Just had this added to my favourite guitar and couldn’t be happier with the new sound. It’s called a sound port and they are a bit controversial, some consider it to be sacrilegious, my response to that is I’m sure the same was said the first time steel strings were fitted to an acoustic guitar.
What does it do? It gives me, the guitar player, while playing the guitar a fair bit more volume. I play mostly fingerstyle so it’s hard at times, particularly in a jam, to hear my playing over the din of the others.
Interesting.
My acoustic/elec. guitar already has a hole in about that location (not exact, but pretty close).
That location is pretty much where my preamp is.
Perhaps I could just open it up like I’m replacing the battery and leave it open for said effect of extra sound leaking out that hole?
No, I didn’t cut the whole hole myself, or even part of it. I took it to one of my trusted luthiers. I had to resist hard the temptation to do it myself.
I do have a friend who pulled out his trusty dremel and cut the sound port himself. He was very happy with the result. Admittedly he did it to a cheap banger guitar and being the aficionado that he is, I know he wouldn’t do it to a really good guitar himself.
I had a sound port fitted to one of my custom made guitars and ever since that have really wanted to have it done to my Epiphone. I put it in for a fret dressing, headstock repair and tuner replacement and neck respray so I couldn’t say how much just the port cost me.
Here’s a picture of the other guitar I have with a sound port.
I cut similar holes in my classical guitars. I am happy with them. Both guitars are old, cracked and worn, great instruments that just wouldn’t be sellable anyway, so I figured, why not. I won’t put one in my steel string. It is too nice for the risk and I am too cheap to pay to have it done right.
Is that a second soundhole? If it sounds good to you… I think it was Ovation that had the design with the myriad tiny soundholes on acoustic guitars. And of course Willie Nelson played a second soundhole into his guitar over the years.
This is a bit different, it projects the sound directly to the guitar player, not the audience. It’s commonly referred to as a sound port. Also referred to as a side sound port.
I have read a few articles and watched a few videos about the effects of side ports on overall sound. I really couldn’t appreciate any noticeable change to the projected sound to the audience, so am not convinced that is worth thinking much about.
What I do like is that it fills out the sound, especially the higher notes, as heard by the player. Since I am usually playing for myself, I am happy to hear my guitar better.
Right, where’s that Harley Benton GS mini alike of mine……….
Definitely going to have a go at that, I’ve also got a surplus Tele neck pickup I want to use as a sound hole pickup in it, so as it were, in for a penny, in for a pound ( or oh bu993r it why not ).
Will post some pics when it’s done, no idea when though!
I tried it and it surely works.
I could hear me better and louder.
For me though, it only kinda worked. My preamp kinda tilts out of the hole. It’s not hinged on the end, it’s got a pivot @ about a 1/3 of the covers length of the rectangler shape so it won’t stay open w/o help holding it.
I was disappointed that it wouldn’t stay open since it actually did work and let the sound leak out of the hole w/o the cover in place.
Guess if my preamp ever gives up the ghost I could just remove it and have my extra sound hole that way. If I didn’t or couldn’t (obsolete) replace the preamp.
This extra sound hole is an interesting idea for sure.
