Martin 000-28 or 00-28?

[Bob from Brooklyn]

It's harder to make a small guitar sound large than vice versa. My general rule of thumb is that small guitars are great as long as you have a larger one when the need arises.

[StillStephen]

Originally Posted by garthjmoore

Wife said I can get a new guitar (yeah!). Have played a variety of 0, 00, and 000 Martins. I'm only 5'8" with smallish hands, so a D and an OM are out.

So which would you get, a 00 or 000? I think an 0, which I do love, is a bit quiet.

Thx

OM and 000 are the same body - differences are in scale length and nut width. Have you tried a D? Body size and hand size really shouldn't be used as a factor. I'm 5'7" with average hands and play both a D and a 000-28. If seated all the time, you may find the smaller body a bit more comfortable - or try a 0000 size. A small body will never sound like a Dread - even an OM, although considered very versatile, won't match a Dread in tone.

[mawmow]

Same height but with a belly...

OO vs OOO is not only a matter of comfort, but also depends on
what you want to play : fingerstyle or chord strumming ?

As someone else mentioned OO are like Taylors concert (GC or xx2)
while OOO are like Taylors auditorium (GA or xx4) :
Taylor suggests GA is versatile, say strumming and fingerstyle
while the smaller sister is for fingerstyle.
Now, a Martin is not a Taylor...

I play fingerstyle and I love my Martins OOO-18 and OODB as well as my
Taylors 412ce and 322 though they are different beasts wearing different
strings, so sounding quite different.

You see that I feel your dilemma and cured it getting both sizes... ;-)

[Kyle215]

If you’re not married to the idea of getting rosewood, you might try playing a CEO-7. The body is kind of between 00 and 000 and that Adirondack top gives it way more punch than you would expect out of a guitar that size. My 000-18 has not gotten much playing time since the CEO came to town.

[JustMunkee]

Originally Posted by StillStephen

OM and 000 are the same body - differences are in scale length and nut width. Have you tried a D? Body size and hand size really shouldn't be used as a factor. I'm 5'7" with average hands and play both a D and a 000-28. If seated all the time, you may find the smaller body a bit more comfortable - or try a 0000 size. A small body will never sound like a Dread - even an OM, although considered very versatile, won't match a Dread in tone.

See, I'm 5'7", average hands... and I find a dread WAY too big for comfort. Maybe if standing, but I play sitting down, struggle to get my right arm over it, feel it digging into me. Never played one I didn't find uncomfortable after 5 minutes! All my guitars are OM or smaller and I'm much happier!


To the OP - I'd look at a CEO7 as suggested (mostly because I want one!). The OM will fit you fine, only difference is scale length, being honest I find the 25.4 slightly better as my fingers are a bit chunky. 00 will be fun as it's a bit different to what most people go for...

[Jopapa]

But don't 00 and 000 have the same nut width (1.75")?

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Jopapa

But don't 00 and 000 have the same nut width (1.75")?

I believe most Martins do these days

[brencat]

Martin 000 and OM are the exact same size guitar. Only difference is the scale length. With other builders, a 000 might very well be a 12 fretter, but not with Martin.

Therefore, if you were willing to buy a Martin 000-28, you should strongly consider the OM-28 Modern Deluxe. It's the only guitar in their lineup with 2 1/4" string spacing. Everything else (including the 000-28, OM-28 standard, and 000-28 Modern Deluxe) has the 2 5/32" string spacing. All have 1 3/4 nut widths.

The OM-28 Modern Deluxe is a strong guitar and super versatile!

[wguitar]

If this would be your only guitar then an 000 or OM is the way to go. Also, body design affects comfort as much as size. For example, I just sold my old Taylor dread because it's uncomfortable to play, but I replaced it with a Northwood Mini-Jumbo that has a similar big sound, but the shape of the body makes it very comfortable to play. Also, consider short scale or 12-fretters ... they are very comfortable. Neck profile is a big factor as it relates to your hands. There are others, but Martin and Taylor both have very comfortable necks.

Good luck in your search!

Cheers!

[garthjmoore]

Thanks for everyone’s feedback. I’ve played/owned a lot of mahogany guitars, finding I like the tone of rosewood. I had a chance to compare a 0-18 and a 00-28 this summer and preferred the bigger size and rosewood. However, I think I may want more volume but still keep a short scale, hence the 000.

Throwing a wrench the whole plan is the Taylor 812 12 fret I played this summer and that my dream guitar—a Lowden S35c—is available on eBay for a big chunk of change. My wife said avoid the Lowden, get the Martin. She says Martin sounded woodier to her ear than a Taylor

Decisions, decisions....

[Picker1]

Wife wants you to get the Martin? Maybe you should get the Martin. Sounds like you want the 00-28 anyway

[Birchtop]

The 000-28 is on my short list.

[lukegard22]

Good price and LR Baggs pickup too!

https://reverb.com/item/37800543-mar...hardshell-case

Let me also add - if playing on stage, a guitar sounds like a plugged in guitar. Can be a 0 or a J-200. Size doesn't matter to a pickup. The pickup is going to sound like the nasty pickup.
But if you want ore volume for couch playing or jamming, then yes 000 wins in the volume category.
Dreadnoughts were built to be loud, then mankind invented the guitar pickup. Now we can play 0 guitars on stage and "kill banjos."

[MickZ]

Go for the 000. Bigger is better. You may want to try a slope shouldered dread like a J45, which also has a short scale. It's a bit more comfortable to play seated, the neck is fantastic, it's a breeze to play and it sounds great.

[DanR]

My question to the OP would be, do you play primarily with a pick or fingers? I would go with the 000 for flatpicking and the 00 for fingerpicking.