0 and 00 Martins

Martinaylor · #1 07-17-2019, 04:16 PM

Anybody have experience with these? Not planning on getting one, but they just seem so odd to me, and I'm pleasantly intrigued. In what type of music would such guitars "shine" in?

pagedr · #2 07-17-2019, 04:29 PM

What do you find so odd about them? They're just smaller bodied guitars, no different than what any other brand offers. I see a lot of singer songwriters/folk musicians using them but I'm sure they are played by more genres. I personally love Martin 00's, super comfortable size and they good both strummed and fingerpicked.

jnf91 · #3 07-17-2019, 04:41 PM

The 00-18 is one of my favorite guitars to play around the house. I'm on my second one. Great to fingerpick, but still holds up pretty well to strumming and flatpicking(although it's no cannon). The new ones have a fantastic set of specs.

El Cheapo · #4 07-17-2019, 04:44 PM

Love my 0015M with Martin Monels on it! I play it at work everyday and it's small enough to take along on Boy Scout campouts. Comfortable to play and sounds nice picking or strumming.

rc3797 · #5 07-17-2019, 05:06 PM

I used to own a 1958 0-18 that looked like a complete dog. A ton of play wear and a side patch that scared everybody but me away, apparently. It was a KILLER fingerstyle guitar, and cut through the mix in a band situation like nothing I’ve ever heard.

db25364 · #6 07-17-2019, 05:08 PM

I have a 00-18V and a 00-15M. Love them both. I do a lot of finger picking. It is my favorite size guitar.

Martinaylor · #7 07-17-2019, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pagedr

What do you find so odd about them? They're just smaller bodied guitars, no different than what any other brand offers. I see a lot of singer songwriters/folk musicians using them but I'm sure they are played by more genres. I personally love Martin 00's, super comfortable size and they good both strummed and fingerpicked.

I don't think they're odd objectively - I just simply haven't seen any in my 20 years of gigging/playing until I saw one on the internet the other day. I find them odd because I had never seen anyone use such a small guitar before.

Martinaylor · #8 07-17-2019, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rc3797

I used to own a 1958 0-18 that looked like a complete dog. A ton of play wear and a side patch that scared everybody but me away, apparently. It was a KILLER fingerstyle guitar, and cut through the mix in a band situation like nothing I’ve ever heard.

Wow - super cool! Using it in a band; that sounds really cool. Probably didn't have to EQ much at FOH because it presented only the frequencies needed.

jpd · #9 07-17-2019, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martinaylor

Anybody have experience with these? Not planning on getting one, but they just seem so odd to me, and I'm pleasantly intrigued. In what type of music would such guitars "shine" in?

Where did that come from?

Jaden · #10 07-17-2019, 05:33 PM

Every time I go into the shops browsing, I’m always on the lookout for a 00 - they pack a punch and project well - no getting lost in a deep sea of reverb - but it seems this original guitar size, going back at least 200 years, isn’t too easy to find nowadays.

It’s very odd.

Martinaylor · #11 07-17-2019, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpd

Where did that come from?

See my reply to pagedr. I didn't mean "odd" negatively.

rc3797 · #12 07-17-2019, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martinaylor

Wow - super cool! Using it in a band; that sounds really cool. Probably didn't have to EQ much at FOH because it presented only the frequencies needed.

It was neat. I’m a worship leader, and it sat great in the mix on Sunday mornings. I ran a K&K through a Red Eye preamp and it was just right with a bit of a bump in the bass; really a nice middle ground between the bass and keyboards.

Silly Moustache · #13 07-17-2019, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martinaylor

Anybody have experience with these? Not planning on getting one, but they just seem so odd to me, and I'm pleasantly intrigued. In what type of music would such guitars "shine" in?

Might I assume that you grew up when the dreadnought was considered the standard size?

Allow me : C.F.Martin stared making guitars in the USA in the 1800s, right? (You knew that).

Back then there were relatively few Rosebowl sized venues and few heavy metal gigs.

Guitars were considered instruments for ladies when entertaining a small gathering/ soiree - all very domestic and polite,

The size 1 was the standard size for this.
The size 0 was called a "concert" size and intended to be sufficient to perform in a large room, small hall etc.
The size 00 was called (if memory serves) a "grand concert" - so, we are talking about a large hall, church, small theatre perhaps.

The 000 was introduced some time later - in 1902 and called the "Auditorium" and considered appropriate for a large venue of maybe 500 or more.

NOTE: all of the above were to be played un-amplified.

This was demonstrated to me some years ago ('70s?) when I went to see Stefan Grossman playing in a small Victorian theatre with, maybe 4-600 seats (?)

Through some sort of misunderstanding, no house p.a was available.

Stefan walked onto the stage, and after the welcoming applause he spoke to us and explained the problem and offered to play unamplified or offered people to go to the desk to get their money back.

He held up his Martin 00 and 000 and said, "well this was the size audience that these things were designed for!"

As far as I cold see, no-one left.

I was pretty high up at the back, and we heard every note.

Makes you think about how amplification has spoiled our enjoyment of music don't it?

Maryc-k · #14 07-17-2019, 05:50 PM

I have a ‘35 00-17 which is probably one of the best sounding and playing guitars I have. Great projection, and a dry woody sound. Love it. I also have a ‘53 0-18 with an Adirondack top. Super guitars, played fingerstyle or flatpicked.

gwlee7 · #15 07-17-2019, 05:51 PM

I have CEO 9. It’s a OO and I love it.