This product review is on the company Planet Waves new product, the "O-Port." It is used to enhance the sound of an acoustic guitar and help with feedback when used through a p.a. system or acoustic amp. It is just a piece of plastic the is somewhat bell shaped that goes in the sound hole of your acoustic guitar. It is very easy to install. You just loosen up your guitar strings, bend it in half and install it with the big end of the bell facing the bottom of the guitar. There is a break in the top outside of it (the end that faces up, small end of the bell) that sits where the neck of your guitar goes. There are two sizes for the O-Port, big and small. I used the big one so that I could try it on two different acoustics that I have. I used it on one of the cheapest guitars on the market, an Epiphone DR-100 and I used it on a very expensive one, a Taylor 810. Lets get down to business.
The O-Port claims 4 main things right on the box. 1)fuller sound 2) better clarity 3)more volume and 4) suppressed feedback.
On the Epiphone DR100 i used it on I instantly noticed a huge increase in volume. I used it for 3 days in my lesson room with my students. With every single student i had to play softer. It made it a ton louder for sure. I also noticed it made when I soloed louder too. Every note was pumped up in volume and you could hear every note great! It was almost like it compressed the sound of the notes and made every single note on the guitar , open strings up to the highest register, equal. It made a cheap guitar sound a ton better. It definitely made it sound more high dollar than it really is! Without a dought it made every chord sound fuller too. So far every thing it said it did, it did in spades.
On my Taylor it did the same thing as it did on the Epiphone. One of the biggest complaints I have about my Taylor is when I solo it drops in volume hugely and the notes get lost in the jam. This little device helped for sure. It made the notes I played while soloing stand out and able to keep up with the guitar I was playing with. It did make the guitar sound louder when playing chords. It did a little bit to make it sound fuller when playing rythym. It really couldnt do too much in that respect with the Taylor though. This guitar is one of the best out there for sounding full and rich to begin with. It did its best work on the single notes.
The verdict on this product.........Great!!!!!!! Most players out there dont have a 2-3000 $ acoustic to be playing. It will do wonders for budget guitars and mid grade guitars. Hell, it made a $100 Epihpone sound tons better. These thing s go for around $25 and is worth it. Even on a $3000 Taylor it did some improvement. It also doesnt alter the look of your guitar either. Those other feedback sound hole thing a ma bobs clog up your playing hole and suppress the acoustic guitars natural sound. I didnt play it through a guitar plugged up to test the feedback stopping capabilities. The physics of the O-Port are solid enough to know it will help with it. It is worlds above the other sound hole feed back pluggers. It will help any guitar out there in some way shape or form. For the price its a no brainer. Stop down at Rock Bottom and get one. If you are an acoustic player it is a must have, so get it!!!!
