Posted by Uncle John on December 24, 2015 at 3:30pm
Size comparison- left to right my DGBE big box tenor, My Gibson J-40 (large dreadnaught, the new GDGB pot lid and my Swampy.I have a decibel meter and when set up and strummed as alike as I could, the old tenor was 68 decibels, the Gibson was 69 and the pot lid was 70. G chords used for each.The Gibson is bassy and booming and seemed louder, but the decibel meter said the pot lid won.The pot lid plays pretty well. Very good acoustic volume and tone. Good plugged in.Action is low at the peg head and a bit high at the 12th. If it stays right there, it will be fine. Good for finger chords and good for slides without fret rattle.
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Ahhh... quieter than any of the gits tested yet if I play my Clarkes (which is quieter than my homemade) it's tough to play quietly enough to blend with just one guitar. Our ears perceive things differently than a db meter don't they/
That is interesting, Jim. For my ears that I true about a penny whistle cutting through the mix. I just added one (a Clarke's in D) and it tested out at 67 db.
Good scientific test. It's not always just volume that helps an instrument cut thru in a group. The overall tone and playing in a different register from others makes a big diff. When I play pennywhistle in a large group it cuts through more than anything. I mean listen to a marching band with drums, brass and cymbals and one piccolo sounds thru like crazy!
Gary, thanks for all that. Reassuring to me. I need big volume for playing out with friends - lots of circle jams and they play some loud store boughts. Unplugged CBGs don't cut it for that - especially with my poor hearing, These big box tenors do well!~
I have the same hearing difficulties as you. I always trust the meter more than my ears. When testing for volume, I wail on the open strings about as hard as I can and use a pick. That way, I can get between 90 and 100 db. I have also experimented using wood hardener on the inside of the box for a couple of extra dbs.
Acoustic sound is my thing, and I rarely use an amp. If I don't get the tone and volume I am looking for, it is back to the drawing board and sometimes a new box..
Thanks, Gary. Do you find that the DB meter and your ears don't agree? It is likely my poor hearing and that I hear bass better than treble - or at least low pitched voices better than high pitched voices. The bassier gits sound louder to me.
I set the DB meter a few feet in front of me - hoping to gauge how the sound projects.
Comments
I've noticed that on your feet, Wes.
Mine do, Jim.
Ahhh... quieter than any of the gits tested yet if I play my Clarkes (which is quieter than my homemade) it's tough to play quietly enough to blend with just one guitar. Our ears perceive things differently than a db meter don't they/
That is interesting, Jim. For my ears that I true about a penny whistle cutting through the mix. I just added one (a Clarke's in D) and it tested out at 67 db.
Good scientific test. It's not always just volume that helps an instrument cut thru in a group. The overall tone and playing in a different register from others makes a big diff. When I play pennywhistle in a large group it cuts through more than anything. I mean listen to a marching band with drums, brass and cymbals and one piccolo sounds thru like crazy!
Gary, thanks for all that. Reassuring to me. I need big volume for playing out with friends - lots of circle jams and they play some loud store boughts. Unplugged CBGs don't cut it for that - especially with my poor hearing, These big box tenors do well!~
I have the same hearing difficulties as you. I always trust the meter more than my ears. When testing for volume, I wail on the open strings about as hard as I can and use a pick. That way, I can get between 90 and 100 db. I have also experimented using wood hardener on the inside of the box for a couple of extra dbs.
Acoustic sound is my thing, and I rarely use an amp. If I don't get the tone and volume I am looking for, it is back to the drawing board and sometimes a new box..
Thanks, Gary. Do you find that the DB meter and your ears don't agree? It is likely my poor hearing and that I hear bass better than treble - or at least low pitched voices better than high pitched voices. The bassier gits sound louder to me.
I set the DB meter a few feet in front of me - hoping to gauge how the sound projects.
Nice. I use a db meter too. I try to have the meter pickup about a foot from the sound hole.
Gonna play it some today!
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