I think I want a 00, with a wide nut.

menamestom

I’ve had my Dreadnought for around 25 years, so about time I tried something different.

I want something smaller and was thinking OM but lately I’ve been looking at 00 guitars. 

Eastman seem to has some decent options, looking for all solid and a fairly wide nut, not sure what my dread is but feels a bit narrow, 43mm i think, so looking at 1 13/16, around 45-46mm as I switch between steel and classical.

Open to suggestions, don’t want to spend too much, up to about £1500, so looking for opinions, on the Eastmans and alternatives.

https://www.eastmanguitars.com/e10oo_tc

Coldfingers

Me too!

FWIW, I recently had a minor issue with my left wrist, so I changed from playing my dreadnought to playing my GA - I found the difference in size to be more noticeable to feel when holding the guitar than I do to look at. I've also been thinking I want to try something smaller - OM/00 size.

As it happens, my dreadnought is an Eastman E10, I'm pretty sure I'd be more than happy with one of their 00/OM's.

drofluf

Project Music have this https://www.projectmusic.net/furch-yellow-om-sr-with-case-26658-p.asp 45mm nut and £1 change. 

bertie

nah  what you want is an OM with a 43mm nut and a soft V neck

@drofluf   ; right ? 

drofluf

bertie said:

nah  what you want is an OM with a 43mm nut and a soft V neck

@drofluf   ; right ? 

@bertie has it right 

guitarjack66

bertie said:

nah  what you want is an OM with a 43mm nut and a soft V neck

@drofluf   ; right ? 

He said he wanted something smaller than a dreadnought. Not much difference from an OM.

drofluf

guitarjack66 said:

bertie said:

nah  what you want is an OM with a 43mm nut and a soft V neck

@drofluf   ; right ? 

He said he wanted something smaller than a dreadnought. Not much difference from an OM.

I disagree. Most OMs are essentially OOO bodies with a longer scale.  

Anecdotally I can’t comfortably play dread’s for any length of time because they’re too big, OMs, specifically the Furch I linked to are fine. 

Using the Furch body sizes (as I happened to have the site open in another tab) as an example

Body depth: Dread 124 OM 102

Lower bout: Dread 405 OM 378

All dimensions in mm, full details here as I don’t want to transcribe the whole table https://furchguitars.com/en/features/body-shapes-and-dimensions/

The numbers may seem similar but my experience is they have a significant difference in how the guitar feels.

SlopeSoarer

Personally i like the smaller size bodies (to me they are super comfortable so pick them up more), something up from a skinny C shape neck, @bertie and @drofluf sound like they know what they like.

Re sizing... I'd say go in to a shop and try a few different sizes or go with your instinct as we are all different, what feels suits me (or others) may not suit you.

I know it is a pretty standard answer!

menamestom

drofluf said:

Project Music have this https://www.projectmusic.net/furch-yellow-om-sr-with-case-26658-p.asp 45mm nut and £1 change. 

Furch definitely on the list.  I was looking at the Vintage 2, which looks lovely but probably a bit out of range.  I’m not too far away from Richards guitars so may book a trip and try a few.

menamestom

I think an OM would be fine size wise, I think.  There’s nothing wrong with a dread size wise really, I just want something more nimble and my shoulder isn’t great.  I was looking at OM’s originally, but have moved on to 00’s and the similar Gibson sizes as they seem ideal for the fingerstyle ragtime and blues I play.  Also close in size to a classical I assume, so if I’m switching it limits the difference between size and nut width.

I find the 43mm dread hard after playing classical.  

menamestom

SlopeSoarer said:

Personally i like the smaller size bodies (to me they are super comfortable so pick them up more), something up from a skinny C shape neck, @bertie and @drofluf sound like they know what they like.

Re sizing... I'd say go in to a shop and try a few different sizes or go with your instinct as we are all different, what feels suits me (or others) may not suit you.

I know it is a pretty standard answer!

I’ve been looking at your HB thread and wondering whether I need to spend so much more.  I think the CLP-15me would tick a lot of boxes.  I prefer the gloss finish of the more expensive models and I quite like sunburst finish.

Also wondering whether to go for a 12 or 14 fret.
There’s too many options!

bertie

looks like Furch have changed the nut width's  -  my OM33SR is defo a 43mm, and that is what it "used" to be as standard on their website, but even tho the model is discontinued,  it shows it as 45 (which is wider than my Brook, and my Furch defo is not) with two "alternatives"  - one being (oddly) 1 11/16  which is 43mm (not sure why one is in mm and one inches !!)

the Vintage 2 is shows as 45mm with a 43 and 48 alternative (wow Id need two hands to cope with that   )

for me, anything over 44 is a push, especially on a chunkier neck,   I can manage the 44 on the Brook cos its a slim C

anyway, good luck with your search

DavidR

Sigma S00R-45VS
Nut Width 46mm

As described above, OM’s are the traditional compromise for players who want to lose the shoulder pain but not a boomy bottom end so it depends on what sort of tone you want. But buying a cheap 00 all-mahogany turned me on to smaller bodied instruments. They’re really OK for the blues/ragtime fingerpicking stuff I play.

This Sigma (all solid Spruce/Rosewood) looks lovely though and I’m hankering after one. Shame they don’t seem to sell an all-mahogany version. I think that might be my ideal instrument. 

After a lifetime of playing FG’s (which are dreads) they now cause neck/shoulder pain. And to a lesser extent my OM28. Grrrrr.

rustneversleeps

A lot of Guilds have wider nuts my 00 has.

menamestom

I really like this.  

https://youtu.be/xH0lrLPh5ro?si=K70Y4aMiqf8g0l0x

I’m wondering if I want a smaller bodied 14 fret rather than 12 fret guitar.  But, when Eastman change the scale and fret to body join they make the nut skinnier.  Is that some historical thing?  

Acoustic guitars are confusing, I can play them okay but I don’t know much about them at all.  I think I’ve nailed down a size then something with the same name has a different body shape.

Long story short, I need to play a few small bodied guitars, bigger than a parlour, smaller than an OM, with a wider nut.  Some smaller models seem really punch and focused whilst some tend to sound really boxy.  Not sure if thats a spec thing or a model thing.

menamestom

bertie said:

looks like Furch have changed the nut width's  -  my OM33SR is defo a 43mm, and that is what it "used" to be as standard on their website, but even tho the model is discontinued,  it shows it as 45 (which is wider than my Brook, and my Furch defo is not) with two "alternatives"  - one being (oddly) 1 11/16  which is 43mm (not sure why one is in mm and one inches !!)

the Vintage 2 is shows as 45mm with a 43 and 48 alternative (wow Id need two hands to cope with that   )

for me, anything over 44 is a push, especially on a chunkier neck,   I can manage the 44 on the Brook cos its a slim C

anyway, good luck with your search

Cheers.  48mm would be OTT on a steel string!

menamestom

DavidR said:

Sigma S00R-45VS
Nut Width 46mm

As described above, OM’s are the traditional compromise for players who want to lose the shoulder pain but not a boomy bottom end so it depends on what sort of tone you want. But buying a cheap 00 all-mahogany turned me on to smaller bodied instruments. They’re really OK for the blues/ragtime fingerpicking stuff I play.

This Sigma (all solid Spruce/Rosewood) looks lovely though and I’m hankering after one. Shame they don’t seem to sell an all-mahogany version. I think that might be my ideal instrument. 

After a lifetime of playing FG’s (which are dreads) they now cause neck/shoulder pain. And to a lesser extent my OM28. Grrrrr.

That Sigma does sound good in the clips I’ve just listened to.  Full range but focused, not boxy at all.

Sigma is not a brand I’m familiar with but this ticks the boxes.

bertie

Check out JWJ guitars -  they do 13 fret joins  - and sound amazing, there's some great demos on ewechoob

Rich is based up in Salops,  and increadibly helpful.   He's at the Guitar show in Brum, and I think travelling around with the "tour"

https://jwjguitars.co.uk/

DavidR

menamestom said:

DavidR said:

Sigma S00R-45VS
Nut Width 46mm

As described above, OM’s are the traditional compromise for players who want to lose the shoulder pain but not a boomy bottom end so it depends on what sort of tone you want. But buying a cheap 00 all-mahogany turned me on to smaller bodied instruments. They’re really OK for the blues/ragtime fingerpicking stuff I play.

This Sigma (all solid Spruce/Rosewood) looks lovely though and I’m hankering after one. Shame they don’t seem to sell an all-mahogany version. I think that might be my ideal instrument. 

After a lifetime of playing FG’s (which are dreads) they now cause neck/shoulder pain. And to a lesser extent my OM28. Grrrrr.

That Sigma does sound good in the clips I’ve just listened to.  Full range but focused, not boxy at all.

Sigma is not a brand I’m familiar with but this ticks the boxes.

Sigma has recently been EXTENSIVELY discussed on tFB specifically discussing the ethics of buying from a source who have been in dispute with their workforce. If you search the threads you’ll find it. 

But essentially Sigma, previously Martin’s cheapo brand, are now a part of the German owned company (AMI GMbH) and they source their instruments from Cor-Tek (massive, South Korean, factories throughout Asia/China).

This ‘trusted brand/Asian manufacture/western marketing’ model is common in the guitar world and has been since at least the 1970’s. It is advantageous to us as players but is sometimes a little opaque. 

In the last few years, Sigma have developed a reputation for good, cheap instruments and are an alternative to similar products from Yamaha, Eastman etc.

In 2024, if you want good instruments but not the crazy prices charged by USA manufacturers and others, Sigma is one of the growing number of alternatives. 

This is for info. Go to other threads for views on Sigma. 

Shadow

menamestom said:

I really like this.  

https://youtu.be/xH0lrLPh5ro?si=K70Y4aMiqf8g0l0x

I’m wondering if I want a smaller bodied 14 fret rather than 12 fret guitar.  But, when Eastman change the scale and fret to body join they make the nut skinnier.  Is that some historical thing?  

Acoustic guitars are confusing, I can play them okay but I don’t know much about them at all.  I think I’ve nailed down a size then something with the same name has a different body shape.

Long story short, I need to play a few small bodied guitars, bigger than a parlour, smaller than an OM, with a wider nut.  Some smaller models seem really punch and focused whilst some tend to sound really boxy.  Not sure if thats a spec thing or a model thing.

I had the E1-OOSS which has the same dimensions as the E10. I couldn't get on with the narrow nut so I got rid of it. I now have The E10 OO which is the 12 feet with 1 13/16 nut. I love everything about it, comfort, tone, nut worth but I'm struggling with the extremely chunky neck as I have relatively small hands. I'm on the fence whether to move it on. 

I just wish they did something between the two (for me) extremes.

OP, if you're ever this side of the country you're welcome to try out.

DavidR

bertie said:

Check out JWJ guitars -  they do 13 fret joins  - and sound amazing, there's some great demos on ewechoob

Rich is based up in Salops,  and increadibly helpful.   He's at the Guitar show in Brum, and I think travelling around with the "tour"

https://jwjguitars.co.uk/

There’s a couple of Guitarist Magazine reviews of JWJ acoustics recently. Very interesting. Hope they can ramp up production if demand for them is there. Which I suspect it will be.