@@daddio307 "So many choices.... lol! So few opportunities.' TBH I don't mind laminated backs and sides. I have a 1976 Gibson MK35 (all solid) and a Moondog Spirit.... solid spruce top and laminated Rosewood/Balsa sides and back. Both are superb.
My absolute favourites are the parlors. Comfortable, good sound for everything. The lack of bass end does not really bother me. Even for straight-up chord strumming I love the mid-rangey punchy sound of the parlors. And it cuts so nicely through the mix. Also: acoustic archtops are even better!
Possibly one of the best reviews I've watched on this site. Closed my eyes and played the final comparisons over and over. Ended up torn between the 00 and the 0M. In the end, the 'rawer' more mid range sound of the 00 won me over, although owning both would be very nice. It would be interesting to know if there are significant tonal differences between guitars of the same model, from the top manufacturers.
Awesome riff, playing the D18 (17 mins, 30 secs into vid) . Gonna deffo have to do a tuning, and tab lesson on that one Ben! Nice playing, again, dude 😉👍
Part of the increased power and volume of the dread and jumbo result from their being built to handle heavier strings, like mediums (.013s), so you can strum harder without overpowering them.
Where the Light Is DVD - Stop This Train, Free Falling, Daughters, Neon, In Your Atmosphere This speaks greatly to the versatility of the OM shape. Very balanced tone. All of them sounded great, though.
I wonder if Ben is a fan of the late, great Mike Bloomfield, the blues/ragtime stuff reminds me of him. Never fancied an acoustic myself, but I do enjoy listening to someone who can really play one.
I've been watching and enjoying your channel for quite awhile. I play acoustic guitar, primarily, so it's very cool to see you covering acoustic guitars. Please continue to do more videos like this.
My first decent acoustic was an OM size that I got as a teen, and later as a teen I got a better Dreadnaught. I’ve been playing dreadnaughts ever since and it never occurred to me that a smaller guitar might be more comfortable. They feel fine to me and sound great, as I mainly play with a pick and want something I can strum hard if need be, yet still can sound good for finger style or hybrid picking. I’ve thought about getting something smaller, like a better OM or an OOO, but I have to say, this video makes me want to look into a Gibson 00. Love the sound, and it’s a great contrast to the dread sound.
I have a folk size .And I love it .Had it about 7 years now .Only an Alverez but it just great .Sounded better than anything else under a grand and plays great .
Had to laugh. My parlour is sitting on my couch, my OM is lying in its hard case beside the couch and my dreadnaught is sitting beside my work desk for instant access. And damn, that dude can play.
I bought an OMJM a couple months back. Love it more than anything. Has a great sound. Strumming sounds phenomenal, bluegrass sounds phenomenal, fingerpicking, open tunings, anything you throw at OM styles sound good.
I always felt large bodied guitars (like the gibson jumbo) did better with a more treble-oriented tonewood like maple because rosewood, and to a lesser degree, mahogany, in that size would have so much bass and low-mid overtones that the overall sound becomes unwieldy. This is why a higher toned wood like maple, or even the tighter sound of walnut, might work better with a jumbo.
I have an 87 Franklin Brazilian rosewood Jumbo that sounds great; if you compare a rosewood J-200 with a maple one, the rosewood sounds fuller and clearer. Maple sounds far thinner.
The D28 came first back in the day . But D28 , D18, and D15 call have their adherents . ********************* Back in the day , as these evolved , volume was definitely a major factor , but not the only one . Previously guitars had been just another part of the rythem section . But with nascent Country Music , and the Singing Cowboy phenomenon , the guitar was now prominently on display , being held, if not always played , by the frontman , it became a defining visual prop . The bigger the better, and flashy bling was popular .
The 00 has been one of my favorite guitar sounds for a long time. I just love the punchiness it has. The dreadnought has a lot of nostalgia with it, since so much music has been made with it, but I've always felt it was just a little TOO bassy for me. The 0M has a nice balance, but I would definitely put it behind the d18, and the j200 is my least favorite of this selection. It has a hollow, self reverb sound that I'm not a fan of. Once again, however, Ben proves to be a highly capable player who makes all of them sound great!
I began my guitar journey with a cheap dreadnought. My father bought me a second hand Tanglewood two years after, I also bought a second hand Epi LP a year before. I sticked to a dreadnought some time, because I really loved (I still do love) their sound... But I had to sell it and go after something smaller. I am not a big woman (1.60m) so I began looking for info and tried some guitars (I discovered all mahogany guitars with the Sigma 00015, I finally bought the cutaway version 4 months ago). I didn't have much money, so I got a cheap blue 000 for 60e, then a Tanglewood Union Folk, which helped me a lot during lockdown. Almost 15 years after, I wish I had all 4 shapes 😅🤣. I got really in love with Gibson L00s and Guild Troubadours, but dreads and jumbos... They are amazing. Thanks for sharin guys!
Nice review and awesome performance!! I like OM-28 standard which is in spite of narrow depth body, it has low end and beautiful high end. I am not big guy, so it is comfortable to hold. Besides I do not use an acoustic guitar in a band. I always play an acoustic alone and sing so I do not need more low end such as Dread or Jumbo type. I like koa tone as well especially playing single notes.
Don't let Ben leave Anderson's as an employee, the guy is a great player! OM is my favourite, got a 00015m and it's great. Previous dread owner, I simply prefer both the look and feel of the OM style. I do miss a bit of volume though, especially on higher strings, up towards fret 10 or 12
My Franklin Jumbo is louder than anything else I've heard. When I used to teach at the Yamaha Music School it was louder than eight kids playing together; I left Yamaha, by the way, because you can't teach guitar to eight kids at a time; someone loses out. I was getting €96 an hour, so it took two years to convince myself that this was a shit situation for the kids. Now I do only one-on-one; way less money, but more satisfying, and I don't feel as if I'm ripping somebody off. By the way, acoustics used to arrive at Yamaha two dozen at a time; I used to check them for set-up and playability before selling them to the kids; never found a dud, and a few guitars, the F-310s, which is what we started kids on, were actually exceptional. Good video. But John Mayer? LOL,
Listening through a pair of high-end headphones acknowledging that RU-vid compresses quite a bit, the D-18 sounds most balanced to me closely followed by the OM. But man - would I love to own all of them. And yes - you found the right guy. Now he just needs a few years to develop that sick Andertons humour that makes this channel so great 😘
I bought Gibsons budget Jumbo (Epiphone Artist series) thinking I would like the tone more being a bigger guitar several years ago and discovered I was wrong. The smaller guitars I had sounded much better. Bigger doesn´t always mean better. Lesson learned.
From Leo: Thank you for this demonstration. It is not often you hear the different guitar characteristic side by side played with familiar acoustic styles. PS. I am of the mindset that a man needs one of each, now I have an excuse to purchase one more.
4 great guitars (although I preferred the OM, maybe because I have an OM!?). Just makes me realise I need to learn to drop tune and asks the question why did standard tuning become standard for acoustics when dropped tuning sounds so good!?
Great Video... ! For me always the low midrange will rule the game. And also the more comfortable -smaller- size-. That doesn't mean I would skip the restaurant before the couch.
I love the show and love you're playing. I feel the love for Robin Hood as well. So i know which Robin hood series the captain is referring to. It's the best Robin hood ever. It was Robin of Sherwood 1984- 1986. Starring Jason Connery in season 3. The series is also known for its musical score by Clannad.
Ed Sheeran uses a Little Martin, which is not a parlor but a mini-sized or trave-sized guitar. Makes a huge difference. Not nearly as much volume and midrange as in a parlor.
Ed Sheeran is more of a popstar than a singer songwriter. Not sure the instrument matters too much for his sound. Kind of the male version of Taylor Swift.
I have three guitars ....and they have different sizes. The parlor I mostly use for fingerstyle blues in Open D or D minor, the OO for regular picking and strumming in standard tuning or full step down. And the Grand auditorium is for slide blues in Open C and other alternate tunings . I don't have any issues or complaints:).
I want to see you guys do a review of the Epiphone Starling acoustic guitar. I think they punch above their weight class and would love to see if you agree. Thanks and keep the videos coming. Best RU-vid guitar channel by far.
That little Gibson is the big surprise. Powerful sound. But it was old blues that got me started, (thank you Mr. Grossman). If you forced me to take one off your hands, though, it would be the OM. Or the J200... (I could sneak the little one out inside it)...
The 200 has a lot of clarity due to the maple back/sides. Pretty close to the OM, at least on my headphones. I'd be interested in hearing a mahogany jumbo up against the OM. Great video!
I have a pre fender buyout Guild DV 52 Dreadnought. LOVE it! Sounds like warm butter! That said, I don't think you could go wrong with any of these. They all sound good to me! My buddy loves the sound of my Dreadnought, but hates playing it. He generally plays smaller bodied acoustics.
