Parlor Guitars

[JAY S]

I am in the market for a Parlor Guitar and need direction as to which guitar to purchase. I saw Brian recommended the B&G and wonder if he still likes this guy. Also, is anybody familiar with Fan Frets?? Are they helpful for a small guitar. Lowden makes a redwood/rosewood FF, which I have my eye on, but not sure because of the Fan Frets… Thank you, Jay

[sunjamr]

Taylor Baby is my favorite parlor guitar. I’ve had one for 6 years, and I use it often, especially for E and A blues improv. What makes them unique is that by building the back as a convex curve (that is, it bulges outward like a lute), no internal bracing is required for the back. This increases the volume, since there is less mass of structural wood in the body. It also make the guitar a little lighter. Plus the short scale neck makes it easier to bend notes and hold down bar chords, since the shorter the neck, the less tension on the strings. It’s all about physics.

I wouldn’t touch fanned frets with a 10 foot pole, as they say. To me, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages.

Sunjamr Steve

[JAY S]

Thank you for your help! Yes, I love my Taylor full size, and probably should end up with another Taylor.

[Mark H]

What genre? For 1920s music try and find an old Stella / Oscar Schmidt ladder braced instrument from the same era. I’ve been searching forever for a good one of those that I could afford. Or you could talk to Todd at Fraulini Guitars for a lovingly recreated modern version. I have one of his early 12 string Angelinas based on the Oscar Schmidt Stella 12

I also have an early 30’s Tonk American parlor built by Regal that I got from an elderly gentleman in Texas. I had a neck reset done and some braces & cracks reglued etc, and currently need to reglue the bridge which has lifted. It has a triangular sound hole, bakelite floating pick guard and 14 frets clear. Sounds and looks really cool when it’s working.

If you want to go modern (acoustic) I’m a Martin guy by first reflex but I have no idea what they’re building these days in their parlor department, if such a thing exists.

For electrical stuff, I’ve been very impressed by Brian’s electric parlors from artisan builders. B&G was the first, there’s a more recent one from a different builder that looks similar and seems equally good, maybe just a smidge better, to my YouTubular eyes and ears.

[GnLguy]

I’m a die hard fan of Breedlove guitars and they have developed a proprietary guitar body that they call a Concertina. Its basically a concert body shape that they’ve made about 3/4 of the size of a concert and the neck is joined at the 12th fret

Depending on your budget, I would suggest that you check out any of their guitars made with Myrtlewood; they have some imports made with Myrtlewood but I love my USA model – its a Concerto, their largest body guitar but the Concertina gets great reviews as well

You can find more info on their body styles at these sites
https://www.flipsnack.com/AFAFF9BA9F7/breedlove-buyers-guide-2021/full-view.html

https://breedlovemusic.com/instruments/acoustic-guitars/shapes/companion

[JAY S]

Thank you… will do

[Mark B]

Ibanez avn 11. Discontinued but they show up used

[Dennis V]

Does Ibanez make a comparable model to the AVN 11?

[Ben R]

I’ve recently bought an Alvarez Delta 00. I think it’s a bit bigger than a parlour but still noticeably smaller than normal and I absolutely love it. Cant resist getting it out of the case several times a day and amazed how loud it is for a smaller bodied guitar. Capo easily gets you into Ian Anderson territory if that’s your thang but generally awesome for finger picking and that classic 40s/50s blues/jazz sound and following a recent Brian lesson does a pretty good Django Reinhardt impression

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