Silent guitars

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Silent guitars

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Martin

Posts: 150
Joined: Nov. 21 2004

Silent guitars

I'm getting comments about the noise I make in the house practicing. I have seen silent guitars on the web, but are they any good? And what choice is there?

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"Let me assure you that I am playing all the right notes...... but not necessarily in the right order." Eric Morecombe

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 31 2011 17:27:47

Ruphus

Posts: 3782
Joined: Nov. 18 2010

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

I had the "Sinsonido" and used it during a long trip to Costa Rica.
According to classical guitar fellows it could be best bang for the buck among the silent fraction. -It also helped for friendly encounters with custom personal at airports who found it very interesting.

I found it to be alright and actually surprisingly resonant for just a wooden bar. Guess one could stay with it for a longer period of time, despite the lack of vibe a traditional guitar delivers in comparison.

Considering my sinsonido I gave it away after the trip however, because it was the slim-neck version. (= Maybe ~ 48 mm or so.)
Obviously, it is at times being offered by online shops without distinct hints; so make sure to ask about neck size in advance if wanting to order.
( Also be careful when dismounting, the bar tends to split when you remove the bout frames.)

Ruphus

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 31 2011 18:11:32

changue

Posts: 187
Joined: Aug. 31 2010
From: London

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

I've got a Yamaha silent guitarYamaha silent guitar. I've had it for years and I love it. It is not absolutely silent but it is much quieter, as you would expect. I never use the on-board preamp/headphone out. I've got the hybrid version. I would be much happier now with the wide neck version (NW). It makes a great travel guitar.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 31 2011 18:28:16

kudo

Posts: 2064
Joined: Sep. 3 2009

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

quote:

Sinsonido

the first time I saw it , I was like what the hell is this, and now when I read this thread, NOW i know.

so Paco Fernandez I guess used the same yamaha guitar that you have:

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 31 2011 23:58:49

dionysius

Posts: 13
Joined: Sep. 13 2008
From: Eugene, Oregon

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

Cut up a household sponge and put it under the strings near the saddle. If they're still complaining after that, then your walls are too thin.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 1 2011 0:03:03

HolyEvil

Posts: 1240
Joined: Nov. 6 2008
From: Sydney, Australia

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

I have a Aria Sinsonido, it's really small when dismantled, most guys at work who has seen it is impressed with it. Unless you have the need for a silent guitar, eg travelling, practicing at work, you can just do what dionysius said and put a small sponge under your string at the bridge to dampen the strings.

I have playing the Yamaha before and it's feels more sturdy (on the 'body') when assembled but I don't know how it feels when it's disassembled.

cheers

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 1 2011 3:16:55

machopicasso

Posts: 973
Joined: Nov. 27 2010

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

quote:

I'm getting comments about the noise I make in the house practicing.

If it's feasible to leave your house to practice, then you might want to try that. When I lived in Germany, I couldn't really practice in my apartment without disturbing my neighbors. So, most nights I'd practice in the subway station nearby. That might sound noisy, but on the later side there was only like one train every thirty minutes, and then only briefly. The acoustics were amazing! (Imagine an empty subway station with lots of tiles). You also get the occasional benefit of a listening public (good for learning to cope with performance anxiety), and sometimes they'll give you cash

Just a thought.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 1 2011 9:22:02

avimuno

Posts: 598
Joined: Feb. 9 2007
From: Paris, France

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

Dionysius is right... get a soundhole cover, which should already lower the volume a lot, or get a piece of sponge that you put under the strings at the bridge to dampen the sound and lower the volume... should allow you to practice in silence.

The non inconsiderable advantage of doing so is that you will keep practicing on the same guitar instead of changing to another one... it will allow your hand to get to you know guitar in and out. I have met some pros who only played one guitar despite getting offered guitars by famous luthiers... the reason was that they knew their guitars and didn't want to have to go through the process of learning to know another guitar.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 1 2011 12:29:13

pharkas

Posts: 4
Joined: Jul. 24 2007

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

I purchased a "Harmonia" silent travel guitar from ebay for a bit over $140 about 3 months ago. It is not a word-class instrument by any means, but I absolutely love the thing for the ability that it has afforded me to play late nights, on-the-go, during travel, etc. It is small, and folds up into about the size of a violin case. Before I bought the guitar, I was expecting a much worse quality instrument but it is not too bad. The action is a little high but I wasn't really planning on going on-stage with this thing anytime soon. It came with a piezo pickup under the bridge which provides a usable output for practice. I did not want to spend a ton of money on a guitar that I knew I would be tossing around a bit, and probably not playing that much so this was perfect for me.

So probably not for everyone, but for me this was a great purchase because I am on the go a lot and I often cannot take a full-size instrument with me. My $.02

Jose Antonio

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 1 2011 14:05:40

Pawo

Posts: 104
Joined: Mar. 15 2010

RE: Silent guitars (in reply to Martin)

Check out this site which specialises in travel guitars.

http://www.playawayguitars.com/

I bought a soloette classical...bit more expensive than others...but it's great for recording as well as quite practice...golpes are bit awkward as not quite enough wood to hit....

The site has many different makes and models....probably most makes

Dave

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 2 2011 10:15:20