00 All Around Player

[Dondoh]

Are the blue ridge parlors 00 sized?
I was under the impression that they were 0 or smaller.
Could one of you pull out a ruler and measure the bouts and the depth?

[00Buck]

Originally Posted by Dondoh

Are the blue ridge parlors 00 sized?
I was under the impression that they were 0 or smaller.
Could one of you pull out a ruler and measure the bouts and the depth?

Lower bout is about 14 inches. Upper bout is about 9 5/8 inches. Depth at end pin is about 4 1/8.

Parlors and 00 are all over the place in terms of actual size. The Blueridge parlor is closer to an 00, using Martin as a standard. Lots of so-called 00 guitars have a lower bout around 15 inches making them closer to a 000 in my book.

[Pitar]

I owned the Larrivee OO-05 for about a year and it's the only steel string I should have kept. I remember getting a bad cough and it would echo me every time I coughed while hanging on the wall. No other guitar I had at the time did that (Goodall RCJC, Guild F412, Larrivee OMV-09E, Taylor 310 Koa Legends), but the small box gave a small sound by contrast to them. It was them I should have divested and not it.

[markrj]

Just took delivery of a Larrivee OO-40. Absolutely love it.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by 00Buck

Happy hunting. It's hard to find moderately priced 12 Fret guitars.

Over on the Larrivee forum there are a couple of the Larrivee Forum-III guitars for sale. Those were a limited run for the forum. LS Body, 12 fret necks. Those were made long ago that the mahogany ones are genuine South American Mahogany.

(LS body is a "small L" - essentially a 15" classical shape)

[imc2111]

Originally Posted by Frozen Rat

Look at my signature, 00s are all I own now. They are perfect (for me).

From your list I highly recommend the Eastman E10 00. It has a 1 13/16th nut though, so if that's a deal breaker keep looking. Don't pay attention to any ad you see that says otherwise, like 1 3/4, they're not and some sites have that info wrong. My second from that list would be the Martin 00-17, which might be my first choice if I found a really nice one.

Which one is your favorite 00 and what do you think of the Martin 00 you own?

[jazzguy]

Martin 00-18 Standard Series. I own one and it is fantastic. I too think the 00 size is (for my body) the perfect sized guitar. If you have not already played one, I strongly encourage you to do it. 14 fret, 1 3/4, mahogany b/s, spruce top, short scale.

end of last year I bought an RK RP-626C also and I liked everything about it except it had the same issues you mentioned. at the time I considered whether to replace it but because the weather was extreme and I was a little suspicious that warehousing was doing the damage I got a refund instead of an exchange.
anyway I've pondered a replacement for months since then.
I've settled on a breedlove concertina (sized) instrument. my other options were (are) a gibson L-00 12 fret, martin 00-17S, BR361/71, alvarez MPA70 or a breedlove parlor.
I would've happily considered a takamine EF740TS but I fear it's too deep and I would find it uncomfortable.

[Nctom]

To echo AZliberty, the used Larrivee Forum IIIs listed on the Larrivee site are fantastic guitars. I own a mahogany/Italian spruce one that is one of my primary players. Although the LS is OM/000 sized, it feels more like an 00.The South American mahogany, the 12-fret neck, and the choice top are real values in a smaller guitar. It gives my Waterloo a real run for the money.

[M Sarad]

I bought a Northwood L00 of Torrefied Adirondack and Mahogany. It holds its own when compared to my Santa Cruz, Merrill, and Brondel.

[Luckymud]

Originally Posted by jazzguy

Martin 00-18 Standard Series. I own one and it is fantastic. I too think the 00 size is (for my body) the perfect sized guitar. If you have not already played one, I strongly encourage you to do it. 14 fret, 1 3/4, mahogany b/s, spruce top, short scale.

+1 on this. The 00-18 is such a comfortable size. If you're adamant about the 00 size then this is a very versatile guitar.

[Dondoh]

Originally Posted by 00Buck

Lower bout is about 14 inches. Upper bout is about 9 5/8 inches. Depth at end pin is about 4 1/8.

Parlors and 00 are all over the place in terms of actual size. The Blueridge parlor is closer to an 00, using Martin as a standard. Lots of so-called 00 guitars have a lower bout around 15 inches making them closer to a 000 in my book.

Thanks 00Buck!

[Grantgreen42]

Originally Posted by rnjguitar

After extensive buying/returning/selling I realize my most comfortable guitar size is a 00. I didn't realize how nice a 00 could sound as a strummer until I picked up a Recording King RP2 626 Schoenberg - wow it is fantastic!

Unfortunately the one I bought from Amazon had the bridge lifting away and the fret edges were super sharp. My guitar tech told me no way should a New $7-$800 be in this condition. So I returned it and bought the cutaway version from GC, bridge was fine - but the frets were still a problem. I didn't accept delivery.

Bummed because the sound and playability was everything I was looking for. I'm not so sure I'll try a 3rd time with the RK - so I'm looking at a few other models, would love to get any feedback the AGF forum has to offer.

Larrivee 00-40
Martin 00-17s
Blueridge BR - 341
Eastman E10-OO

I am trying to re-create the specs of the Schoenberg:

Spruce over Mahogany - All solid wood
1 3/4 Nut width
12 fret
Full Scale (only the Larrivee has this of the 4)

Any info on these or suggestions on guitars of similar specs for an all around 00 would be welcome. Looking to keep it under $1500. Thank you!

Jon

I own several guitars and have played all that you list with the exception of the Larrivee. All are excellent for value I would go with the BR 341 ...this is essentially a Martin spec guitar and sounds very great. It is my go to backyard couch guitar...in fact we got some sunshine and good weather today and here is a video of me playing it in my backyard:


https://youtu.be/sCHe4R3DG_g

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by Grantgreen42

I own several guitars and have played all that you list with the exception of the Larrivee. All are excellent for value I would go with the BR 341 ...this is essentially a Martin spec guitar and sounds very great. It is my go to backyard couch guitar...in fact we got some sunshine and good weather today and here is a video of me playing it in my backyard:


https://youtu.be/sCHe4R3DG_g

Great playing, Grantgreen42. Gimmie those fingers, LOL.

[Shaneh]

Every recording king but one have had sharp frets. Very cheap to get the filed down and even had one place I bought it do it for for free, as you would hope. Other than the frets recording kings can be great but they vary a fair amount from guitar to guitar.

I played an amazing used 001a Collings at Gryphon but it was more around 3800.