The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #92370   Message #2967962
Posted By: Old Vermin
18-Aug-10 - 01:24 PM
Thread Name: Folk Size vs. Dreadnought Size Guitars?
Subject: RE: Folk Size vs. Dreadnought Size Guitars?
could I have some of whatever guest sam is on? Or perhaps not.

Apart from pure playability - there is such a word - and sound, consider portability. More weight and size to carry or stow in a vehicle.

As luck and lack of money and judgement would have it, I started with a classical on which a previous owner had fitted steel strings. Don't ask. Followed by a cheap nylon-strung classical, which tended to go off as you went up the neck.

Thirty years later, I got round to getting a decent Yamaha FG700MS [without actually checking what it says inside] dreadnought. Then inherited a 'Lorenzo' nylon-strung classical - smaller-bodied and taken to be a parlour size.

Finger-picking, the louder Yamaha can get lost in a pub session, more so the parlour. Both OK for volume if there is a listening audience. My plectrum work is utterly undeveloped.

Neither is bad. Parlour is easier on the fingers and I think nicer to play for melody stuff. For exuberant unamplified noise, the Yamaha wins. Don't have stuff that I only do on one or the other.

One slight regret is not getting the Yamaha with a pickup built-in. At the time I didn't foresee that I would ever need one. Hadn't even heard of open mics....