I'm not here to waste your time - historically, a parlor guitar is an instrument a musician would use for performances in smaller venues such as bars or parlors (as the name would suggest). These smaller-bodied guitars were perfect for the reception rooms in homes of the early 1900s, but parlor guitars are ideal instruments for the home acoustic guitar player as well. 

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Size

Parlor guitars come in all shapes and sizes as there is no one standard shape or dimensions utilized by all makers. Modern parlor guitars take cues from historical inspiration. A smaller body size makes parlor guitars easily playable and a perfect candidate for smaller musicians.

Scale

 

Scale length is also not standardized across parlor guitars. Parlor guitars such as thee KLOS Guitars travel guitars are available in full scale length. A full scale length will increase the range of your instrument and generally indicates an instrument that will have greater projection and more punch. If you own multiple instruments, buying a parlor guitar with the same scale length will make changing between them more simple.

Tone

Due to the smaller body size, parlor guitars generally have a more bright, clear, and defined tone than their larger-bodied brethren. A midrangey tone records exceedingly well across many different genres so these parlor guitars make for mighty studio or session acoustics. Historically parlor guitars have been used for the blues, folk, and indie music.

From 1900 to Today

Historically, the best parlor guitars were made out of wood because all instruments were made out of wood. Today, we luckily have access to new advanced materials and the best guitars in the world also include carbon fiber instruments. KLOS Guitars carbon fiber travel guitars are the perfect parlor guitar due to their size, shape, tone, and the added durability gained over a standard wood parlor guitar.

KLOS Parlor Guitar

We normally call our instrument the KLOS Guitars Travel Guitar. Travel and adventure are central to our community because our instruments break down quickly to a super compact size and are about as 'bomb-proof' as any guitars on the planet. There is a growing segment within our community that is appreciating these instruments as the best parlor guitars in the world, and we can see why.

To read more about why the KLOS Guitars Travel Guitar is the best parlor guitar in the world, click here!

Conclusion

It's easy to see why parlor guitars are seeing a resurgence in 2020. They're easy to play and you get a ton of quality with an option like the KLOS Guitar Travel Acoustic. Consider adding a parlor guitar to your rig whether it's your first acoustic or if you just want something new.