This is a pretty simple list that curates acoustic guitars with an offset sound hole, which simply means the primary sound hole is moved off the center of the guitar to a different location on the guitar's body. Most acoustic guitars place the sound hole right in the middle of the body, underneath the strings.
Here's an example of what you're used to seeing:
Most acoustic guitars have the sound hole centered, directly beneath the strings in the middle of the guitar's body.
But the acoustic guitars we've highlighted in this list have moved the sound hole to a different spot, usually the top of the lower bout, like in this example:
An offset sound hole on a Washburn acoustic guitar.
This creates a slightly different tone and a significantly different aesthetic. For those looking for an acoustic guitar with an offset sound hole, this list is a curation of all the most popular options we could find, from a range of manufacturers.
Acoustic Guitars with Offset Sound holes (full list)
In this list we've included guitars from the best-selling brands, though we also recognize there are likely some models we've missed, perhaps from boutique acoustic guitar brands that fly more under the radar. If you know of an acoustic guitar with an offset sound hole that you think should be included in this list, drop us a note in the comments section below and we'll check it out.
- Journey Instruments OF660M Overhead Carbon Fiber
- Washburn Festival EACT42S
- Ovation Celebrity Elite Plus CE44P-FKOA
- Ovation Celebrity Elite Super Shallow
- ESP LTD TL-6FM
- ESP LTD TL-6
- Gretsch G5031FT Rancher
- Ovation Adamas GT Cutaway
- Ovation Adamas MD80
- Michael Kelly Triad Port
- Michael Kelly Forte Port X
- LAVA ME 2
- McPherson Touring Acoustic
As you can see, the brands that carry these guitars vary pretty widely, though Journey Instruments, Michael Kelly, McPherson (they're really expensive) and Ovation were the four most common options we noticed.
The Michael Kelly Triad has an offset sound hole.
What does an offset sound hole do?
The difference in an acoustic guitar with an offset sound hole is primarily aesthetic and a matter of preference. In the guitars we've tested - particularly the Ovation Celebrity acoustics - we didn't notice a dramatic change in tone from acoustic guitars where the sound hole is centered.
Does it sound different?
You might notice more of a dampening of your tone and perhaps less natural volume, but the distinction is going to be minor.
With that in view, an offset sound hole will certainly change the look of the guitar.
And if you want to get into more of the specifics about how tone would change, Ted in the comments section does a great job of breaking down some of the possibilities. It's a moving target, and I think to most people's ear the difference will be subtle, but there's a lot of information here if you want to get more specific.
Should I just go with a regular acoustic guitar?
Restricting yourself to acoustic guitars with an offset sound hole does dramatically reduce your options. If that's a feature that's important to you, there's nothing wrong with buying accordingly. However, we'd recommend opening up to other options if the list here isn't big enough to find something you want.
While this list is not exhaustive and there are likely additional options, it's still just a very limited pool to draw from.
For those interested in expanding their search:
Read more: Best acoustic guitars overall
Conclusion
Some of these acoustic guitars are from what we'd consider boutique companies and are made as specialty instruments. This means they'll tend to cost more, particularly the Michael Kelly and McPherson acoustic guitars.
Is it worth the added expense to get an acoustic guitar with an offset sound hole?
Since this is strictly an issue of preference - and not quality - only you can answer that question for yourself.
Note that the Ovation and Journey Instruments acoustics tend to be cheaper, retailing in the $500 to $700 range while the other guitars are likely to be more expensive. Washburn and ESP LTD, while they have fewer offset options, will also fall in this price range. So it's possible to find something for a variety of budgets.
Your Questions and Adding to this List
If you have questions about the acoustic guitars we've listed, feel free to drop those in the comments section below.
Also feel free to mention acoustic guitars with an offset sound hole that you think would make a good addition to this list. The list is not exhaustive, but we intend to add to it over time, so feel free to chime in and if we add your suggestion to the list, we'll give you an update credit at the top of this page.
We'll see you there.
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Written by Bobby on Acoustics and Roundups
Written by Bobby on Acoustics and Roundups
Two people can have to ideas of the word subtle.
I didn’t want to disprove or support your hypothesis. I just wanted to add to your article.
But I’ve been going between the two camps. I tend to think that changing any one aspect of a guitar accounts for 5% of the sound. That being said tweaking every single aspect of a guitar toward a more scientific approach vs a copy and paste approach adds up to a lot more than 5%. I try to tweak every single part of my builds to turn 1 or 2 percent here and there into a large change in sound or energy efficiency.
The most recent studies show that the soundboard radiates 70% of the sound of the top and the sound port 30%. So moving the port to a less active part of the board increases the mass of the active portion of the board by about 5% and almost doubles the active areas of the board. Especially in the long dipole mode around 280hz. About the begining of the mid range.
So, I mean you could call that slightly noticable as far as decibels in the midrange and a few other spots along the frequency range. Changing the top wood, shape, and depth of the cavity are major factors. Scale length and tonewood are 2nd. Strings are next. Things like bone vs plastic or stainless vs nickel silver fretts are down there. Alot of people can’t here the difference.
I think moving the sound hole has more of a noticeable effect than fret or nut material. It would depend on wether or not that counts as subtle. Haha, let me know if my ramblings had any effect on your conclusion. Theres some interesting articles on small experiments into soundhole design I could show you. But like most aspects of guitar design there is little science and a large amount of copy and paste. Its starting to change in the last 5 or 6 years though. Especially with the boom in handmade guitars.
Hey, thanks Ted. I really appreciate when people take the time to add information like this. It’s super helpful to me and future readers. I’ve got plenty to learn.
I think I’ll adjust the article to reference your take. My argument would be that for most people, they don’t go this deep into tone discrepancies, thus the subtlety they might hear. But your breakdown of what has the most impact, by percentage, is extremely helpful.
Again, thanks for this input.
An offset soundhole doubles the mass of the soundboard at the point where the most oscillation occurs. It also tends to make the soundhole smaller. A smaller soundhole increases bass projection. A larger soundhole increases higher frequency projection.
Also, I forgot to mention that the majority of soundwaves come from the bridge and lower. Not the soundhole.
Wouldn’t this support my contention that the difference an offset soundhole creates is fairly subtle?