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  #1  
Old 04-17-2011, 09:12 AM
soma89 soma89 is offline
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Default Vintage Martin 0-17 and 0-15 vs. Vintage Guild M20

Has anyone compared these two small body mahogany's?
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Old 04-17-2011, 09:43 AM
bohemian bohemian is offline
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Not owned but played the 0-15 and 17, owned a 1939 00-17

I prefer my 1959 Guild M-20
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Old 04-17-2011, 10:11 AM
soma89 soma89 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bohemian View Post
Not owned but played the 0-15 and 17, owned a 1939 00-17

I prefer my 1959 Guild M-20
Interesting, what was different about the tone/playability?
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Old 04-17-2011, 05:36 PM
bohemian bohemian is offline
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The Guild is between an 0 and 00. Much lighter built.
Very responsive and clear. A joy to play.
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Old 04-18-2011, 11:08 AM
bobdcat bobdcat is offline
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One big difference is the narrow and low-profile nature of the M20 neck. These guitars were marketed as "student" models so they are optimized for small hands. Officially, they are listed as 1 11/16" at the nut, but you'll find that they are narrower than that in practice. This is a plus for some and a negative for others (like me).

I have a 1951 Martin 00-17 that feels much more comfortable for me. Too bad because I really loved the M20 I used to own. But it was very tiring and painful to play it for very long. This has to do with the arthritis I have in my fretting hand. Your experience may be quite different.

The original Hoboken M20s are the best. The Waverly, RI ones are good, too. The recent re-issues are a very different guitar - much more heavily built.
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Old 04-20-2011, 06:36 PM
soma89 soma89 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bobdcat View Post
One big difference is the narrow and low-profile nature of the M20 neck. These guitars were marketed as "student" models so they are optimized for small hands. Officially, they are listed as 1 11/16" at the nut, but you'll find that they are narrower than that in practice. This is a plus for some and a negative for others (like me).

I have a 1951 Martin 00-17 that feels much more comfortable for me. Too bad because I really loved the M20 I used to own. But it was very tiring and painful to play it for very long. This has to do with the arthritis I have in my fretting hand. Your experience may be quite different.

The original Hoboken M20s are the best. The Waverly, RI ones are good, too. The recent re-issues are a very different guitar - much more heavily built.
I'm still stuck between the Martin 0 or 00 mahoganys and the Guild M20 but nothing beats a small body mahogany for me. Does anyone know of any other vintage guitars that fit these charactaristics?
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Old 04-20-2011, 06:43 PM
gitnoob gitnoob is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by soma89 View Post
I'm still stuck between the Martin 0 or 00 mahoganys and the Guild M20 but nothing beats a small body mahogany for me. Does anyone know of any other vintage guitars that fit these charactaristics?
Vintage specifically? They made a bunch of mahogany-top parlors in the 1920's and 1930's.



Gibson probably made some mahogany-top LG2's (and a ton of ladder-braced LG0's).

Have you already tried a modern 00-15? Hard to beat. Even compared to a vintage Martin.
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Old 04-20-2011, 07:14 PM
bohemian bohemian is offline
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The nut on my 1959 "ghost" label is 1 5/8ths plus a little...

I put 11's on it, tune it down a whole step and capo at the 2nd fret.

This gets me to pitch and makes the nut 1 3/4...

Try the 00-15M
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Old 04-21-2011, 10:03 AM
8daypsalmist 8daypsalmist is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bohemian View Post
The nut on my 1959 "ghost" label is 1 5/8ths plus a little...

I put 11's on it, tune it down a whole step and capo at the 2nd fret.

This gets me to pitch and makes the nut 1 3/4...

Try the 00-15M
Bohemian, are we brotha's from different motha's?

I do the same thing, but with a different variation. Also with a Ghost Label '59 M20 (lightning striking twice, LOL), I string with 12-53's, tune down to DADGAD, and capo at second fret. Gets me the 1 & 3/4 nut width AND a 12-fretter! Bonus: DADGAD in the mo-betta singing key (for me) of E. If playing in regular tuning, I also string with 11's - a beautiful match for the M20.

Peace,

James
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Old 04-21-2011, 04:25 PM
bohemian bohemian is offline
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#1155

44 of a batch of 73

I'll try some .012s

What's your serial number ?
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  #11  
Old 04-22-2011, 11:21 PM
soma89 soma89 is offline
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Random question..what has a bigger body..the m20 or the 0-17?
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  #12  
Old 04-23-2011, 12:13 AM
sfden1 sfden1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gitnoob View Post
Vintage specifically? They made a bunch of mahogany-top parlors in the 1920's and 1930's.



Gibson probably made some mahogany-top LG2's (and a ton of ladder-braced LG0's)..
There are no mahogany top LG-2's.
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Old 04-23-2011, 12:19 AM
sfden1 sfden1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 8daypsalmist View Post
Bohemian, are we brotha's from different motha's?

I do the same thing, but with a different variation. Also with a Ghost Label '59 M20 (lightning striking twice, LOL), I string with 12-53's, tune down to DADGAD, and capo at second fret. Gets me the 1 & 3/4 nut width AND a 12-fretter! Bonus: DADGAD in the mo-betta singing key (for me) of E. If playing in regular tuning, I also string with 11's - a beautiful match for the M20.

Peace,

James
Ah, now why didn't I think of that. My Hoboken M-20 is a neat guitar, but the width at the neck takes some getting used to. Thanks guys for the suggestion here.

Dennis
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  #14  
Old 04-23-2011, 08:31 AM
bohemian bohemian is offline
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soma89



Martin 0... Total length 37 3/4 length 19 1/8 width 13 1/2 depth 4 1/16

00 12 fret ... Total length 37 3/4 length 19 5/8 width 14 1/8 depth 4 1/16

00 14 fret ... Total length 38 5/8 length 18 7/8 width 14 3/16 depth 4 1/8

M20 14 fret... Total length 38 3/4 length 18 1/8 width 13 11/16 depth 4 1/8

Last edited by bohemian; 04-23-2011 at 02:58 PM.
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  #15  
Old 04-23-2011, 11:47 PM
sfden1 sfden1 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sfden1 View Post
There are no mahogany top LG-2's.
I stand corrected. Gitnoob was kind enough to send me this link: http://theunofficialmartinguitarforu...all-amber-LG-2 that shows that indeed Gibson did make some LG-2's with mahogany tops. Never say never when it comes to Gibson.

Thanks for the correction Gitnoob. Every day you learn something new is a good day.
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