretty good. Some builders select top woods based on appearance rather than potential sound production. I got hold of one of these once - a second from the top model - and it sounded like it was stuffed with cotton. If all the possible culprits check out OK, you might just have one that's not quite up to the builder's normal standards.

What is the make and model?

dragonfly66 · #3 06-17-2010, 01:13 PM

It is my Breedlove Custom Shop Northwest Classic, which I guess is mass produced in that you can buy through the big stores. I will likely send it to Breedlove for them to check it out. I just wanted to be more knowledgable about what would cause this condition. Perhaps it is a dud and there is nothing wrong with the guitar, but I wanted to at least check what I could check before deeming the guitar a bad apple.

If there is anything I should check please let me know.

dragonfly66 · #4 06-17-2010, 02:17 PM

I talked to the tech that usually does my setups and he said there are a lot of variables that would go into low volume, but he also mentioned something obvious, which is the top may be tight and just needs playing to open up. The guitar was built Feb 09 and I bought it in October 09 and haven't played it as much as my other guitars.

In the last couple of weeks I've been rotating my acoustics. I usually have three acoustics out along with two electrics. I'll play the same songs on all three acoustics to see which guitar I like with the song and to get them all played. When I used have only one acoustic out at a time I did notice that after playing the Northwest Classic for a while it sounded better. So there may be something to his theory.

He also mentioned that the JDL Bridge Doctor thing could dampen the sound too. I did confirm with Breedlove that the Bridge Doctor was installed correctly.

So I think I'll play it A LOT and see what happens.

What do you think?

SteveS · #5 06-17-2010, 02:21 PM

Opening up, at least to me is more about tone than volume.
If it is quiet, I tend to think it is just over built.

If you like the tone, do you really care if it is a little quiet?

dragonfly66 · #6 06-17-2010, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveS

If you like the tone, do you really care if it is a little quiet?

That is a good question. I do like the tone, though the bass seems less loud than then the treble. The note separation is good too. It sounds good to me fingerstyle and almost abrasive and thin when strumming because you practically can't hear any bass because the treble is overpowering. So it is relegated to a fingerstyle guitar though I do strum it when practicing songs on the guitars that I have out on the stand. It has always been easy and comfortable to play.

dragonfly66 · #7 06-18-2010, 09:00 PM

I had a friend listen with me and she told me that the guitar sounds loud, just different than my other guitars. My other guitars have a little more bass and mids. So maybe it is just the different frequencies that make it seem softer and the others louder.

I played it today along with 4 other guitars and I think she is right. DOH!!!