OOO more comfy than Dread.....

[Christian Reno]

Nothing wrong with discovering the comfort of small body guitars. No reason to think you are winey for feeling the discomfort of a big dread. Molly Tuttle plays a lot of flat picking, bluegrass style music, so a dread is the definitive sound in that style. The defining question for me is - If I had to have only one guitar for everything I do, what would it be? It would be smaller than a dread, no question. My absolute favorite guitar is my 1994 C1 Breedlove. It has a very narrow body, but produces amazing bass. This guitar does everything well and some things exceptionally well.

Small body guitars are more comfortable to play IMO whether standing or sitting, whether the player is big or small, but I have 2 dreads and they are for specific styles and I like the sound they produce for those styles. I don’t like the ergonomics and I wouldn’t own one as a main instrument, but I have the luxury of owning a few guitars so having a couple dreads for specific purposes is good for me.

[shekie]

Originally Posted by hatefulsob

But then I watch Molly Tuttle with an old D18 and think, “perhaps I’m a 6’1.5” winey little malcontent”? I’m still thinking about it. Am I alone in thinking this?

I'm yet another older guy who recently began to develop back and shoulder problems playing a Dread while seated. I gravitate toward the Martin sound and ended up owning an OM-28 rather than a 000-18 as the OM has a longer scale, more string tension, plays louder and the Rosewood back and sides provides plenty of bass for my taste.

I spent this last weekend at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival playing in jams and didn't feel that the OM was lacking in volume and/or quality of sound. Given my 5'6" stature, I also think my strumming mechanics are better with the OM as I don't have that long, awkward arm reach to deal with as I did with the Dreadnought.

[OKCtodd71]

In my own defense, I was born with a left arm that is "missing material and parts" that limits rotation about 33%- I cannot turn my left hand "palm up" at all. Can't field a ground ball or accept change back from a cashier, nor can I begin to hold a guitar neck, so I am right handed, playing lefty. My ortho surgeon has suggested bilateral shoulder impingement surgeries and I am going to have them done because it hurts to put a shirt on or off (watch it) and when I bought an OM 10 years back I swore that I would never own a dread again. I think I know what not to do now, and appreciate you folks reminding me via your comments.
Beers all around!

[westman]

was 6' - 30 yrs ago - always played jumbos, got an OM / 000 a few years ago and have to put 'padding' on my right thigh to raise the guitar an inch or two.
I had developed a posture over decades where my upper arm rests on the lower bout and hand falls over the soundhole.
the OM's proportions took my r/h out of it's customary position which was a tad uncomfortable and fatigue set in quickly.
just sayin

[AgentKooper]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

Not only do I question that, I reject it entirely. A Dreadnaught feels more comfortable and natural to me than any other shape, or at the very least I can say that no other shape is more comfortable.

All I meant is that it seems unquestionable to me that holding and playing a dreadnought forces you to open and stretch your wrist, elbow, shoulder, etc. joints to a greater degree and at more extreme angles than is necessary to hold and play a smaller guitar. Since I'm definitely not an expert in physiology, I shouldn't have said "ergonomically efficient" -- I guess ergonomic efficiency would be different for everybody.

Obviously this difference doesn't matter to everybody, as many if not most people have no problem whatsoever playing dreads. But it seems a fair proposition that many of the problems being discussed in this thread are due as much to guitar size as to playing posture, as important as that is.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Everton FC

My dreads never bothered me physically. The shape of my Alvarez is much different than my Seagull, and much heavier. When reaching for a dread, I grab the Alvarez, only because it's spruce vs. cedar.

I've simply fallen in love with the physical size, shape and ease/comfort of the smaller sizes. Nothing "physio" in my preference.

For me it was the tonal balance of OM's and 14 fret Triple O's that won me over from performing with dreadnoughts. What brought me back into the dreadnought fold was the tonal balance and power of my Gibson AJ, my Klepper KJ and now my red spruce-topped Martin Custom Shop D-18, all of which mic much better than my old rosewood Mossman ever used to.

But when it's a loud venue or a large room, I go right back to my 000-42 and my Larrivée OM-03W. They're just easier to deal with onstage, easier to mic, etc.


whm

[Yendoggy]

I am also on the camp at a lot of you are. I play nothing but Dreads My whole life. Didn’t even think there was anything else. Then I got my first small body guitar. And I pretty much never ever pull out the big guy anymore. Always the small Guitars. For me it’s not really a comfort thing it’s a sound thing I just prefer the smaller bodies. Also if you get the rain small instrument but punch that you get in in the mid range makes it pretty much as loud as a Dreadnought. At least that is how it feels.

Originally Posted by Yendoggy

I play nothing but Dreads My whole life. Didn’t even think there was anything else. Then I got my first small body guitar. And I pretty much never ever pull out the big guy anymore. Always the small Guitars. For me it’s not really a comfort thing it’s a sound thing I just prefer the smaller bodies.

Same for me. I had a prejudice against 00 and 000 guitars because of all the things I heard about them in the past. This was up until last year even, I never owned any small guitars. Now that's all I own. I think they are the best sounding of the sizes there is. They do not have weak bass. They are not quiet. They do not sound boxy. OK, the 0 size sounds boxy, but 00 and 00, nope. They sound amazing.

[Silly Moustache]

It is a matter of tools for the job.

Martin designed the models 0,00 and 000 for a specific purpose - wider 12 fret necks and beautifully designed bodies just right for being played seated and slotted headstocks for the easiest possible tuning.

It all changed in 1929 when they tried to make the 000 into a rhythm guitar called the OM for Perry Bechtel, (a sad failure which went into production in `1929 and were discontinued in 1933.

In 1934 they abandoned the ergonomic designs and tonal balance and went for rhythm guitar configs with the dreadnought and 000.

The 12 fret 0, and 00 are by a considerable degree the ideal dsigns for seated fingerstyle. The 000 "Auditorium" is also usually acceptable seated and designed to have sufficient projection for "auditorium performance.

I don't know about the 14 fret versions.

Dreadnoughts were never really designed for playing Spanish style seated.

[OKCtodd71]

I think rather than the "size" of a dread, for me anyway, it's the lack of a waist that makes them harder to deal with. I a briefly played a teacher Guild jumbo and I found it easier to deal with than a D.

[jazzguy]

Nope - your not alone. I have moved from full size guitars to OM, 000,00,0 sizes.

[Speedwagon]

#METOO

Just that little bit smaller body makes all the difference in the world. As time went on I became uncomfortable playing a dreadnaught and, believe it or not, wondered what I was going to do. Never really considered a smaller guitar...the I tried a 000-18 and it was an epiphany. Comfortable, easy playing, and clise enough to a D-18 in volume for a guy who does not gig. Brilliant!

[WindChaser]

I’m glad I read this thread. I’m 6 ft 2 in, 175 pounds, and 34 years old, and my right shoulder blade area has been hurting recently after playing on my dreadnought for even 20 minutes. I used to never have this problem until a few weeks ago. I’m going to try and work on my posture and see if that helps.

For those who find the dread uncomfortable, where does it hurt? Mine is on the outer edge of my right shoulder blade and into my right trapezoid. It even hurts right now after a good nights sleep.

[Goodallboy]

As a 6’1”, sometimes crabby, with two bad shoulders guitar player, I can support the idea that the 000 is more comfy. So I bought a very nice one. It didn’t do it for me. Not enough projection and depth, so what to do?

I arrived at a partial compromise, the Grand Auditorium (or Grand Concert) body style. I’ve owned a Goodall and now the McCollum. Both were somewhat more comfortable to play and in my opinion, were sonically far superior to the average Dread. The volume is there and instead of just being a loud guitar with deep bass, they have a much more balanced EQ and string to string balance.

You might string a better balance if the 000 isn’t punching hard enough.

[opencee]

The OP never mentioned that Dreads caused pain. He was only talking about comfort.

I'm 6' 4". I can hold and play any guitar size. I have shoulder problems that don't really bother me when playing.

I play seated, slouched, prone, or whatever is comfortable for me in deep chairs or on sofas. Good posture? Ha!

I fell in love with the 000 size 25 years ago. I finally got rid of my Jumbo and Dreads that wouldn't fit in my comfort-seating environment. My newest is a 00. It is my ultimate comfort guitar, and it's my very favorite for tone and projection.

I don't think that having a preference for any guitar because of tone or comfort is whiney or selfish. Playing any guitar for someone else's reasons would make me, as the OP said, a "whiney little malcontent."


opencee

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