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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
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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Just a thought.
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