Are Smaller Guitars 'O' Parlor, etc. Usually Short Scale...

[LHawes]

...and 12 fretters? Or do they vary determined by taste and preference?

Thank You

[Silly Moustache]

There is actually no such thing as a "parlour" guitar but Martin certainly developed a series of guitars based on the anticipated venue/audience size.

Around the turn of the 20th century they formalised their size offerings thusly :

Size 2 - Amateur ...... i.e. "home use"
Size 1 - Standard ...... a home room (10- 20?)
Size 0 - Concert ......... (I believe) for 20- 100
Size 00 - Grand Concert - a village/church hall -100 - 200
Size 000 - Auditorium - 200- 500

These are approximate estimations of course.

Scale lengths:
2 & 1 - 24.5"
0,00 - 24.9"
000 - 25.4"

Note the 000 auditorium was the only guitar to have this scale until the original OM dreadnought in 1929.
The original dreadnought (1931-1933) also had the longer scale of course.

There were smaller guitars such as the "5" for persons of small stature.

As the term "parlour" means slightly different thing in the US and UK,

Parlour : In the English-speaking world of the 18th and 19th century, having a parlour room was evidence of social status. It was proof that one had risen above those who lived in one or two rooms. As the parlour was the room in which the larger world encountered the private sphere of middle class life (the family's face to the world) it was invariably the best room (it was often colloquially called that) in the home. The parlour frequently displayed a family's best furnishings, works of art and other status symbols (wiki).

Here in the UK it was also a formal, or "reception" room - size depending on house size of course.

[TheGITM]

Originally Posted by LHawes

...and 12 fretters? Or do they vary determined by taste and preference?

Thank You

Most of the smaller bodied vintage guitars that I see (that are often referred to as Parlor/Parlour guitars) are 12 fret. However, there are quite a few newer ones that are 14.

The older vintage were usually nylon string with no neck reinforcement, so the shorter scale produced less tension. I think that was pretty typical. With the advent of steel strings and steel-reinforced necks makers could do the 14 fret to give them a bit more punch.

As for the term, most understand that 'Parlor' isn't a defined size for a guitar. They were just small-bodied guitars that were suitable for small rooms, and were typically more affordable.

[Fathand]

The current use of "parlor", as a marketing term by the media and manufacturers, does typically describes 12 fret guitars smaller than 0 or Concert size.

That said you could make a case that Mini Martins, Baby Taylors and the like are suitable for parlor use or sometime known as couch guitars.

Madame De Goni, later Madame Koop, certainly gave concerts with a size 1 Martin and helped to make the X braced flat top the iconic guitar it is.

[Okotok]

I built a "parlour" guitar from the Ted Davis plan some years ago. It is a 1-18 which was the largest guitar Martin made way back when. I built it on a lark for a 2" x 4" contest at my woodworking club out of a carefully selected, 8' pine stud from Home Despot. Resawed the back, top and sides and had to add a little to the sides for width. Epoxied four hacksaw blades on edge into the neck to keep it straight and was able to use up to 20% of "other" woods, hence the blackwood fingerboard, bridge and headplate. Ended up sounding great and I play it a lot many years later! Had enough leftover wood to build a simple stand too.

[Treenewt]

Originally Posted by Okotok

I built a "parlour" guitar from the Ted Davis plan some years ago. It is a 1-18 which was the largest guitar Martin made way back when. I built it on a lark for a 2" x 4" contest at my woodworking club out of a carefully selected, 8' pine stud from Home Despot. Resawed the back, top and sides and had to add a little to the sides for width. Epoxied four hacksaw blades on edge into the neck to keep it straight and was able to use up to 20% of "other" woods, hence the blackwood fingerboard, bridge and headplate. Ended up sounding great and I play it a lot many years later! Had enough leftover wood to build a simple stand too.

Now that is cool!! Well done!

[Dave in Olympia]

My new Martin 0-18 is a 14-fret, with a 24.9-inch scale.

[Monty Christo]

Guitars can be short-scale or long-scale, regardless of how many frets or the size of the body.

Discussion here: https://www.soundpure.com/a/expert-a...-scale-length/

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by LHawes

...and 12 fretters? Or do they vary determined by taste and preference?

Thank You

All my firmer comments related to the original, 12 fret styles.

The first guitar made as a largely rhythm instrument
was the OM, and then the 14 fret dread.

I don't really understand the logic of a size o, or oo as a rhythm instrument , but there we go.
The OM was a commercial failure, released in 1929- discontinued in 1933 9to be replaced by the 14 fret dread (also initially called the OM).

Ironically, the "OM" rhythm style is now largely regarded as a fingerstyle guitar.
(OMs have the thin neck 25.4" scale the 14 fret 00 has the 24.9" scale.

[Rpt50]

Another factor that varies with small guitars that may be important to some is neck width. For example, the popular GS mini line has a short scale with a narrow neck. Yamaha's "parlor" has the same scale as the GS mini, but neck appears to me to be basically "standard Yamaha" with width and feel.

[fpuhan]

I'm leery of generalizations. The smallest guitar (with a 33.25" length, neck attached), I own is my KLŌS travel guitar, which is a 14-fretter but has a 24.75" scale.

[tippy5]

My 2007 Martin 0-15 Gloss top is long scale. Super easy to play. 2 3/16 saddle and 1.75 nut. 16" radius. Dark slippery ebony.

[gurroz]

Originally Posted by Rpt50

Another factor that varies with small guitars that may be important to some is neck width. For example, the popular GS mini line has a short scale with a narrow neck. Yamaha's "parlor" has the same scale as the GS mini, but neck appears to me to be basically "standard Yamaha" with width and feel.

I own a Yamaha CSF3M and you are correct, the neck is 3/4" shorter than My LS and FS models, however, the width and feel are the same.

[fingerling]

Yes, the term "parlour" guitar is used for a wide range of guitars, interestingly for guitars that are quite different size. I find the Larrivee "parlours" to be a good standard, they make a P guitar, P-03, P-09 etc and an O guitar, O-40, O-60 etc and they are the same size with lower bout of 13.25 inches and body length of 18 inches, 12 frets to the body and a 24 inch scale length. The overall length of the guitar is 36.75 which makes it comparable to many "travel" size guitars; for instance the lower bout and overall size, especially depth, of the Taylor GS-Mini, generally considered a travel guitar is quite a bit bigger than the Larrivee "parlours" and O size. In any case, when you see "parlour" as a descriptor for a guitar, mileage (and size) may vary a good deal.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by fingerling

Yes, the term "parlour" guitar is used for a wide range of guitars, interestingly for guitars that are quite different size. I find the Larrivee "parlours" to be a good standard, they make a P guitar, P-03, P-09 etc and an O guitar, O-40, O-60 etc and they are the same size with lower bout of 13.25 inches and body length of 18 inches, 12 frets to the body and a 24 inch scale length. The overall length of the guitar is 36.75 which makes it comparable to many "travel" size guitars; for instance the lower bout and overall size, especially depth, of the Taylor GS-Mini, generally considered a travel guitar is quite a bit bigger than the Larrivee "parlours" and O size. In any case, when you see "parlour" as a descriptor for a guitar, mileage (and size) may vary a good deal.

Goodall's "Parlour" was basically a 00.