Dreadnought vs. OM

[musicman1951]

Since every guitar and every player are different I'm going to assume we're speaking in generalities.

For me:

A dread usually has a little more headroom and is more bottom heavy (all my dreads were Martins). Better for accompanying a room full of singers if you are not using sound reinforcement, but considerably less responsive for delicate fingerstyle and less balanced over the whole tonal spectrum.

A 000/OM is more balanced and more responsive to fingerstyle. It handles flatpicking well, but without amplification generally give a little less sound than the dread.

In a crowd of musicians I prefer the dread. Solo with sound reinforcement I much prefer the smaller guitar.

Of course you can play any style on any guitar, but I found the finger pressure needed to get the dread to respond fully more than I was comfortable giving on a consistent basis.

[emtsteve]

The round shoulders and short scale length of my Gibson J-35 and Seagull S-6 makes them a bit easier to play than full size dreads, without giving up much, if any, bass response. However, 000 (especially 12-fret) and OM sizes are so sweet. If I had to go with ONE guitar for everything, it would not be a full size dread. I'm fortunate that I don't have to make that choice.

[MidfieldGeneral]

Originally Posted by Brooklyn Bob

For a little more variety I would look at a D18

Thanks that’s a great tip.

[Goodallboy]

Originally Posted by MidfieldGeneral

I have a Martin om28 which I really love. I am looking for a dreadnought now because I sold my Eastman E20D which never liked at all and I can't say why.

I'm thinking of getting a Martin D28, I'm guessing it's overall sound won't be that different to an om28. What do you think?

I think the D-28 and the OM would not be similar at all. I’ve owned both and the OM was nothing like the D-28. Nor do I think a D-18 would be more versatile, it’s a Dred and it does what Dreds do, quite well. Either one, the 18 or the 28 will serve as a nice Dred.

[YeOldRocker]

So much depends on the individual guitar, its construction and wood choices, and ultimately its individual player, beyond a simple dread-OM comparison. A Martin dread doesn't sound or play the same as a Taylor, for example, and this is equally true of any single brand OM or 000 sized guitars. Some GP guitars split the difference in sound and comfort, while others end up in a mediocre-sounding compromise and no more or less comfortable than a dread or OM. And then there's the player, his/her physical size while playing, and how that sound is perceived by the player, their style, etc.

Generalizations are often true, but only to the degree that most dreads are louder and bassier than most OM sized guitars. Beyond that, it's up to the person playing said guitar to determine which size they like more, and for what purpose.

[MidfieldGeneral]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

I think the D-28 and the OM would not be similar at all. I’ve owned both and the OM was nothing like the D-28. Nor do I think a D-18 would be more versatile, it’s a Dred and it does what Dreds do, quite well. Either one, the 18 or the 28 will serve as a nice Dred.

Thanks I will playa few dreads

[ssynhorst]

If you need a big sound and play with a pick, a dread or a jumbo will do the job. But if you don't need a big noise and want balanced lovely tone an OM is often the most versatile. If you finger pick and play mostly at home, a 000, 00, or even a good parlor may be best. The small sizes can be more lightly built and produce a fuller sound from fingers; sometimes surprisingly loud.

Big guitars have to be hit fairly hard to vibrate those big bodies and braces or they may just sound like deadwood. Plunky. - Stevo

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

Since every guitar and every player are different I'm going to assume we're speaking in generalities.

For me:

A dread usually has a little more headroom and is more bottom heavy (all my dreads were Martins). Better for accompanying a room full of singers if you are not using sound reinforcement, but considerably less responsive for delicate fingerstyle and less balanced over the whole tonal spectrum.

A 000/OM is more balanced and more responsive to fingerstyle. It handles flatpicking well, but without amplification generally give a little less sound than the dread.

In a crowd of musicians I prefer the dread. Solo with sound reinforcement I much prefer the smaller guitar.

Of course you can play any style on any guitar, but I found the finger pressure needed to get the dread to respond fully more than I was comfortable giving on a consistent basis.

Interesting take! I'd actually expand on it a little bit for my own playing (all these scenarios assume no amplification):

In a big room by myself, singing/playing, I'd want a dread with scooped EQ b/s like EIR and a loud top like Adi.

In a big room with a band, I'd want a dread with hog b/s to cut through the band, and a loud top.

In a medium/small room by myself singing/playing: OM/000 with EIR b/s

In a medium/small room with band: OM/000 or D with Mahogany b/s, loud top.

Small room, fingerstyle: OM/000/00, b/s dependent on style I'm playing. I wouldn't fingerstyle in any bigger than a small audience (friends/family) because I'm definitely not good (or confident) enough. Most articulate top I could find.

Guess this is why I own so many guitars...

[jaymarsch]

I have a 12 fret deep body grand concert long scale and a 14 fret slightly scaled down slope shoulder short scale. Best of both worlds and both comfortable to play.
Best,
Jayne

[geetaruke]

If forced to choose only one, it would be a dreadnought.

[leew3]

I played a dread for many decades and have gradually migrated to OOO, OM and OO sizes in the past few years. I now find a dread feels like "too much" or inefficient for my playing style. I love the direct sound of my smaller body guitars and find that they're plenty loud for strumming or single note lines. That said, I have a Taylor GS and a Larrivee L03 and love them both-not dreads but closer to that size than my other guitars. YMMV

[CuidadoCaliente]

It's like comparing car stereos. Some people prefer a system with high, middle, and low frequencies evenly balanced (OM) and other people prefer a system with so much bass that it drowns out most of the middle and treble (dreadnought or super jumbo).
Part of the problem is that because of the excessive size of dreadnoughts and super jumbos, the G, B, and high E strings are unable to sufficiently vibrate the top, even with higher tension strings.

[cdkrugjr]

A lot of people make great music on guitars of every description.

For me, there are "dreads I like the sound of," but there's no "Dread that Sounds Good For My Playing," which is VERY different.

For my playing, anything larger than a 000 is boomy, so a Dread is a bad choice for MY playing.

[buddyhu]

Like many folks, I started with a dreadnaught, and for decades, that was the only size that sounded “like a guitar should sound” to me.

About 9 years ago, I started exploring the realms of fingerpicking, and soon appreciated the many advantages of an OM. When folks try to enumerate these advantages (more comfortable, more balanced tone, sweeter, more immediate, more responsive, etc), none of the descriptions hold much appeal for me. But I love my Collings OM!

For my personal playing, my OM and my Grand Concert are my faves, but I recently added a 00, and that has been getting a lot of my playing time since it was unboxed. I am surprised by how much I like the intensity, focus, and projection of that small instrument, even though I can appreciate why some choose to call the tone “boxy” (a description that I would not endorse).

For a while, I did not own a dreadnaught, having sold my first guitar....a Yamaha FG180. The only reason I bought another dread was because I attend a regular bluegrass jam, and I felt I needed the thumpy bass in order to really fulfill he requirements of a guitar player playing that style in an environment where there are many other instruments occupying their own niches. The OM stood up pretty well in the jams, but a bluegrass jam tends to need that thick, over accentuated bass driving the action, and my OM couldn’t provide that.

While one can certainly fingerpick a dread, in general, one loses some nuance, responsiveness, balance, and sweetness (and comfort) relative to an OM.

For most of what I do, I prefer an OM, including solo strumming. But I am glad that I can own more than one guitar, because a dread is a wonderful tool to have.

It is funny to read statements, like, “if I could only own one guitar, it would be a dread”. Imagine a golfer saying, “If I could only own one golf club, it would be 5 iron”; or a cook saying, “If I could only use one spice, it would be salt.” If you just want to dabble in guitar, you may only need one guitar. But if this is something that gives you great pleasure, and that you devote a lot of time to, I would think that owning more than one guitar is pretty much inevitable. An OM is worth a try, especially for a fingerpicker.

[hairpuller]

I'll never buy another dread. Just not comfortable at all for me to play. Now I love 000's/OM's. Plenty of volume and some have more than enough bass (Pre*War) was ridiculous in that regard!

The secret is to not own or play with someone with a big bassy and loud dread. When there's not that comparison going on you won't miss the dread tone at all!

Best of luck!
scott