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  #31  
Old 02-09-2020, 08:25 AM
Rosewood99 Rosewood99 is offline
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Originally Posted by Mike McLenison View Post
Ok, I love the big sound, the dreadnought Martin growl. But a smaller acoustic for a smaller sound? Why spend thousands on a smaller sounding guitar?
I don't understand why you don't understand. Different tools for different uses.
  #32  
Old 02-09-2020, 08:49 AM
egordon99 egordon99 is offline
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Originally Posted by Mike McLenison View Post
Ok, I love the big sound, the dreadnought Martin growl. But a smaller acoustic for a smaller sound? Why spend thousands on a smaller sounding guitar?
Obviously not everyone loves the "big Martin growl"
  #33  
Old 02-09-2020, 08:50 AM
RussL30 RussL30 is offline
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I used to think the same thing. I’ve always been a dread guy and find dreads very comfortable.

My last three acoustics have been smaller bodies and I find them very fun to play and very satisfying tonally. The volume is decent on all of them, but they do lack some in bass compared to my dreads. They are full of tone though. There’s also an immediacy in response that I don’t get from my dreads that I really enjoy.

My small bodies have taken my playing in other places that I might not have gone if I only stuck with my dreads. I still like to bang out chords and flat pick runs on my dreads, but my small bodies sound pretty good too when I do that, just in a different way.

I’m just really glad I decided to open my mind to other guitar styles after being dread only for nearly 20 years.
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  #34  
Old 02-09-2020, 08:56 AM
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Some people prefer them and have a host of reasons why. I briefly owned a very nice Santa Cruz OM that just couldn't scratch my tonal itch as it applied to volume and projection. It was an amazing instrument and I marveled at how they could get that much sound from a small guitar, but it still sounded like a small guitar.
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  #35  
Old 02-09-2020, 08:56 AM
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For years I only played small, 00 12-fret guitars. I was convinced that dreads were just too big for me to play comfortably since I'm older and on the short side. I owned quite a number of really nice high-end 00 12-fretters and they were great guitars. But they did sound small. I played mostly delicate fingerstyle then so it worked. If you're amplifying then the size of the guitar becomes almost irrelevant anyway.

But I always found the 00 12-fretters lacking a bit on the low end and I found over time that I needed at least a 000 14 fretter. That gave me enough balance and as I was still mostly a fingerstyle player. Then I start strumming more just to get more upbeat songs for gigging out and eventually started to use a pick. Then I finally found guitars that amplified really well but they weren't the greatest acoustically only. One of them was a dread and I found that since I always play standing up, I could actually play a dread size guitar comfortably.

So then I bought a 12 fret dread just to have something to play acoustically at home and I've been just so blown away by that huge, deep, awesome big dread tone that I don't think I could go back. So I do understand the OP's sentiment although I also understand and agree with everyone else that different strokes for different folks and the right tool for the job and all that. But I also agree that for big, bold tone nothing beats a great dread. Especially a 12-fretter.

Sure, some smaller 00 sized guitars and punch above their weight and sound big but I seriously doubt any 00 sized guitar can ever sound as big as my 12 fret dread!
  #36  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:05 AM
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Loud don't always mean better. Don't get me wrong, I still like to use my dread for larger situations and larger picking circles etc. but sometimes the smaller guitars are what is called for. It really comes down to how the guitar is used and how it is played.
  #37  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:09 AM
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Nothing against dreads but I just prefer smaller body guitars in every way. A 00-12 fret being my go to instrument.

Tonally they are balanced with really sweet trebles and respond particularly beautifully to a lighter touch.

If I just liked to bang out big open chords or was primarily a bluegrass player then I probably would prefer a dread, but playing the way I do, a 00 is just a much better fit, horses for courses.
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  #38  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:09 AM
roylor4 roylor4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike McLenison View Post
But a smaller acoustic for a smaller sound? Why? Who doesn't love a big sounding acoustic? I can understand the live thing where you can provide the big EQ thing with a tiny guitar. But why not a giant dreadnought? Uncomfortable to play? Can't understand why anyone wouldn't want the big acoustic growl.
What don't you understand exactly? I'm just over 5'5" and over 200 lbs. Holding a dreadnaught is as comfortable as carrying a wheelbarrow under one arm.

Not everybody wants or needs the thunderous bass of a dread. IMO, smaller guitars have better string to string balance and are both easier to eq on stage and easier to mic for recordings.

I play live gigs every week from 1-4 hours in length. You can keep your big sounding big guitar. I'll opt for comfort.

FWIW, smaller guitars are all Martin built in the beginning. Early on, OM's were considered medium-large.
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  #39  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:21 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike McLenison View Post
But a smaller acoustic for a smaller sound? Why? Who doesn't love a big sounding acoustic? I can understand the live thing where you can provide the big EQ thing with a tiny guitar. But why not a giant dreadnought? Uncomfortable to play? Can't understand why anyone wouldn't want the big acoustic growl.
I hate Dreads. They are loud and clumsy sounding to me. They often have too many reverberated tones.

Claude Debussy once said “Music is the space between the notes” on a dread- there is less space.

A have 2 small body guitars- Grand Concert Taylors- One is the clearest sounding 12 strings I’ve played in 25 years.
My 6 string GC plays beautifully.
  #40  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:24 AM
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As others have stated, comfort plays a big part when choosing a smaller body guitar. I own two dreadnoughts and one grand concert. I have two Taylors, a 310ce Dread and and 312ce Grand Concert. I find myself playing my 312ce (same as Martin 00 size) because of the ease of play as well as sound. It doesn't quite have the "boom" of the 312ce but it takes less effort to get volume out of it. Light plucks and strums on the Taylor GC sound just a loud as the Taylor Dreadnought to me. Of course when I really lay into it, the smaller guitar tops out volume wise before the Dreadnought does. I also think I have a good one when it comes to my 312ce because friends that have heard it and play it say it sounds louder and fuller than other GC guitars they've heard.
I can play my Grand Concert longer due to the shorter scale which makes fretting easier as well as the smaller size which sits nicely under my arms.
  #41  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:25 AM
mcduffnw mcduffnw is offline
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Originally Posted by TomB'sox View Post
I think the biggest misconception of the OP's statement is small guitar for smaller sound. This is just not the case. I have several OOs and OMs that will blow you out of the water. It is a matter of who built them more than what size they are.

So when the original premise is not really true, in my opinion of course, it is hard to make the point.

I guarantee you that even as truly great sounding as your OO's and OM's may be...I take you at your word on that {;-)...they will NOT blow my Jumbo's and OOOO out of the water in any respect tonally, and you will never get the bass response out of your OO's and OM's that I can get from my J's and OOOO.

Also...if a person has any decent technique/control/sensitivity with their picking hand, they can easily control the bass response/output on a dread, OOOO, or Jumbo, and keep it in balance to the rest of the strings...or not...as needed.

We rarely see threads out here asking "how do I get less bass and more mid's and trebles out of my dread, OOOO, or jumbo", compared to how many, and how often, we see threads asking "how can I get more bass out of my OO, OOO, OM"

I agree with you that large body guitars are not inherently superior to small body guitars...other than absolute bass output/response...but neither are they inferior in any other respect either.


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  #42  
Old 02-09-2020, 09:26 AM
DCCougar DCCougar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike McLenison View Post
Ok, I love the big sound, the dreadnought Martin growl.
To me, that's a smaller body acoustic. Gimme a 17" lower bout jumbo, baby!

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  #43  
Old 02-09-2020, 10:04 AM
jab.phila jab.phila is offline
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Play a good one and you'll see...
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  #44  
Old 02-09-2020, 10:12 AM
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Another vote for a the smaller guitars. I'm never going on stage (loud cheers are heard) and in fact play exclusively seated in the privacy and comfort of my own home. Smaller guitars are just easier for me to manage.
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  #45  
Old 02-09-2020, 10:18 AM
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Originally Posted by jab.phila View Post
Play a good one and you'll see...

That's how I found out ...



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