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  #1  
Old 02-25-2012, 05:16 PM
bfloyd6969 bfloyd6969 is offline
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Default Deep bodied OM

I'm in the market for an OM and was wondering what the purpose/advantages/disadvantages are of a deep bodied OM. Thanks.
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Old 02-25-2012, 07:43 PM
gitnoob gitnoob is offline
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The body depth affects a few things:

1) The air resonance frequency -- deeper (larger cavity) lowers it.

2) The quickness of attack/response -- deeper slows it.

3) The broadness of the lower-frequency response (I'm told) -- deeper broadens it.

But there's probably a good reason most OMs have a standard OM-depth. It seems to work pretty well.

I have a fairly-deep body OM (4-1/2"), and it seems to make it more "airy" and more "complex" -- I like it for fingerstyle. Might not work for a flatpicker.
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Old 02-25-2012, 08:14 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is offline
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Bryan, just to add to what gitnoob mentioned, the usual trade-off that you get by making an OM's sides deeper is that you get some additional bass response but generally at the expense of some acoustic projection. In other words, you'll get a more enveloping sound that might even be louder because of the additional air space in the body cavity, but paradoxically it probably won't project or cut through as well in a purely acoustic setting as the original OM will.

Something I harp on in a lot of my posts is the difference between volume and projection, because most players sort of lazily assume they're the same thing. But they're different properties.

This isn't as important to us now as it would have been to players a generation or two past, simply because we've got so many good amplification options open to us these days. But even the small amount of difference in the body depth that we're talking about here really does change a significant amount of an OM's tonal response and projection.

Short version: if you're going to primarily play solo and/or intend to plug in, a deep bodied OM might be a good choice for you. But for the way I play my OM, added body depth would actually make it significantly less useful for me.

Hope that makes sense.


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Old 02-25-2012, 08:27 PM
Saguache Saguache is offline
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I did a google search about deep body OMs and there were some consolidared AGF discussions about the subject that answered a lot of questions. Gave me more insite about my Bourgeois VJOM & newer trend deep body OMs.
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Old 02-25-2012, 08:49 PM
sdelsolray sdelsolray is offline
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Wade is spot on concerning the issue of projection. All other things being equal, a deeper bodied OM will be less focused and less powerful with its projection. However, all other things are rarely equal and deep bodied OMs are usually only deeper by 1/4" or thereabouts. In addition, projection is important only to an audience when playing unamplified - it matters little to the player (who is listening from above and behind the instrument) or to an audience listening to an amplified guitar from in front.

I've owned a "deep bodied" OM for 12 years, a 1999 Bill Tippin OMT. I've owned other OMs and played many others. For my ears and uses, a deep bodied OM, done right, is a wonderful instrument, adding just a bit "more" to the sound than a standard OM without any sacrifice at all.
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Old 02-26-2012, 12:28 AM
Kerbie Kerbie is offline
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I just got a new Collings deep- bodied OM. I didn't want the size of a dread, but I didn't want to lose too much bass. So, I like the deeper OM as a kind of in-between model. Excellent bass.
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Old 02-26-2012, 03:15 AM
bfloyd6969 bfloyd6969 is offline
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Thanks for the replies everyone. I was considering getting the Yamaha LS6, but perhaps now just might opt for the less expensive FS720S to see if a deeper bodied OM is for me or not. I do play solo so projection is not as much an issue with me - however, I do play with a flatpick as this guitar's intent is going to be for celtic, renaissance, and medieval flatpick repertoire.
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Old 02-26-2012, 07:45 AM
Jeff56 Jeff56 is offline
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I own a Huss and Dalton CM cutaway. OM with dread size depth. Deep bass with great overtones.
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Old 02-26-2012, 09:41 AM
Glennwillow Glennwillow is offline
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When I bought my Collings OM1A dread-depth guitar, I had the luxury of being able to compare it directly with a standard depth Collings OM1A. I also had my wife there to listen and help me evaluate. We both heard a little more bass and fatter trebles from the dread-depth body; otherwise, they sounded very similar.

- Glenn
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Old 02-26-2012, 11:46 AM
jdl jdl is offline
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+1 for H&D CM. Deep body, large sound, huge bass. Add Adirondack top and you have a cannon.
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  #11  
Old 02-26-2012, 12:00 PM
mb propsom mb propsom is offline
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As a builder, my first question to you is, "What are you looking for in an OM?" A qualified luthier can work within the general specs of a standard OM and manipulate the sound through choice of woods and bracing. Especially through the choice of soundboard material you achieve a broad spectrum of tonal quality--just as a player through changing his/her attack can coax different tones from the same instrument. So, what is your playing style, and what are the tonal qualities you seek? Keep in mind, of course you'll not have one single instrument that is the quintessential flatpicking, strumming, fingerstyle guitar.
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