Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockguy475
I'm in the process of getting a new guitar and there are two things I'm worried about.
The first is that all the Martins I have been eyeing now have different specs then what they used to come with a few years ago. Now most of them are 1 3/4 nut and 2 5/32 string spacing. Are these specs still strummer friendly?
Second.... I have been eyeing the smaller body (00 14-fret) size guitars as they seem so comfortable. I do not play live or with a mic. Only at my house, on the sofa, or at my shop. Can a 00 size guitar be used for a personal all-arounder? Can it handle stumming (not heavy just for personal enjoyment playing).
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Yes on question #1, and a big fat NO on question #2
2 5/32 string spacing is only 1/32 wider than 2 1/8" so you will not notice it on your picking hand. 1st position is where you will feel the nut difference on your fretting hand. Instead of the string spacing being a tight 1.4375" as it is on a 1 11/16" nut guitar, the E-to-e spacing will be 1.5." Although that sounds miniscule in the grand scheme, your fingers can easily detect the extra spacing. If you any complaints at all with the MLO/PA taper neck, I'd bet it's going to be in how shallow depthwise it is, especially compared with older Martins from the 80s and earlier, before they had multiple different neck shapes and profiles.
Now the small guitars thing... you noted 75% of your playing is done with a pick, and only 25% fingerstyle. If you're used to the power and deep throated growl of a dread, a small guitar like a 00 (and even many OMs) will sound boxy. I've been down this rabbit hole, owned a lot of different OMs over the years including a Merrill OM-18 which was the most powerful of them all. They're all gone now. If you're primarily a strummer or flatpicker, there's no replacement for displacement. If you want to fingerpick, maybe look into a J-45 or D-35 which are great for that and are still dreads.