[Silly Moustache]

THIS IS LONG ---BUT TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT.

Here's some history :

All Martin guitars had either 1 & 7/8" or 1 &13/16" until the 14 fret OM came in in 1929. Fact.
Why? Because they were modeled on the European classical instruments and largely for similar playing styles. You can see the siilarity - 12 fret, and slotted headstocks. Right?

Why the OM (Orchestra Model?) Surely everyone knows about Perry Bechtel ?
Jazz and dance music was changing in the '20s and the tenor banjo was starting to sound out of place - so if those players wanted to keep their seat in the rhythm section they had to transfer to guitar.

Gibson Archtops were already established on the market and happened to be very suitable for orchestra use due to their percussive middle/treble projection when being chorded.

Martin needed to react and responded to Bechtel's request for a Martin to use in a band situation more suitable for a banjo player who played mostly chords on four strings.

So ...they lengthened and slimmed the neck FOR BANJO PLAYERS, who they thought would only need to play closed chords, probably on only four or five of the strings anyway.

The OM28 was introduced in 1929. (Remember that the OM was based on the LARGEST Martin avaiable at the tijme - The 000!

It didn't work! It did not have the percussive projection of the Archtops. It was discontinued in 1933.

In 1931 Martin introduced the original 12 fret slotted headstock (1 & 7/8" nut) - Whilst it was an excellent design, No-one understood it.

Martin also nitrocuded their C model Archtops but they didn't compete with the Gibsons and Epiphones etc. Same thng with their F model archtops in 1934.

In 1934, still trying to make a competitive OM (Orchestral) product, Martin brought out the 14 fret skinny necked Dreadnought. (also originally called an "OM").

It took on - slowly - but not as an orchestral guitar but as a rhythm guitar in the emerging country/folk field.

If you wanted to play fingerstyle the Martin Style "O","OO" and "OOO" 12 fretters were still available.

gibson and Epiphone were maing ever larger archtops guitars anwith thinner necks - Epi went down to 1 & 5/8"!

Martin weren't rally in the race but they emulated te ever skinnier necks on what they saw as merely strumming guitars (the Dreadnoughts).

That is the History.
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I play mostly 1 & 13/16" 12 fret guitars because my fingertips are fairly flat and I need as much spacing as possible between the strings.

I played a '73 D35 from '75 until '96, but there was a ten year gap of no playing due to a serious illness.
When I started playing again in '93 my style was different, I wanted to play more melodically. Foolishly I changed to a J-40 which had a skinny neck but also had a shallow profile.

It took me a long time to realise that the standard Martin neck was holding me back, and so I changed to Collings which gave me an ideal compromise of neck geometry.

To say that a little difference makes "no" difference is to fail to understand the importance of individual physiology and playing styles.

Whilst I fully realise that many people can play intricate music on a rhythm neck and some seem to have difficulty playing on a wider neck, I choose to play the instruments with the appropriate geometry for my style and my hands.