Bigger sounding smaller body guitar?

[Deliberate1]

I am looking for a box that is smaller in the hand but sounds big to the ear. I am new to the guitar world but have jumped in, both feet, with no life vest.
Just a year ago, I bought my first guitar, a lovely Larrivee 000-40 RE custom. Without knowing really what it was, it has proved just perfect, especially the size. Then late last year, wanting to try a dread size box, I found a Bourgeois Slope D 12 fret. It is a great instrument in so many ways, but it feels like I am hugging a bear, or what I imagine that be like. If it was my first guitar, I probably would not have known any better. But the 000 size is just perfect in my arms. And the dread less so.
I have since looked at a variety of body shapes and sizes - Concert, Grand Concert, 0000, unique and others - until my eyeballs bled.
I have read many reviews of smaller (aka parlor/00) size guitars that seem to defy physics and sound bigger. I am not interested in that size. But I would love to have a 000-size guitar (short scale? 12 fret?) that has the voice of a bigger guitar, particularly on the bass end. To that end, are there makers, wood combinations, neck lengths that I should explore. I have to say, it has been a very enjoyable trip down the rabbit hole....
Thanks
David

[JERZEY]

This is a super common question we all ask at some point.

Are you looking for better sound from the players position or the audience?

I find that an OM body with a sound port fits me well. Sadly without the volume there is little you can do to create a bigger sound in the end. Slight variations can be had but nothing to major. Now in the travel segment you can find guitars like the GS Mini and the Martin JR models that certainly sound bigger then they are but in the end, nothing can replace the full sound you get from a large body guitar.

[HodgdonExtreme]

Take a look at this thread about the Martin M36:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=572038

[cmd612]

Is it the width or the depth or both that bothers you with a dread?
If it's the body depth, something with 000 depth but a wider bout might get you where you want to be - Martin's 0000/M size or Santa Cruz OM Grand, for example. I solved a similar dilemma for myself by getting a small jumbo--roughly based on a Gibson J-185--that was built with a shallower body depth than that body style usually has.
If you don't want a wider lower bout but don't mind depth, on the other hand, maybe you'd like a deep-bodied OM. Collings and Bourgeois both have some; I'm sure there are others.
If you don't want anything bigger than 000 in either width or depth, then a 12-fret might help.

[SalFromChatham]

I think the new designed Martin 000-28 standard has a much stronger bass than pre-design...

If I were to have one guitar, this one would be strong in the running with a J45.

[Neil K Walk]

I would quantify an OM as a midsize guitar but with a deeper body they can sound bigger - because they are. Volume has a lot to do with the amount of air being moved. That being said, the biggest sounding OMs I've ever played were Tim McKnight's OM-Ds with a soundport which IIRC are 1/2" deeper than a traditional OM.

[jseth]

Try to get your hands on a Goodall Parlor... James builds his Parlor guitars to a OO size, so they are small bodied, but the few I have played have had BIG volume and tone!

Goodalls are not inexpensive, but I see by the guitars you've already tried that money isn't too much of an object.

There IS a basic fact of physics in play here, however... no matter who builds the guitar, there's only "so much" you can get from a small body, especially in the lower registers.

[RP]

Martin's 00015SM meets your criteria....

[palsed]

Lowden S shape. Small guitar. Huge sound. Tone dependent on the wood combo, as the S comes in several, S23 and S25 the more common standard models.

[canyongargon]

For me, it tends to be depth and not width that makes a guitar comfortable. I'd definitely be looking at Martin M/0000 sizes, Grand OMs, or Gibson's J-45 Studio models which are OM-depth Slope Dreads. You don't lose much in the bass department and gain a ton of comfort.

[malcolm kelt]

I'm kind of where you are in terms of guitar comfort preference, although I have owned many dreads, Hummingbirds, D28's, Bourgeois and Collings as I get older I now prefer 000/OM guitars over dreads. I think the benefit is having a waist in the guitar makes it more comfortable, especially playing sitting down.
Maybe have a look at deep bodied OM's, I have a Collings deep body short scale and it produces great volume and is comfortable to play.

[BrunoBlack]

I have no idea what your budget is, but Froggy Bottom H12 (000) and Froggy Bottom C (00) satisfy your requirements.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by RP

Martin's 00015SM meets your criteria....

I love that thing! Doesn't really have big bass, but the notes are very even from top to bottom, which matters more for me.

Interesting that they miked it pretty close and back behind the bridge, like you might with a uke or a mando or a gypsy guitar. FWIW, that's also a great spot to mic a GS Mini.

[ChuckS]

A 12 fret 000 body, with its elongated body compared to the 14 fret, will have a fuller and more complex bass. I'd suggest staying in the rosewood family for back and sides. From there you need a builder that makes a responsive guitar. As someone earlier pointed out you need to decide if its big sound is for you (filling sound that wraps around to the player) or for the listeners (projecting sound). Big question is budget; to make a really good mid to small guitar probably takes more expertise. Would you be happy with another Bourgeois? What's your playing style?

[takamineGD93]

Now in theory...I understand that an arched back helps with volume and bass (eg, gs mini)
Thinner tops gives more volume?
A 000 with it's longer body already helps the bass?
So in theory a 000 with arched back and thin top could take us there (may not sound good)? Or am I wrong?