Best OM acoustic?

[jingram]

Originally Posted by jafranks

SJM FWIW, I have an OM-18 Authentic, not 1931 but the 1933 model. It is head and shoulders better to my ears than any guitar I have ever played. Period. Others will hear things differently than me, but for me the Authentic OM's coming out of the Marin factory are just the best that money can buy. I buy and sell on occasion, but when I sell that one you all will know that I've gone completely "outside my mind".

This!! I agree that my OM 18A is hands down the best guitar ive ever played..

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by sjm1580

Any thoughts on the Martin Authentic 1931 OM?

Thoughts? It's a fabulous guitar. However, and I can't believe it took 4 pages, the Martin 000-18 is the king/benchmark for all OM guitars........ I believe. Sweet, rich, full, piano-like tone that seems to linger forever. I have own(ed) most brands mentioned and the 000-18 remains (I have two) in the fold as my primary gigging and writing guitar. I own mostly OM/000 variants (some deeper, some slightly different) and the 000-18 has never been surpassed by anything. Matched maybe. Almost equalled.... but never surpassed.

That said, anyone willing to spend up to $4,500 certainly has the resources to do his/her own due-diligence to determine which is best to them. I would start driving and playing guitars until you find what sound you're looking for. If you can't get out, order 2 or 3 and evaluate them during the return period and return the ones that don't make the cut.

[bizango1]

I've had two SCGC OMs, currently have more than a couple Martin OMs. By far the most bass is in my 2003 Martin OM-42, and it also has the most "shimmer" of all my OMs. First time playing the OM-42 across from my guitar teacher he sarcastically said, "Well it certainly has enough bass". Doesn't make it my absolute favorite though, and the visceral feeling still isn't like the bass in a dread. I prefer a more balanced guitar like my OM-28A 1931.

Wade's suggestion of getting your arm off the top is a good one and you should try that bec your guitar might have plenty of bass for you if the top is free to vibrate.

[s2y]

I have a Bob Thompson OM and a Razo OM. Obviously, the BT OM is more traditional sounding and the Razo is more modern. They're both still versatile for flat picking and fingerstyle with good response and adequate volume.

[Jaden]

Try the 000-18 standard, my guess is your desire for deeper bass will be put aside in light of the round, sweet bloom of mahogany in that size and build. Entirely complementary to the OM-21 rather than any duplication.

[gfirob]

I was in a similar spot as you are now, in that I owned a Martin OM-21 having determined after a lot of experimentation over a lot of years that a rosewood OM from was the most versatile and comfortable guitar of my search. But I wanted better.

So I migrated from an OM-21 to an OM-28v to an OM-42 and the 42 was the winner. The 42 has what many describe as a "shimmer" a kind of high frequency resonance that some find pleasing and others do not. The bass is great, it is a loud bright guitar suitable for playing with others and of course looks great if you like the pearl.

But here is the other thing I learned: The model doesn't mean anything in that you will find a great sonic spread within the models. As an example, the OM-42 I ended up buying came from a field of 8 OM-42's and this one was the best. The others were very nice, but one of them really stood out. So you have to really play the ones you are thinking about and make sure you get the best candidate you can.

The second issue is that the necks are all different on these and it took me quite a while to get used to the neck on the OM-42 (I think it is some kind of low profile oval or something). It is the slimmest neck Martin makes. It is so thin that a Shubb Fine Tune capo bottomed out on it and would not work. Having gotten used to it, however, it is a great neck profile, and this has been my go-to guitar now for about 12 years. But you have to play more than one.

[jpd]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

No such thing as Best. Depends on your budget, playing style, wood preference and neck and string spacing preferences. Otherwise most of the recommendations are meaningless.

Ta-Da

[Fresh1985]

Furch make outstanding OM guitars in the vintage series. Im a big martin fan but furch particularly in europe offer significantly better quality for less.

[Wuchak]

IMHO you already have one of the the best OMs available. You can get different but not better. My OM-21 knocked the OM-28v off its perch. Try some different mixed med/light gauge sets on the OM-21 and play the snot out of it hard for a few weeks. Elixr Nano Med/light, and Martin Retro MLJ 13's both sound amazing on my OM-21. I suggest starting with the Nano's. The extra mass on the bass strings really bring out the low end without adding much additional string tension. I use the mixed gauges on all my smaller bodied guitars (0, 00, OM) and they are the secret to bringing them to life.

I've played McKnight, Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom, Collings, McPherson. There wasn't one that I'd trade for my OM-21. I would like one of those Santa Cruz H13's to join the OM-21 though. That 00 size with deep body is some kind of magic sound.

[Fresh1985]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

There are so many great options and every one will have an opinion based on personal experience, as do I (see below). But finding a good and well stocked shop in which will allow you to sample some amazing guitars can go a long way to helping narrow down the choices that are best for you.

If you can give us a general idea of were in Florida you are then perhaps some folks can make suggestions about which stores to check out.

My suggestion is a Furch vintage 3 OM. It will bring you in under budget and give you a guitar that rivals guitars costing twice as much.

+1 on the furch OM vintage 3. Koa binding, madagasgar rw headplate, master grade woods. Not sure how much it would cost out in the u.s. But here in europe it would cost you about £1000 less than a martin OM28! If I eventually sell my martin 00-28 it will be to buy that furch.

[Lefty42]

Plus one with the Santa Cruz Om/pw.

[taylorgtr]

There are almost too many good OM choices out there. Santa Cruz and Bourgeois (and probably Huss and Dalton) would be my high-end choices. On the more affordable side, Larrivee and Eastman are both great playing / sounding guitars. I love my E-40 OM.

[sjm1580]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Thoughts? It's a fabulous guitar. However, and I can't believe it took 4 pages, the Martin 000-18 is the king/benchmark for all OM guitars........ I believe. Sweet, rich, full, piano-like tone that seems to linger forever. I have own(ed) most brands mentioned and the 000-18 remains (I have two) in the fold as my primary gigging and writing guitar. I own mostly OM/000 variants (some deeper, some slightly different) and the 000-18 has never been surpassed by anything. Matched maybe. Almost equalled.... but never surpassed.

That said, anyone willing to spend up to $4,500 certainly has the resources to do his/her own due-diligence to determine which is best to them. I would start driving and playing guitars until you find what sound you're looking for. If you can't get out, order 2 or 3 and evaluate them during the return period and return the ones that don't make the cut.

Unfortunately, there are no Santa Cruz or Collings dealers anywhere near me. Maybe it's just me and my lack of experience in purchasing guitars but wouldn't it be very poor form to order 2 or 3 guitars for the sake of trying them out and then return two or all?

[sjm1580]

Originally Posted by Wuchak

IMHO you already have one of the the best OMs available. You can get different but not better. My OM-21 knocked the OM-28v off its perch. Try some different mixed med/light gauge sets on the OM-21 and play the snot out of it hard for a few weeks. Elixr Nano Med/light, and Martin Retro MLJ 13's both sound amazing on my OM-21. I suggest starting with the Nano's. The extra mass on the bass strings really bring out the low end without adding much additional string tension. I use the mixed gauges on all my smaller bodied guitars (0, 00, OM) and they are the secret to bringing them to life.

I've played McKnight, Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom, Collings, McPherson. There wasn't one that I'd trade for my OM-21. I would like one of those Santa Cruz H13's to join the OM-21 though. That 00 size with deep body is some kind of magic sound.

Thank you, will do!

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by Fresh1985

+1 on the furch OM vintage 3. Koa binding, madagasgar rw headplate, master grade woods. Not sure how much it would cost out in the u.s. But here in europe it would cost you about £1000 less than a martin OM28! If I eventually sell my martin 00-28 it will be to buy that furch.

In the States A Martin OM 28 would run about the same price as a Furch Vintage 3. But the Vintage 3 is more akin to a Martin OM 45.