Which vintage Martin 000's & OM's have a 1-3/4" nut width?

[DenverSteve]

El, call Bryan Kimsey and ask him if he would take a year-appropriate (for you) 000 with 1 11/16" nut and replace it with a 1 3/4" one. He will tell you if there is any downside to this. If that was the model and year range I wanted in a guitar, I would make it happen. No one better than Bryan to help with this.

[Joe Beamish]

Originally Posted by elkabong

I hear you 'to a degree'...But width is width & when you have BIG fingers like I do; you NEED that extra width. No amount of neck carve can physically change that. It might 'feel' different; maybe even somewhat 'better', but it won't facilitate that extra room my 'banana fingers' need...LOL!

I doubt it. Look at Tommy Emmanuel’s fingers. Or Lightnin Hopkins’. Or Big Bill Broonzy’s.

[blindboyjimi]

Originally Posted by elkabong

Jim;

Thanks for the detailed response; but I'm looking for guitar from the 50's & 60's because they are within my budget. Around $5,000-$,6000.00.

You're talking $10,000.00 "PLUS". Sorry, those instruments are just out of my league & price range... As I alluded to in an earlier response; " I'd love a 1930's 000 with the 1-3/4" nut, but I just can't afford one..."

Cheers.

Keep in mind those are new prices for the luthier guitars. Used older Schoenberg or Franklins with some mojo (with minor work done) show up for $5,000-$6,000. Like this one right now for sale asking just under $7,000 which maybe could be had for $6,500.



One final thing, and not an OM but the 1935-1938 00-17s are rare but a great one can be found for about $4,000.

There’s really no way to put a 1 3/4 nut on the 1 11/16 nut and the neck is too thin at the 14th fret to allow a wider saddle spacing than the 2 1/8”. You might squeak out 1 23/32” x 2 3/16”. I can fingerpick on my D-28 but I never grab it for that purpose. I’m having a custom build right now at 1 13/16” x 2 3/8”. Yes, you can finger pick on smaller spaced guitars but I get what the OP is looking for. The wider the better.

[elkabong]

Originally Posted by Joe Beamish

I doubt it. Look at Tommy Emmanuel’s fingers. Or Lightnin Hopkins’. Or Big Bill Broonzy’s.

Okay, but please, tell me, how could I look at these guys fingers?

[EverettWilliams]

So, you’re looking for something that doesn’t exist: an OM or OOO in Brazilian with 1 3/4 nut width built by Martin before the real Woodstock happened that can be had for $5,000-6,000.

The question is where to go.

You’ve said you can’t compromise on nut width, so this leads me to believe it can’t be a vintage instrument.

Also, even if we’re talking new, Brazilian is scarce in that price range.

If you could move stuff to make it happen, I’d be completely with Jim on mahogany (a 1930s 18 would be choice).

But mahogany ain’t Brazilian.

So, I think you either need to rework your price point (to open it up to what you want, which is real, but to expensive) or figure out where you can compromise. If it’s on wood, old Martins with some work, could get close-ish to your range. If it’s on nut width, for a nice 50s OOO, you might be in the range (but I think it’s a touch low for one without issues). If it was on builder, there are a lot of modern builders who would have made something that works.

But, unfortunately, your price point necessitates a couple of deviations from your objective. If I had an upper limit, I’d strongly consider the best my money can buy me rather than a set of characteristics. Even if you could get what you say you want, 50s and 60s Martins are spotty. Most 1930s Martins I have played have been pretty good, can’t say that for the 50s or 60s.

You can get a great guitar for that price point, but not the unicorn you’re hoping for.

Where do you have flexibility? What’s essential to you?

[elkabong]

Originally Posted by EverettWilliams

So, you’re looking for something that doesn’t exist: an OM or OOO in Brazilian with 1 3/4 nut width built by Martin before the real Woodstock happened that can be had for $5,000-6,000.

The question is where to go.

You’ve said you can’t compromise on nut width, so this leads me to believe it can’t be a vintage instrument.

Also, even if we’re talking new, Brazilian is scarce in that price range.

If you could move stuff to make it happen, I’d be completely with Jim on mahogany (a 1930s 18 would be choice).

But mahogany ain’t Brazilian.

So, I think you either need to rework your price point (to open it up to what you want, which is real, but to expensive) or figure out where you can compromise. If it’s on wood, old Martins with some work, could get close-ish to your range. If it’s on nut width, for a nice 50s OOO, you might be in the range (but I think it’s a touch low for one without issues). If it was on builder, there are a lot of modern builders who would have made something that works.

But, unfortunately, your price point necessitates a couple of deviations from your objective. If I had an upper limit, I’d strongly consider the best my money can buy me rather than a set of characteristics. Even if you could get what you say you want, 50s and 60s Martins are spotty. Most 1930s Martins I have played have been pretty good, can’t say that for the 50s or 60s.

You can get a great guitar for that price point, but not the unicorn you’re hoping for.

Where do you have flexibility? What’s essential to you?

Aww man! You just burst my bubble! LOL! Actually, good points all. I think I'm just going to go with another Collings . Either 000, or OM. Maybe an OM ? I hear their necks carves are quite "BIG"? Might 'feel like'a 1-13/16" neck as one member alluded to here in prior thread?...

[EverettWilliams]

I’m sorry!

I love the Collings Traditionals and a used OM with Madagascar and Adirondack with the early big carve could be had in your price range. It would get you pretty close to the spirit of your target. But if the Martin house sound is what you favor, the Authentics (which could be had used for less than your price range), may also scratch the itch.

I get it, the mojo of old guitars is hard to pass up, I love them. But unless you’re fortunate enough not to care about the cost, the choice often comes down to where you’re willing to compromise. There are a lot of great guitars being made now. Martin’s heyday was the late 20s to the mid 40s. Not to say that there aren’t some great Martins made in the late 40s or 50s (and even, but to a lesser degree, the 60s), but they had shifted away from the materials and construction methods that yielded the ones that we’re still fetishizing today. So, a later Martin would still be an old guitar but you’d likely have to do more searching to find a good one and, even with that, you’d be looking at too narrow of a nut. The alternative would be to look for a 30s Martin with enough issues to knock it down to the price bracket. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll ever see what you’re looking for from that era in a condition that you’d want to own that’s priced that low - even refin OM-28s are going for $25k. So, your best bet probably is new (and by new, I mean used). That way you can get a guitar that plays the way you want.

A thought, and I have no relation to it, but there is a PreWar Guitars OM-18 in the classifieds right now under your range. I get it, it’s mahogany (and that’s my jam and explicitly not what you asked about), but I hear great things about what they are doing and if you want vintage mojo, they build that into the guirars. Perhaps worth a peek to see if it’s of appeal. Used ones come up, including those in rosewoods, so, maybe that gets you the feel, playability, and tone that you want. Only thing missing is the name on the peghead!

Good luck with the search and I hope you enjoy the process.

[elkabong]

Originally Posted by EverettWilliams

I’m sorry!

I love the Collings Traditionals and a used OM with Madagascar and Adirondack with the early big carve could be had in your price range. It would get you pretty close to the spirit of your target. But if the Martin house sound is what you favor, the Authentics (which could be had used for less than your price range), may also scratch the itch.

I get it, the mojo of old guitars is hard to pass up, I love them. But unless you’re fortunate enough not to care about the cost, the choice often comes down to where you’re willing to compromise. There are a lot of great guitars being made now. Martin’s heyday was the late 20s to the mid 40s. Not to say that there aren’t some great Martins made in the late 40s or 50s (and even, but to a lesser degree, the 60s), but they had shifted away from the materials and construction methods that yielded the ones that we’re still fetishizing today. So, a later Martin would still be an old guitar but you’d likely have to do more searching to find a good one and, even with that, you’d be looking at too narrow of a nut. The alternative would be to look for a 30s Martin with enough issues to knock it down to the price bracket. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll ever see what you’re looking for from that era in a condition that you’d want to own that’s priced that low - even refin OM-28s are going for $25k. So, your best bet probably is new (and by new, I mean used). That way you can get a guitar that plays the way you want.

A thought, and I have no relation to it, but there is a PreWar Guitars OM-18 in the classifieds right now under your range. I get it, it’s mahogany (and that’s my jam and explicitly not what you asked about), but I hear great things about what they are doing and if you want vintage mojo, they build that into the guirars. Perhaps worth a peek to see if it’s of appeal. Used ones come up, including those in rosewoods, so, maybe that gets you the feel, playability, and tone that you want. Only thing missing is the name on the peghead!

Good luck with the search and I hope you enjoy the process.

Very insightful post. Thanks for the suggestions & comments. I wholeheartedly agree with pretty much everything you've said here...

[Mr. Paul]

A real world alternative to consider is Martin's OM 28 Authentic. Street price $5200. Fantastic guitars.

[pdx]

I would suggest you look into a C2 conversion. These are the arch top models that people convert to OM specs. They already have aged wood and they are in your price range.

[brandall10]

What about something like a '20s 00-21? Those have huge necks on them are braz, and will sound incredible, and can be had in repaired/playable condition for like $3k. Have to put fairly light strings on them, but being a smaller 12 fretter are easy to drive.