Jumbo Acoustic

[ronact]

I am a retired 73 yr. young guy who has been playing,(?) for about a year. It has made my life complete! I want to upgrade to a Jumbo acoustic but am confused by all the so called jumbo terms. Mini jumbo, advanced jumbo, modified jumbo to name just a few. What the hell is the difference? I don't use any amplification and have a big singing voice so I need something LOUD. (All the girls here at the home love to hear me.) Don't hurt my sex life either. Thanks for your help.

[babablowfish]

I don't know the difference between all the different types of Jumbos. What I can say is that I recently bought a Cort Parkwood PW 340FM Jumbo at Guitar Center and I am very happy with it. It is made of flamed maple with a spruce top - all solid wood. With the light maple satin finish and the black tuners (Grovers) it looks really beautiful. It has great clarity and sustain and seems to have exactly the tone I have been searching for. The neck is very comfortable (my schubb capo needs to be set "thinner" than on my Yamaha FG340 which itself has a very comfortable neck) and the action is very low. The guitar is loud without being booming. I am a big guy with a loud voice and we compliment each other very well. It also sounds great played softly with just finger picking or strumming.

 

Sorry if this wasn't the input you were looking for. But if you are interested and check one out, I think you'll be glad you did.

[jackwr]

Are you sure that jumbo won't be too much of the wrong kinda wood between you and the ladies? Something with a smaller body would let you "sing" a lot closer.

[tonedrops]

Originally posted by ronact I am a retired 73 yr. young guy who has been playing,(?) for about a year. It has made my life complete! I want to upgrade to a Jumbo acoustic but am confused by all the so called jumbo terms. Mini jumbo, advanced jumbo, modified jumbo to name just a few. What the hell is the difference? I don't use any amplification and have a big singing voice so I need something LOUD. (All the girls here at the home love to hear me.) Don't hurt my sex life either. Thanks for your help.

I don't think there's a real standard. Even within the Gibson line you just sort of have to look at all the specs for their "jumbos"; the J200 line, the J185s, the Advanced Jumbo, etc. Are you gonna buy one? How much will you pay? I'd sell you mine, but everytime I think I don't really want it, her sweet sweet voice pours over me and changes my mind. Whaddayagonnado? I'm sort of held hostage. anyway...you should try to play some to find what you like.

[54merk]

Originally posted by ronact I am a retired 73 yr. young guy who has been playing,(?) for about a year. It has made my life complete! I want to upgrade to a Jumbo acoustic but am confused by all the so called jumbo terms. Mini jumbo, advanced jumbo, modified jumbo to name just a few. What the hell is the difference?

 

I do sense some confusion so I'll try to help.

 

Flat top acoustic guitar types are all evolved from Martin and Gibson. From the Martin lineup comes the 0, 00, 000, OM, 0000, and Dreadnaught sizes. Pretty straightforward. More 0's mean a larger guitar, at least from 0, 00, 000 which is the same size as OM, and on up to the non- O Dreadnaught. Can you follow this so far? There is also the J sized Martin, J for Jumbo of course, but this is more recent. Find the CF Martin site, and there is a nice explanation of their numbering system.

 

http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/features/index.html

 

Gibsons are not nearly so straightforward. The larger bodied Gibsons can be broken down into the Slope Shouldered Dreadnaughts, the most well known models being the J45 and Advanced Jumbo, Square Shouldered Dreadnaughts like the Humingbird and Dove (these most resemble a Martin Dread), and of course the largest acoustic size, the SJ200 which is a Super Jumbo. There is also slightly smaller Jumbo series (J185), and even things like the Emmylou Harris L200 which is a small version of an SJ200 shape.

 

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Gibson%20Acoustic%20Guitars/Gibson%20Acoustic%20Guitars/

 

Generally speaking, Jumbos are similar in depth to Dreads with a larger, rounded lower bout. I usually do not find them comfortable unless standing with the guitar supported by a strap. I have a friend with a Jumbo Taylor which is quite uncomfortable on my lap. That's my opinion, and you may feel differenly, so make sure you play any guitar which you are considering for at least an hour to make sure that it is comfortable.

 

Also, do not make the mistake of thinking that a larger guitar will sound louder. That could not be farther from the truth. A lightly braced small guitar can overpower a heavy, over braced Jumbo. Particularly since you are a beginning player I strongly believe that a Jumbo is the wrong size for you. A smaller bodied guitar is easier to hold and more comfortable, and a good Dreadnaught or 0M style guitar should be plenty loud.

 

Lastly, I have not even touched on scale length. That's a whole 'nother topic for discussion.

 

Hope this makes sense.