Recommend a jumbo?

[SeanTracey]

Not the aviation type of course! I'm considering a jumbo body guitar and of course I want to look at Avalon first. My guitars are so quiet they can't be heard at all acoustically and are more for live performance, so a jumbo seems appropriate. Maybe JB could tell me of a few around the £300-500 range? I'm thinking Silver Series but if there are any Golds worth talking about in that upper price budget I'm all ears.

[JB]

Jumbo's are only made as Legacy's not Gold or Silver and your budget will need to be increased

[SeanTracey]

Ah I see. Is there much difference in volume between the A and L body types?

[Wyke]

Well I've an Auditorium and it is certainly loud enough for acoustic play, though I suppose it depends on how big an arena you're playing in

[SeanTracey]

I'll give you an example - I was helping a mate out on Saturday night who plays an outdoor acoustic set and his Yamaha parlour-sized guitar was just about loud enough to be heard; my Avalon dreadnought was completely drowned out because my action is so low, couldn't hear a thing. I think I may have needed my amp never mind a jumbo

[Ross A]

You should find that a higher quality guitar will project sound in a clearer fashion. It's like everything - you get what you pay for. I have had Legacy Jumbo's and Auditorium size Avalon's, and there is a difference in volume, definitely. I find the jumbo size uncomfortable when sat playing (and i'm not a small man). For me the auditorium is perfect. I'm very suprised that a parlour guitar would be louder than your dread - is it laminated?

I would compare the volume on my auditorium to a Gibson J45. But for me it's not really about the volume.

[chris c]

I have a Yamaha parlour too, for holidays (CSF-35), but my Avalon auditorium is much louder ! and it's a slim body... But then I don't have very low action, so I can play it hard if I want to, and I'm never short of volume !

[Son of Thunder]

My jumbo is quite loud. Not sure if it's because of the body style or the cedar top, but it cuts right through any other guitars I've ever played with.

[SeanTracey]

You should find that a higher quality guitar will project sound in a clearer fashion. It's like everything - you get what you pay for.

You're absolutely right, but in terms of acoustic guitars it's not always 'acoustic' qualities you're paying for. My Maton EBG808 Artist is truly terrible acoustically compared to other guitars I've tried; I've had people ask me why I paid so much for it - until I plug it in. The APMic pickup system is second to none and that's the reason I bought it, and I'm glad I did.

That said, I'd like a good large-bodied guitar that will keep me right when plugging in isn't an option!

[Ross A]

You should find that a higher quality guitar will project sound in a clearer fashion. It's like everything - you get what you pay for.

You're absolutely right, but in terms of acoustic guitars it's not always 'acoustic' qualities you're paying for. My Maton EBG808 Artist is truly terrible acoustically compared to other guitars I've tried; I've had people ask me why I paid so much for it - until I plug it in. The APMic pickup system is second to none and that's the reason I bought it, and I'm glad I did.

There are, like you say, some guitars that are expensive because of their plugged in sound. Saying that though, a poor guitar will still sound poor with an excellent pickup - surely? Your Maton must have a good sound for it to be sounding so good through the pickup.

[SeanTracey]

Ah yeah, it's a fantastic guitar, but when I said terrible acoustically I just mean it doesn't have much volume at all and doesn't sound its best acoustically