which "smallish body" short-scale Martin???

[Bobby1note]

I'd like to check out a short-scale smallish body Martin,,, something equivalent to a Taylor 714,,,814,,,914, etc and not sure where to start looking. Any suggestions/ recommendations?

[Shortfinger]

0-28VS, 12 fret slot head, soft vee neck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xf8...Q&t=86s&loop=0

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Bobby1note

I'd like to check out a short-scale smallish body Martin,,, something equivalent to a Taylor 714,,,814,,,914, etc and not sure where to start looking. Any suggestions/ recommendations?

Only people who are familiar with Taylor models are going to now what those are. How about some body dimensions?

[Dothraki]

Martin has the GPC, I haven’t played one though. I would recommend playing everything in the store…but that’s only what I do when I’ve got cash in hand. Well, not true I do it anyway lol. Check out the 000-18 too, haven’t played one but maybe it fits the bill.

[Bobby1note]

Originally Posted by Shortfinger

0-28VS, 12 fret slot head, soft vee neck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xf8...Q&t=86s&loop=0

VERY nice.

[Bobby1note]

Originally Posted by Dothraki

Martin has the GPC, I haven’t played one though. I would recommend playing everything in the store…but that’s only what I do when I’ve got cash in hand. Well, not true I do it anyway lol. Check out the 000-18 too, haven’t played one but maybe it fits the bill.

I believe I tried the 000-18 last week. Loved the feel and handling. I'm not 100% certain if it wasn't a 0000-18 though. I've got to go back to the store to check it out again.

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by Bobby1note

I'd like to check out a short-scale smallish body Martin,,, something equivalent to a Taylor 714,,,814,,,914, etc and not sure where to start looking. Any suggestions/ recommendations?

I have a Taylor 614ce and I wouldn’t consider the x14 body size a small guitar—it’s actually close in size to a Martin J body, which has the same depth as a dreadnought, a lower bout that is slightly wider than a dreadnought, but feels a bit smaller because it has a tighter waist. Also, the x14s are standard scale.

If you wanted something a little smaller that is short scale, a Martin 000 is the closest (Style 18 has mahogany back and sides and Style 28 has rosewood back and sides). It would be worth trying a 00 too if you can find one. I would be surprised if you played a 0000-18, since the 0000 size typically comes in rosewood (M-36). In any case, the 0000/M size is standard scale.

[Bobby1note]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Only people who are familiar with Taylor models are going to now what those are. How about some body dimensions?

Here's a link to an 814.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...diused-armrest

I'm new to Martin, so I'm unfamiliar with the model names and body sizes. I just bought my first Martin,,a CustomShop HD-28 last week, and looking for smaller-bodied "mate" for the CS. I've played the 714, which is essentially the same body as the 814 and 914, but that was over 20 years ago. Taylor refers to this body size as "Grand Auditorium".

Basically, I'm just looking for something that's not quite as bulky as the HD-28, mostly for noodling at home and playing with friends.

I just checked out the Martin John Mayer Signature OMJM, and that one was very impressive.

[mesabgM4]

The Taylor #12 models are their grand concert bodies with shorter scale length which are comparable to Martin 000 and 00 models. I would suggest trying out some of those. One of the finest guitars I ever played was a 00-28 standard.

[Wade Hampton]

Search out and play a Martin 000-28. It’s short scale and smaller than a dreadnought. Then look for a 00-28 or a 0-18 if you can find them.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Bobby1note

I'd like to check out a short-scale smallish body Martin,,, something equivalent to a Taylor 714,,,814,,,914, etc and not sure where to start looking. Any suggestions/ recommendations?

Martin designed some wonderful Concert "0" , Grand "00" and Auditorium "000" at the turn of the 20th century, but have largely abandoned them.

Taylor, to their credit, have chosen a very different direction using their own designs, and I cannot comment on them.

Martin reintroduced the "Vintage Series" some time ago which faded out rather quickly and are now difficult to find. However they have at long last reintroduced an 0 and 00 called , oddly, 012-28 and 0012-28. both with the Martin 24.9" scale. Listed at $4.4k

However Collings have been offering them for some time, but will (I assume) be more expensive, and probably superior.

In the last 2-3 years, I have acquired two Eastman guitars - an E20-P (size 0) and an E40-00 both of which give me great pleasure.

I cannot speak of prices in the US but the Eastmans are far less expensive and the quality is high.

[Lillis]

Well I chose a CEO7. It’s arriving today! Body size is inbetween 00 and 000. Has wide string spacing and V neck. Can’t wait.

[EZYPIKINS]

Originally Posted by Dothraki

Martin has the GPC, I haven’t played one though. I would recommend playing everything in the store…but that’s only what I do when I’ve got cash in hand. Well, not true I do it anyway lol. Check out the 000-18 too, haven’t played one but maybe it fits the bill.

Found this GPCPA1 at GC in Virginia. Had some damage on the back. So, got a pretty good deal.
Front was like new. Not one scratch on the pickguard. Frets, immaculate.
I believe these were targeted at Taylor players.
This one is Rosewood/Spruce. With Fishman Aura F-1 electronics.
Like all my guitars, it needed a setup. Now is really sweet. With that gorgeous Martin Rosewood tone.
Taylor's don't seem to do it for me. This one does.
GPCPA1.jpg

[GoPappy]

Originally Posted by Lillis

Well I chose a CEO7. It’s arriving today! Body size is inbetween 00 and 000. Has wide string spacing and V neck. Can’t wait.

Wise choice. I expect that you will be very happy with it. If I had to start selling off guitars to feed my family, my CEO-7 is last guitar I'd sell.

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by Bobby1note

Here's a link to an 814.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...diused-armrest

I'm new to Martin, so I'm unfamiliar with the model names and body sizes. I just bought my first Martin,,a CustomShop HD-28 last week, and looking for smaller-bodied "mate" for the CS. I've played the 714, which is essentially the same body as the 814 and 914, but that was over 20 years ago. Taylor refers to this body size as "Grand Auditorium".

Basically, I'm just looking for something that's not quite as bulky as the HD-28, mostly for noodling at home and playing with friends.

I just checked out the Martin John Mayer Signature OMJM, and that one was very impressive.

For those of us who are familiar with the x14/Grand Auditorium size, you’re throwing us off, since it’s neither small nor short scale. Here are the dimensions from Taylor’s website:

Specifications: Body Length: 20" / Body Width: 16" / Body Depth: 4 5/8"

They call it “mid-size” because they also make a jumbo-sized guitar that is roughly the size of Gibson’s super jumbos. Here is an article that goes into a lot of detail about Martin guitar sizes and other features. It’s missing the Super D, but you aren’t interested in a guitar that even bigger than a dreadnought anyway. As you can see, the Taylor x14/GA is very close to the Martin J body dimensions, and they are both standard scale.





If you want something smaller than the x14/GA and short scale, you are looking at a 000.* Not only is the top slightly smaller, the body isn’t as deep, and it is short scale. Then, as others have suggested, if that’s still too big, you can work your way backwards—00, 0, etc., but they will harder to find than a 000. The CEO-7 is another great candidate, as others have mentioned.

Andy (Silly Moustache) mentioned the 12-fret versions, which used to be referred to as Standard before Martin came up with the term “Standard Series” to denote guitars with style appointments of 18 and higher (e.g., 18, 21, 28, 35, etc.). The 12-fret designs are what all Martins looked like up until the the early 1930’s when they squashed the upper bout to introduce 14-fret guitars. Note that while those guitars are typically short scale, they also have a wider nut—1-13/16” or 1-7/8”, depending on the model/vintage. Here is the 0012-28 Modern Deluxe as an example.



* Back in the in the nineteenth century, as Martin’s guitars got bigger, the size designations got smaller: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. At that point, they had no place to go but 0, and when they made an even bigger guitars, they didn’t use negative numbers, but rather added zeros—00, 000, etc.