Dreadnought or Jumbo

[m'mule]

I have recently been looking to purchase a Gibson acoustic and am curious as to what the difference in shape does to the sound. Does a dreadnought/ j-45 style body produce a much different sound than a superjumbo/ sj-200? I have always been accustomed to the dreadnought shape but am gaining interest in jumbos. Any insight would be much appreciated.

[Dwell]

Well, a square shouldered dread shape (Dove, Hummingbird) does sound different than a round shouldered jumbo shape (J-45, Southern Jumbo), or the round shouldered long scale jumbo (Advanced Jumbo), or the Super Jumbo shape (SJ-200).

But those guitars differ in material as well as shape, with maple, rosewood, or mahogany backs and sides. So you're rarely just hearing one change- you're hearing many cumulative changes. And remember- the bracing changes with the shape changes, not just the shape.

To be quite honest, just decide which type you like the looks of best, and then find a great sounding example of that type. There are great sounding (and poor sounding) examples of each Gibson style out there.

[m'mule]

alright, nice to know, iv always been curious. Thanks alot Dwell!