Dreadnought?

Dread = Fear - nought = Nothing ------ Fear Nothing

Actually, it relates to the shape of the body of an acoustic guitar. The dreadnought body is fuller than most acoustics and does not have a cutaway.

Pros = deeper sound

Con = hard to fret anything above the 14th fret

The dreadnaught refers to the body size of a type of acoustic guitar, it is generally larger than other acoustic guitars. Here is a link that gives the dimensions of the various types of acoustics.

http://www.guitartips.addr.com/tip138.html

My wish is that manufacturers would offer more of the other body types - especially parlor and auditorium - 00 and 000s. You can get them but they're either Martin or Gibson or one of the botique brands and they're expensive, especially if you want something for stage. Johson and Fender both make parlors on the cheap, but only right handed versions - so far.

Everything seems to be dedicated to dreadnaughts, and I don't particularly find them attractive. Loud yes, but...I like the smaller-body-wide-neck thing, like the old Gibson L styles. Johnson has a cool looking L shape for under $200, but I'd have to take it into a shop and have the bridge/saddle/nut switched over.

Somewhere along the line the dreadnaught became the 'standard.' Nobody asked me though, lol.

If Johson came out with lefty L's, I'd get 2 right away.

Have you have good experiences with johnson? the one that I have, the neck fell off, prompting the experimenter/scientist in me to glue it back on. Looks like crap, but hey, it plays again. And it sounds like a cardboard box and has since the day I bought it used for like $80. It's a concert-shaped model, whatever shape that is.

I love dreadnoughts. They feel so full in your arms. I want a Gibson Jumbo in the worst way. Or one of those big Gibson hummingbirds.

I have one and it's a good take-anywhere guitar. I use it on a lot of tracks on our songs. Doesn't sound bad on recording. It's just just that I love the parlor size/shape, but seemingly not until recently have they been brought back due to a resurgence of old style (vintage, retro) music and instruments. And those are usualy from high-end newer manufacturers or reissues from the original manufacturers. For me personally, I don't see myself taking an expensive Collings or Tacoma or Larrivee to a gig and worrying about dinging it or scraping it on a mic or something. It's a subconscious thing. Maybe for recording, but live the tone issue can be worked with and sometimes even an expensive guitar might not sound its best due to mics and PAs and room sounds.

Plus for me, it's sort of a hobby to try to get a good sound out of a crummy instrument than paying all that extra for a great instrument and getting a crummy sound due to circumstance.

BUT, the low-end manufacturers only have a couple of the smaller type guitars because the marketing for dreadnaughts is so strong, and those models aren't available in left-handed models. They build and sell what the market will bear. Can't blame them though, 'cause for them it *is* all about money.

In gearing up for live gigs, I'd rather use the $2k-$3k I'd spend on a single botique to get two or three Johnsons and have them setup properly - one each for the tunings I use and maybe a backup. And as far as stage security, it someone happens to run off with a guitar, I'd rather it be something costing $200 than something costing $3,000.

There's another funny thing about mass marketing, at least to me: There's all these 'standard' sized dreadnaughts all over the place, and along comes a kid, maybe 8 or 9 years old and they want to play. Or maybe someone who's not tall or big. Their first guitar will be a dreadnaught and their stumming arm is hanging over the side and it feels like it's a million miles to reach the strings, and so the manufacturers make student or 3/4 size or 1/2 size for kids to play. And they're still dreadnaught shape! It's kind of funny to me because the manufacturer/marketers don't think "Well, the parlor size is perfect for kids or women or people just staring out; let's make those!"

And it's not like the low-end models are hand-made or anthing. They could make the jigs and forms and setup the machines and pour them out like sugar, but they, "People want dreadnaughts, therefore we must build them, because it's the trend."

And the 'trend' came from where? From the manufacturer/marketing people some might say. And why? "In the old days, you had to be heard." This was before PA systems were very good - a couple of Atlas columns and 25 watts of power.

Anyhow, I wish it were slightly different. :)

Take a look at the Seagull Folk guitar, it's "normal" shape and very good value for money.

As an aside, "dreadnought" was originally a term applied to a type of war-ship.

See? This is waaaay too big!

That's why I'm thinking something like this:

By the way, thanks greybeard for that tip. The Seagulls aren't the expensive either.