Martin Guitar Body Shapes & Sizes: Our Expert Guide
Published on 31 July 2024
When you look at guitars on our website, they all appear gorgeous and eminently buyable (go on, treat yourself!), but one thing you can’t really tell is their relative size. Unless you see a guitar being played by a person, it’s hard to understand that, say, a Concert-sized acoustic guitar is significantly smaller than a Dreadnought. And even then: how big or small is the person playing it?
Does size matter? Sidestepping any ‘Ooh-err’ comments, size does make a difference in the acoustic guitar world. Volume, projection, tone and comfort are all directly affected by a guitar’s size, so it’s worth being able to know how big or small it is. Being able to tell - from a guitar’s code or name - where it sits relatively on the ‘small to big’ scale is an added bonus.
This is my aim today for Martin guitars. I’ll guide you through the main shapes from roughly smallest to biggest, and I’ll tell you a little about their properties. I hope to get you up to speed on this so that you can zero in on the models that might work best for you. After all, there’s a lot of guitars out there, and some will be more ‘you’ than others! My years of experience as not only a gigging & recording musician but also a salesman and writer will hopefully mean that today’s blog is all you’ll need to be an expert on Martin acoustic guitar body shapes!
Contents
000/OM - Auditorium/Orchestral
0 - Concert
First off, I’ll go with one of Martin’s longest-running designs: the Concert. This is a highly traditional body, dating back to pre-Wild West days! It’s the smallest that Martin offers and is today’s closest to a ‘parlor’ (parlour in the UK!) shape. The silhouette has changed a little over the decades, so the 0 is currently the smallest body that Martin generally offers.
A Concert body will deliver the quietest sound from a Martin guitar, so it is perfect for smaller, indoor locations where too much volume could be a problem. Concert body Martins have a soft, gentle sound with a clear, trebly top end. This makes them an excellent choice for fingerpickers.
00 - Grand Concert
Another 19th century design is the Grand Concert. This is slightly larger than the Concert, though made to a very similar outline. Due to the size increase, this is a little louder, and though sonically similar to the 0, it offers what I’d maybe call a warmer bottom end. Fingerpicking and acoustic blues all sound great on a 00!
000/OM - Auditorium/Orchestral
Moving up in size a little again, we come to a guitar design that is perhaps Martin’s ‘other’ most popular guitar design, the 000. Why so popular? Well, it gives a very good balance between the frequencies, so whether fingerpicking or strumming, you get a sound that’s a wonderful mix of warmth and clarity.
It projects less than a dreadnought, but the lack of room-filling projection means you also get a more intimate instrument that is very more-ish to play. It’s louder than a 0 and a 00, and is a pretty great all-rounder for those who want a slightly more slender and intimate proposition than a dreadnought.
So, what’s the difference between an OM (Orchestral model) and a 000 (triple-oh, or Auditorium)? The bodies are the same size, so what’s the deal? It’s the scale length. The OM is a little longer across the fingerboard, with a scale length of 25.4”, whereas the 000 is a little shorter at 24.9”. This difference gives each model its own unique playing feel and thus identity.
Which is best for you? Play both and see!
GP - Grand Performance
I tend to think of the Grand Performance model (GP) as a smaller version of a jumbo. Martin talks about them being a mix between a dreadnought and a 000, which is basically blending their two most popular shapes. Good idea!
The Grand Performance is a contemporary design, drawn up for modern players who want versatility and performance over vintage authenticity. Smaller than a dreadnought or jumbo, but capable of projecting well and sounding ‘large’, it’s a guitar for today’s players.
Dreadnought
The classic, and for many, best acoustic guitar design is the dreadnought. Whilst not as balanced as a 000, the loud projection and strong bottom end response of the dreadnought makes it the most useful guitar shape for many players. Strummers especially will appreciate the volume, projection and percussive response of a good Martin dreadnought. It’s a stone cold classic.
0000 - Jumbo/Grand Auditorium
Jumbos are actually quite rare for Martin. Compared to a jumbo like, say, a Gibson SJ-200, Martin’s jumbos (a J-40 would be a great example), Martin’s jumbos are a little smaller, and they still have the distinctive ‘waist’ that associates their outline with the likes of the OM and 00. So, it’s a large bodied guitar but relatively slender compared with others. They are still the largest guitars offered by Martin and have the bigger sound, making them perfect with singer-songwriters who want to create a rich wall of sound around their voice.
SC
The SC is Martin’s newest and perhaps most unconventional design. An offset single cut body, the SC will appeal to players looking for something different but still beautiful and effective. The shape moves the centre of the instrument when it’s played on your lap, making it a particularly comfortable instrument to handle. Comfort and playability are the main objectives here, but the bold rethink of the whole concept of the acoustic guitar is also in action here. Its a quietly revolutionary design, and one that works exceptionally well in practical terms too.
Iconic
The most popular Martin guitar shapes are undoubtedly the dreadnought and the 000, but as you’ve now seen, there’s quite a lot more happening with the brand than just those two!
If your heart is settled on a particular style, I’d say dive in and get your heart’s desire. If, however, you don’t have particular goals or preconceptions other than the guitar being a Martin, I think it’s well worth trying a selection - with critical hands and ears - and using that experience to inform you. Have fun!
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