Sliding Door Side Port, Makers?

[Derek Blackwell]

Hi, can anyone recommend a maker who offers a side port with a sliding door to adjust this? I'm seeking a shorter scale Octave Mandolin.

In gratitude,
Derek

[EdHanrahan]

... a maker who offers ...

That's a pretty specific, uncommon, and (just my suspicion) unlikely-to-find pre-existing combination of features. What might get more response is asking for luthiers who offer a side port at all, then work with the prospects toward such design specifics as shape, number of strings, scale length, neck profile, etc. IF they're flexible enough to work with you that far (some are), then adding a slide to the port becomes more of an add-on detail rather than an up-front hurdle.

But I suspect that the approach has to be more of them executing your design specifics, rather than you selecting from their design options. Hope this helps!

[mandolinstew]

I saw a guitar with one many moons ago in Fretboard Journal,but don't remember the makers name.

[Marty Jacobson]

I'd talk to Herb Taylor or Mario Proulx.
http://www.proulxguitars.com/j5_2.htm

[allenhopkins]

Bernie Lehmann builds instruments with side ports -- and retrofits them into existing instruments, too. Sliding doors, I dunno...might be worth asking him. I recommend his work highly, in any case.

[Lord of the Badgers]

I once saw a comparison that suggested a side port equipped instrument was as loud if not louder than an instrument without one.
Which begs the question - why worry.
I have a side port in my OM. It's a loud instrument I can tell you...

[Derek Blackwell]

If your Lordship pleases, what maker made your ported OM?

The reason I want a door is to make things quieter for practice. I have tinnitus that comes and goes. I don't think sound coming directly at my head all the time would be wise. A volume control also seems like a good idea.

[DevanBennett]

I know Breedlove makes ported guitars that come with a rubber plug to fill it in when not wanted. And there's a fellow here who has drilled a cluster of 1-to-2-inch holes in the upper bout of his guitars as an aftermarket port.

If you combine these ideas, you could have adjustable porting by removing or adding plugs. And you could do it to an existing instrument, which might be easier.

Lot of "mights" and "coulds" in that paragraph, though.