Dreadnought or OM

Universal8 · July 2020

I must admit, I am now sorely tempted by one of the Yamaha LJ26 that are on such a good deal. I know the quality will be phenomenal.

sunshinewelly · July 2020

The yamaha quality is off the scale and that's coming from a new martin OM18 owner

The LJ size is perfect for me. I have had a slight right neck ache playing the martin for long periods of time seated.

Peach still have a couple left. There is no loss of tone as far as I can hear with the cutaway models.

earwighoney · July 2020

FunkyGibbon said:

I have a 00, OM, and dread’. In my experience, the differences are more around the combination of timbers and construction/bracing than size per se. I could live the rest of my life with any one of them. If you’ve got it down to 2 dreads I suggest you find out which sounds most like the guitar in your head. Most people have a rosewood/ mahogany/ other timber preference. I think it’s useful to know what your preference is or whether your taste is wider that a single primary tonewood and based on the combination of the top + back & sides.

The 00-25 is a noodle on the sofa blues box. The OM-28 gets played for other people to sing to in church. The D-18GE is the guitar in my head and is equally astonishing whether strummed, finger-picked or flat-picked.

I’m 5.4” and also, in my experience, the comfort of the body size is impacted by how you hold/position the guitar. I always use a strap, even when seated. I’ve recently been wondering about an OM-18GE abd whether it might be a more playable size over the next 20-30 years.

I’d also comment that I have been pleasantly surprised by the +ve difference the extra 1/16 of an inch at the nut makes with 1&11/16 vs 1&3/4 for my older hands. I play rhythm and finger style mostly.

IME, you really need to play the different sizes and wood combinations to find what works for you sound and feel-wise. I spent 2-3 years trying to identify the guitar in my head (which turned out to be a D18) but the first Martin I bought was the 00-15. Play lots of guitars and buy the one which won’t let you leave without it.

happy hunting!

Some really great points.

IMO, Martins D/OM-18GE's are some of the finest modern made acoustic guitars.

artiebear · July 2020

Schnozz said:

sunshinewelly said:

What's the equivalent of a yamaha LJ size

It's bigger than my martin Om18 but not as big as a dread. It's very comfy. Definitely more bottom end than my 018.

I assume there each manufacturer has a middle ground between their dreads and Om models

The LJ is like a Gibson Jumbo I think

The closest equivalent to an LJ would be a Gibson J-185. Collings base their SJ on the 185 as does one of the top builders in the USA, Olsen. The main difference between the 185 and the others is that the Gibson has a shorter scale length.

Universal8 · July 2020

Well, I gave in and ordered the last LJ26 they had in stock. Should have it on Thursday.

Andyjr1515 · July 2020

Universal8 said:

Well, I gave in and ordered the last LJ26 they had in stock. Should have it on Thursday.

I'm pretty sure you are going to be very happy indeed with this.

It should give you full and even strumming response with plenty of bass and mids richness, but also individual note clarity for fingerpicking and picked lead styles.

Universal8 · July 2020

Andyjr1515 said:

Universal8 said:

Well, I gave in and ordered the last LJ26 they had in stock. Should have it on Thursday.

I'm pretty sure you are going to be very happy indeed with this.

It should give you full and even strumming response with plenty of bass and mids richness, but also individual note clarity for fingerpicking and picked lead styles.

Thanks, I really hope so !

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Dreadnought or OM

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