Smaller Body Question...

[Woodpecker]

With the exception of a couple guitars I have almost exclusively played a dread. I like to flatpick. I rarely ever play bluegrass with others in a jam scenario. I mostly study fiddle tunes in my basement, work on my crosspicking, and play alternating rhythm/lead with my computer (I do have good speakers).

I am going through a change in guitars right now and am exploring some alternatives to dreads and unfortunately there isn't squat for shops around here.

What about OM's and OO's etc...? Do you who own them find they can handle flatpicking and strumming...It seems like many who get those lean towards fingerstyle.

Thoughts?

[Placida]

Dread guy here too, and flat picking is my thing, at home with usually nobody around. I recently bought a 000 (OM) size guitar that is perfect for flat picking though not as loud and boomy as a dread. But I get all the tone and volume I desire out of it. Inside your house (or basement), you will be pleased with the volume and equally or more so pleased with the comfort of a smaller body. You just have to find the right guitar, one that has the sound you are looking for.

[Wade Hampton]

OM's were first designed and intended as rhythm guitars for the Big Bands that gained popularity in the late 1920's. They make MAGNIFICENT rhythm guitars, and most brands can handle medium gauge strings and flatpicking just fine.

I've played short scale 14 fret Triple O's and long scale OM's as my primary stage guitars for decades now, and while I do fingerpick some, most of what I do is with a flatpick. I love these instruments because they mic so easily and are so tonally balanced at every fret and in every chord position anywhere on the neck.

You can walk right out onstage with an OM and tell the sound tech to set the EQ dead flat, and the guitar will sound great. This is in direct contrast to the square-shouldered dreadnoughts I used to use onstage, which always require substantial EQ'ing to prevent feedback, with a resulting diminishment of the stage sound.

Anyway, the musical uses you can put an OM/14 fret Triple O to are limited only by your imagination. That's probably the single most musically versatile steel string acoustic guitar design on the planet.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[billgennaro]

I have owned two OM's (a Custom Martin OM-28 and a Froggy Bottom H-14). These are the two finest all around guitars I have ever had as far as being able to handle both flatpicking and fingerpicking are concerned. Not as much rumbling low end as a dread but plenty of bass and a great balance between the lows/highs/mids. Plus, the trebles on a good OM are superior (sweeter and rounder IMO) than those of a dread.

A 00 size is quite a different animal (again, IMO). They are typically mids/highs dominant and can lack a bit in the bass department. The trebles can be even sweeter than what an OM offers. They tend to excel at blues and ragtime picking, but are probably not the best choice for traditional flatpicking/strumming.

Of course, these are just my opinions based on my experiences. I've heard some hard core dread lovers opine that dreads can fingerpick with the best of them.

[Bruce Sexauer]

I am a flatpicker of a full fifty years experience. I do own a dread, but unless I'm backing up a fiddle I much prefer an OM or a a double 0. I make guitars to support my musical sensibility, and that probably explains why nearly any review of my work you will encounter mentions the surprising bass in my smaller instruments. Balance is my number one consideration because, as a flatpicker, I'm not looking for that Travis style bass bottom, I want all the notes to have equal value, impossible, of course, but a worthy goal. On the flip side, my dreads are remarked upon for the fact that the bass, while strong enough, does not overpowered the treble. That's because I have the same goals re balance in mind there as well. There are a few of my guitars for sale at any given moment, please give one a try when you get the chance.

[Woodpecker]

Thanks for the input. I am keenly interested in 12 fretters too...

It will be refreshing to try out a smaller body for my style of play and see how it responds. I recently bought a 12 fret small body from RK and it was a decent little guitar - I ended up sending it back but I really considered that just knock-around that I could take out to the garage etc...

I had my dread and that is what I did my serious picking with.

Any more suggestions on 12 fret or smaller body guitars....I need to stay under $2k.

[Br1ck]

I have a 12 fret 0015 custom that has surprising bass. The 000 15sm has plenty, if you like the all hog sound. Check out the customs LA Guitars have. The 17s have a spruce top if that is what you want. Lots in your price range.

[Woodpecker]

checking a couple of Eastman's...E20OM and an E10OM

[stephenT]

OO and OOO (and OMs) are the perfect acoustic guitar size, find a responsive example and it'll handle anything you throw at it. You might have to spend some bucks to get a good unit.

If you don't have access to a decent store I'd suggest contacting one (or several) of the AGF sponsors who are guitar dealers and will take a personal approach and help you find what might work for you. Ted at LA Guitar Sales comes to mind, also John at Shoreline and Maury's Music (and others).

Now that I've gotten use to smaller guitars, OMs feel big to me. I like the OO.

[Treenewt]

Originally Posted by Woodpecker

checking a couple of Eastman's...E20OM and an E10OM

My budget wouldn't allow for a higher end OM when I was on a search. I stumbled on an Eastman E20OM and fell in love. Tremendous value for the money (several for sale at a good price in the classifieds I believe). I'm primarily a strummer/flatpicker and the OM does great for me. No, it's not as boomy as a dread, but it's not thin either. A nice, lush yet punchy tone.

Good luck!

[Jim Owen]

Hi Woodpecker,
Since 72, I've played 000 18s. To me, they take picks or nails just fine. I think they are the most balanced guitars Martin makes--the bass doesn't overshadow the treble and vice versa. I'm a bender, so short scale helps there.

If I could only have one guitar, twould be a 000.

[devellis]

I like both 00s and OMs. A good 00 can be a real surprise, putting out more sound and more bass than you might expect. On the other hand, not all 00's are capable of that kind of output. Huss & Dalton makes especially nice guitars in this size. I'll occasionally flatpick Irish fiddle tunes on a Huss & Dalton 00 and the sound is both sweet and surprisingly powerful and the size makes playing very comfortable. As for fingerpicking, they're pretty tough to beat across a range of styles, with a bit more clarity and focus coming from mahogany and a bit more sweetness and lushness from rosewood, but the two overlap considerably in their tone profiles.

OMs are wonderful, versatile guitars and across a wide price range are very capable instruments. As others have said, while they may lack the chest-rumbling bass of some dreadnoughts, their strong but clear bass notes are very appealing and I actually prefer them to the more overpowering bass of some dreads. I like spruce/mahogany for that size of instrument and that combination typically gives excellent clarity with a lot of power. With rosewood, you might expect more fullness which could work well for primarily rhythm playing but neither wood is a one trick pony by any means.

Go play some nice OMs and 00's and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. If a pre-purchase trial is out of the question because of your location, I think you could get a nice OM from a reputable dealer and a well-established builder without too much risk. With a 00, unless it were Huss & Dalton, Collings, or a similarly excellent builder, it might be better to try before you buy, just to be sure that your expectations are met. That's not to say that other builders don't build excellent 00's but just that there's more variability in them, I think, than in OMs.

[Woodpecker]

Great input - thank you. I've narrowed it down to these 3:
Recording King RO-310
Blueridge BR-143A
Eastman E10om

Anybody own these any current comparisons (I've looked over all the old threads )?

Would like to hear how these are treating you after owning for awhile.

Thanks in advance!