OM size guitar for promising young player

[ChrisH]

Hey all-- I'm the tail end of a Wednesday night jam. One of the members is a 19 Y.O. young lady who comes from a musical family and who I can describe only as a guitar savant-- She plays beautifully, writes some wonderful music, and has the fastest fingers that many of the other players have ever seen. Anyhow, she's really good. Being 19, she has no money, and is playing a pretty cheap guitar. A couple other jam members and I would like to pool funds and get her a good guitar (we'll tell her to pay us back when she's rich and famous).

She's a small girl, with small hands, and spends a lot of time on the upper frets. So... we're looking for an OM or OOO size, 14 frets to the body, cutaway, 1 11/16 nut. Hoping to keep it in the high hundreds of $$$. Probably something of wood construction, although she kills with my GXi and asked me how much it cost (I lied, but my 2/3 quote still made her frown). She adores one of the other guy's D-35, but struggles with the size.

[Byrdmando]

Dont have anything gathering dust but that is one heck of a nice gesture. Good job.

[AZLiberty]

Louie, I think he's looking for ideas more than anything (but would take something if available)

The only think I have laying about wouldn't be suitable (12 string Dread).

High hundreds = ???

I'm going to suggest a used Larrivee OM-03. These can often be found for around $600-700. Newer ones have 1 3/4" nuts while older ones are 1 11/16".
You said cutaway though, and that adds quite a bit of expense.

A little lower in price would be one of the Korean made Breedlove "Concert" size. These are very nice guitars for the money but are usually laminate back/sides. (some are solid back as well)

[Fred]

Why not look into a Voyage Air? They sound good, are reasonably priced...and are good for travelling. She's young and mobile, right?

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by Fred

Why not look into a Voyage Air? They sound good, are reasonably priced...and are good for travelling. She's young and mobile, right?

Best Idea yet actually. When I was 19 a Voyage Air would have been extremely practical.

I happen to know that Ted at LA Guitar sales has a used OM-04 in stock.

[swsman]

Seagull Entourage Mini Jumbo used/new, or a Blueridge BR43. Maybe even a Silver Creek T170 used. All very comfortable to play. 14 fret neck joints - no huge need for capo.

[NewMartinFan]

Martin 000-15M came to mind for me. No cutaway, but meets all the other criteria, including price.

http://www.maurysmusic.com/inc/sdeta...5m/31200/94757

The other that comes to mind is this Takamine. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...lectric-guitar I own the non-cutaway version of this.

[00Buck]

The specifications you've put together make you goal very difficult. I love small body guitars & keep pretty good track of them. I can't think of anything that fits your specifications. You might have to make some compromises.

[Funkstarfish]

cutaway and 1 11/16 nut do not often mix, that is true, but the rest is quite doable...

[Funkstarfish]

Originally Posted by AZLiberty

I'm going to suggest a used Larrivee OM-03. These can often be found for around $600-700. Newer ones have 1 3/4" nuts while older ones are 1 11/16".
You said cutaway though, and that adds quite a bit of expense.

I suppose id agree with that and may be able to help...

[dkwan9]

I think a Taylor 114ce or 214ce would come the closest to meeting your criteria.

If she likes the Martin sound, there are a couple options that won't break the bank. The 000X1AE is very popular and an excellent guitar for the price. It is a 000 14-fretter with a 1 11/16" nut, but no cutaway. If the cutaway is essential, maybe look at the Martin OMCX1KE, which is is an OM 14-fretter with a cutaway, but a 1 3/4" nut. Both are these have HPL back and sides, so if that's a deal breaker, these probably won't be a good choice.

If all else fails there's always the GS-Mini

PS. I think it's awesome that you guys are doing this for her.

[pieterh]

Try an entry level Furch/Stonebridge: OM20 or similar. Smaller guitars suit my wife and we got a good deal on a NOS OM23 SF (spruce/flame maple). I've yet to find more guitar for the money. Entry level all-solid OM20 used will fit the
bill. Dunno offhand if they can be found with cutaway. If a GA style works then their G20 would be a good choice too!

footnote: great gesture guys, good luck!

[AZLiberty]

To Recap:

OM body + cutaway + 1-11/16" nut is going to be very hard.

How important is the cutaway and 1-11/16" nut?

One other guitar that has not yet been mentioned is a Guild (GAD) F-30. A hair smaller than an OM, but pretty certain they kept the 1-11/16" nut. (again no cutaway)

[DrRhythm]

I'd recommend a Faith Venus as they are brilliant guitars for the money, and hit your specs pretty much dead-on.

43mm (1-11/16") nut, cutaway, OM-esque body... and stunning tone. But, (isn't there always a 'but'...?) I'm not sure how easy they are to come by in the States.

If you can find one, I'd go for it in a millisecond.

[Claytone]

A Wechter Parlor comes to mind...I have not played one yet, but if the quality is as good as their other products, this may be just the ticket.
The plek job on all their instruments make playing the upper registers a joy.
(around $400-600) Great thing you are all doing for her!!!