[Andy Howell]

I have both a Martin J40 and an OM (Santa Cruz).

The Martin Jumbo is indeed a very versatile guitar. It will handle most things well from strumming to flat picking, from country blues to even celtic finger style. It has that lush sound you associate with a Dreadnaught but with something extra about it. Mine has been retired from gigging for about 15 years but I recently dug it out for rehearsal and performance as my main guitar went in for some minor repair work. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed really playing with this again. If you are a strummer or claw hammer style player this would make a lot of sense.

The OM will have more focus and probably a greater clarity on individual strings. It won't have the overtones but it will have punch. With modern pickups this might be the only guitar you need.

My idea would be the neck of my J40 on my OM. The neck of my OM could be a little wider and certainly chunkier.

For me, a small jumbo would be ideal — and that is what I commissioned last time around. the depth of a jumbo has a lot going for it in a more focused design but it is uncomfortable for me — a Manzer wedge sorted all of that out!