What is your favorite OM ?

[Cypress Knee]

I have a Collings OM 1 PH mahogany b/s. I also have a 12 fret Martin 000-28 NB EIR b/s. But my current favorite is a Martin Grand Jumbo with a 17" lower bout.

[Ryan51]

First of all, I'm new here. I have been researching acoustic guitars since last year and this forum came up often so I finally joined. I've played guitar for over 50 years but never owned a really good acoustic. Been playing a Hohner dread for the last 25 years. A friend has a late 70s Guild F-30 which I like a lot and tried to buy but he wouldn't sell even though he doesn't play. Another friend has an 80s Gibson J-200 that he let me borrow which sounds amazing but is way beyond my budget. So earlier this year I decided to upgrade a bit and purchased a Blueridge BG-140. It sounds very good and I'm keeping it. With all the sales going on last week I went guitar shopping. I tried a D-18 and a D-28 of which I liked the D-18 best of the two. But I kept thinking I wanted something more like that F-30. So I placed an order for a Martin OM-28E. Ordinarily I wouldn't be able to afford this model but with the sale I got 15% off and 48 months to pay at 0% interest. I think I made the right choice. The OM plays and sounds so good I doubt if it even needs a set up. I'm doing mostly fingerpicking and to me this guitar plays evenly and has a wide dynamic range. From my point of reference it is a much, much better guitar than the Blueridge.

[Newbflat]

Spent the last 6 months looking for an OM. I played a lot of Collings, Bourgeois, Martin, SCGC, Goodall and others. All lovely in there way but In the end I kept coming back to this Huss & Dalton TOM-M custom (mahogany and baked red spruce), so i bought it. Tonality it sits right in between Martin -18’s and Collings OM1’s tonaly. More mids than ether with some Collings chime in the highs and Martins bass. I’m super happy. It’s very expressive and warm but LOUD and biting when you dig in.

[Mrbirdog]

Would have to be my Santa Cruz, had a Martin OM-28 and it was nice, just not the guitar the Santa Cruz is.....of course....IMHO

Mrbirdog

[Mark L]

1) Borges OM18-GG

Close 2) Collings OM1 A JL w JL neck

And……a friend’s very, very fine Collings OM42 engelmann/AAA Brazilian.

[Zissou Intern]

My two favorite OM's are the Martin OM18GE with banjo tuners made about 15-20 years ago and every SCGC mah/Ad OM I have ever played, which is probably 6-8.

[Coler]

I'm giving a curve ball answer here but my 12er OM is off the charts.

[Dotneck]

Originally Posted by Newbflat

In the end I kept coming back to this Huss & Dalton TOM-M custom (mahogany and baked red spruce), so i bought it. Tonality it sits right in between Martin -18’s and Collings OM1’s tonaly. More mids than ether with some Collings chime in the highs and Martins bass. I’m super happy. It’s very expressive and warm but LOUD and biting when you dig in.

And it’s pretty as heck.

My three OMs are 000s. I first got a 000-15S that was used and well broken in. Nice warm tone. Then I ordered a Halcyon 000 with 25” scale and a chunky neck. Lutz over padauk. It has a booming voice when you dig in. My third is a Collings 0002h cutaway with short scale. Sweet sweet voice. This one has been coming out most lately.

[iim7V7IM7]

A 000 sized 12-fret guitar has significantly more body volume than a 14-fret OM. Both are 15” in the lower bout, 3-1/4” to 4-1/8” deep but the OM body is 19-3/8” long and a 000 body is 20-7/16” long. I like both types of guitars but I prefer the timbre of a long-scale (25-3/8”) 12-fret 000 sized instrument. My current favorite 000 is one that luthier Bruce Sexauer made for me. It has a Hampton Brothers Red Spruce top and Oregon Myrtle back and sides.

[westview]

My favorite and only OM is a Takamine.

It has a Cedar top with Sapele back and sides.
A mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard and bridge.
Gotoh tuners and CT-4BII preamp.

I can play out with it, or relax in a chair.
Comfortable size and easy to play.

[boombox]

Out of official OMs, a Collings OM2H - no Martin I've played in rosewood or mahogany has ever come close, but I sold mine as I couldn't bond with the neck. However, the tone..... But if people are mentioning 000s, then my spruce/mahogany Stephen Kinnaird FS12 trumps every guitar, let alone OM, I've played.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by Ryan51

First of all, I'm new here. I have been researching acoustic guitars since last year and this forum came up often so I finally joined. I've played guitar for over 50 years but never owned a really good acoustic. Been playing a Hohner dread for the last 25 years. A friend has a late 70s Guild F-30 which I like a lot and tried to buy but he wouldn't sell even though he doesn't play. Another friend has an 80s Gibson J-200 that he let me borrow which sounds amazing but is way beyond my budget. So earlier this year I decided to upgrade a bit and purchased a Blueridge BG-140. It sounds very good and I'm keeping it. With all the sales going on last week I went guitar shopping. I tried a D-18 and a D-28 of which I liked the D-18 best of the two. But I kept thinking I wanted something more like that F-30. So I placed an order for a Martin OM-28E. Ordinarily I wouldn't be able to afford this model but with the sale I got 15% off and 48 months to pay at 0% interest. I think I made the right choice. The OM plays and sounds so good I doubt if it even needs a set up. I'm doing mostly fingerpicking and to me this guitar plays evenly and has a wide dynamic range. From my point of reference it is a much, much better guitar than the Blueridge.

Hi Ryan,

Welcome to the AGF! We're glad you are here!

And how wonderful that you were able to obtain a Martin OM-28E recently! How very cool! Congratulations!

- Glenn

[douglasfan1]

Keep struggling between OM and OM deep body. I think OM is the best guitar shape for me, versatile and comfortable. Dreadnought is too large for me and any smaller weaken the tone.

[hifivic]

Originally Posted by douglasfan1

Keep struggling between OM and OM deep body. I think OM is the best guitar shape for me, versatile and comfortable. Dreadnought is too large for me and any smaller weaken the tone.

Don't rule out a 12 fret 00. They are the unicorns!

[leew3]

My Martin OM-28 12 fret custom. It's a full scale with adi top. This in combination with the way Martin constructed it (e.g. longer body, lighter adi braces) makes it very loud and responsive.