What is your favorite OO guitar?

[Silly Moustache]

Oh BTW, this video that I made in March last year, shortly before I started my throat cancer treatment , and ironically a few weeks before Blitzen, my beloved Burmese cat (who can be heard) developed kidney failure and had to be put down.

This shows a comparison between a Collings 0002h a Waterloo WL12, and a British built 0028 (deep body)

The Collings is by far my favourite, the Waterloo still had to open up and so was tight and "brittle" sounding, and of course has a thin 1 & 3/4" nut, but the "Hockey" 0028 was bought for me by my lovely wife for my for my 50th birthday, and whilst it has a little more "hips" bodywise than either a Martin r a Collings, it does have the period correct 1 &7/8" nut width and a 2 & 3/8" string spacing.

[iim7V7IM7]

Just curious here...

Gibsonesque L00 style guitars are typically far larger in their lower bouts than their Martinesque cousins (i.e. 14-3/4” vs. 14-1/8”) and are also deeper bodied. I own both style of guitars and like them both but I consider them to be a bit different. When I hear “00”, I think of Nazarethesque style, ~14”, 12-fret guitars. Am I the only one who thinks of L00 guitars as distinct from 00 guitars?

[drjond56]

Huss & Dalton 00-12 fret. Best balance of any 00 I have now or have had. Neck is more easily playable somehow. I am a fingerstyle guy and for that it is just the best I have found. It is a standard sitka and mahogany.

Jon

[TDavis]

2017 Martin 00-18 Standard. Simple beauty. I love the sound of Spruce & Mahogany! She’s a whole lot better a guitar than I am a player.

[llew]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

As some might know, I'm a 12 fret person, and I have pretty much settled on Collings as my preferred maker.

I have Collings 12 fret dreadnoughts, and I have a wonderful 0002h (which is their interpretation of The Martin 00028 which has been part of the Martin product line since 1902.

The one Collings that I lust after is the 002h. I have played two, or is it three, and they are wondrous instruments.

This is not me, in the following video, but I wanted something to illustrate how Collings have subtly improved on the Martin design and of course, the sound. Tonal balance is the Collings "thing" and this video demonstrates it better than I could. Visually, the sharply cut headstock and the small pyramid bridge instead of the Martin belly bridge, makes this a beautiful instrument that I lust after.

Beautiful...thanks for sharing Andy!

[SprintBob]

I am very thrilled to own my SCGC Skye 00. It’s got me thinking about selling my Collings OM1A (Adi/hog) and replacing it with a Collings 001A.

[zombywoof]

Being pretty fickle it is always hard for me to pick a favorite but at the moment it is this one - a 1957 Gibson CF-100E. What makes this little guitar stand out is that while it has everything you could ever want out of a good Gibson LG-2, this one has a bit more focused sound which I am guessing is the result of Gibson moving the soundhole south to make room for the P-90 putting the center of the X brace closer to the bridge and closer to the source of the vibration coming from the strings. Then again, it just may be that this is the sexiest Gibson flattop lever built.

[robroy]

I long for a Martin 00-17 vintage 1931 I think that I had on loan from a friend for a couple of weeks earlier this year. All mahagony guitar with the sweetest tone and easy to play too. I’m trying to save up for one like that. I already have a 1947 Gibson Lg-2 which is basically a 00-size and has incredible tone with a little beefier neck. It’s got incredible tone and power for a smaller body guitar.

[Methos1979]

I've owned 6 00 12 frets. Most were very good but three were standouts: a Santa Cruz 00 in sitka/EIR with the best neck I've ever played, a Santa Cruz 1929 00 that was an all-hog beauty with awesome tone and a Martin 00-18VS UMGF that was something special. That is one of only a few guitars I regret having sold. I've seen pop back up here twice now and almost bought it again twice!

[Bax Burgess]

Northwood R80 and 0075 - S/R. But any of the ones already mentioned would be a joy to try.

[devellis]

Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7

Just curious here...

Gibsonesque L00 style guitars are typically far larger in their lower bouts than their Martinesque cousins (i.e. 14-3/4” vs. 14-1/8”) and are also deeper bodied. I own both style of guitars and like them both but I consider them to be a bit different. When I hear “00”, I think of Nazarethesque style, ~14”, 12-fret guitars. Am I the only one who thinks of L00 guitars as distinct from 00 guitars?

Yes, I think of them as two separate categories. In the former group, my favorites are my Huss & Dalton 00 standard and my Martin 00-18V. For pure tone, the H&D wins by a nose but I really like the playability of the 14-fret neck on the Martin, so it gets played more. In the Gibsonesque family, my Huss & Dalton Crossroads is the one I most often reach for, although the Waterloo WL-14 L and WLS Deluxe are also little gems. The Martin-style guitars are really quite different from the Gibson-style guitars despite their sharing the "00" designation.


Both varieties of 00 are among my favorites. Their size is comfortable and they can produce plenty of tone and volume. They seem to have a bit more character than OMs, which I also like a lot. OMs are more versatile but that comes with a little bit less personality, and it's not that often that I need the versatility of the OM design. I pretty much never flatpick or strum, for example. And most of the guitars I mentioned could actually handle either of those styles petty well if I did.

[Beakybird]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

As some might know, I'm a 12 fret person, and I have pretty much settled on Collings as my preferred maker.

I have Collings 12 fret dreadnoughts, and I have a wonderful 0002h (which is their interpretation of The Martin 00028 which has been part of the Martin product line since 1902.

The one Collings that I lust after is the 002h. I have played two, or is it three, and they are wondrous instruments.

This is not me, in the following video, but I wanted something to illustrate how Collings have subtly improved on the Martin design and of course, the sound. Tonal balance is the Collings "thing" and this video demonstrates it better than I could. Visually, the sharply cut headstock and the small pyramid bridge instead of the Martin belly bridge, makes this a beautiful instrument that I lust after.

That is a gorgeous interpretation of that song, and the video strongly supports your point on the strengths and beauty of the Collings.

[TJNies]

Mine is a custom shop 12-fret slotted model in the Style 30 ornamentation: multi-color rope binding, pearl rosette, Foden fingerboard inlays, hide glue. The woods are Adirondack spruce top and scalloped bracing, Madigascar RW back and sides.

This little guy has major projection!

[stephenT]

I guess my favorites are the 00s i own, a well broken in Martin 00-15m custom and two Waterloos, WL-12 and WL-14.

Some might argue the Waterloos aren't true 00s, that's fine.

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by BigToeify

What is your favorite OO guitar and why?

Larrivee OO-05. Because it is.