Models
All of my guitars have a base price of $3,350. I offer three body shapes based on the dreadnought, old-style 000, and the Martin orchestra model (OM). As is typical, the dreadnought and OM have necks that meet the body at the 14th fret. The lower bout of the 000 is identical to the OM, but the upper bout is longer, so the neck meets the body at the 12th fret while keeping the bridge in the same sweet spot on the lower bout.
Dreadnought
Because the soundbox is bigger, the dreadnought is louder and has a more pronounced bass than the OM or 000. With its shallow waist, the dread can be less comfortable to play sitting down, especially if you are not a large person. Bluegrass players and other flatpickers love dreads because the shape matters less when standing with the band and they need to be heard over the banjo and fiddle. It’s interesting to note that Martin dreadnoughts have a relatively narrow nut width of 11-11/16 inches because Martin realizes that many flatpickers prefer it over the 11-3/4-inch nut width you’ll find on their OMs and 000s. Of course, I can make the nut width to suit you specifically. Maybe you’re a big person with big hands who would love a wider neck on your dread.
Old-Style 000
I call it “old-style” because Martin discontinued this body shape in 1929. It has a longer upper bout with the neck meeting the body at the 12th fret. Martin saw a big demand for guitars with 14 frets to the body so they shortened the upper bout to make room for the extra two frets without moving the bridge from its sweet spot on the lower bout. Martin 000s have always had a scale length of 24.9 inches. The Martin OM has the same body shape as the current 000s but with a scale length of 25.34. I love my old-style—the shape and balance is really comfortable and the short scale reduces string tension just enough to be perfect for the string-bending slappy blues I love to play.
Orchestra Model
The Orchestra Model (OM) is a versatile body style known for an excellent balance of bass, mid-range and treble that makes it perfect for vocal accompaniment. The clarity of an OM comes through whether played with bare fingers, fingerpicks or a flat pick. Choose a short-scale and you’ll have a 000 configured like Eric Clapton’s 000-42 that Martin built in 1939.
