Official Luthiers Forum!

First, I would be remiss is I did not comment that this site is a gold mine for a beginner like myself. I am amazed that so many luthiers, many some of the best in the business, are willing to take the time and effort needed to reply to the numerous questions.

I am building a 12 fret OM using the wider OOO fingerboard; the back and sides are Macassar Ebony and top is Englemann. Are there any suggestions or tips for building this guitar ie tips for the wood combos, bracing, etc. Thanks.

There is no such thing as a "12 fret OM".

All OM's are 14 fret.

What Mario is saying is that a 000-12 Fret and OM-14 fret
is the same body. the dif is the bridge and sound hole location. Bracing will change to support the bridge. but the body shape and size is the same as per Martin style 000's and OM's

Now to your questions What is the FB width at the nut?. I build both my 000's and OM's with 1-3/4 nut width. This is typical of 000's and OM's because they tend to be fingerstyle players guitars. Most fingerstyle player prefer a greater string spacing.

Bindings? Curly Maple would look good. Bracing I would use the stiffest sitka you can get your hand on.MichaelP38408.4608796296

Actually, the OOO 12 fret is not the same body.


Martin's line

Don Williams38408.4571527778

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Don your right I stand corrected the 12-000 has a smaller upper bout than the 14 fret-000. Strange thing? I have a Martin catalog from the 70's and it shows them as the same?. I have used this for a while. I guess I have miss built 000's in the past.....SHHHHHHH don't tell

Different upper bout, longer body, shorter scale, wider nut and bridge spacing... The list goes on and on...

In my mind, it's like comparing a size 5 to a dreadnought.

I have a second hand chart also that I have used that shows them identical....I think I got it at luthiers supplies web site a couple years ago...Oh well wrong again. Thats twice this decade MichaelP38408.472349537

I'd go to a transitional color for the binding--e.g. rosewood, koa, or cocobolo.

Carlton

The 000 14 fret and the OM have the same body. The 000-12 has a longer one. I once did a chart on what the difference was between a 000 and an OM. Almost everything on a 000 can change and still be called a 000. But ALL 14 fret, 25.4 scale with 1-3/4 nut width are OMs. There are no 000s with those exact dimensions. Many will tell you that 000s have a 24.9 scale but there are plenty of them with the longer scale. Here is an excerpt from an email I sent about it:

I went to the Martin website and did a little research. Martin
has no consistancy when it comes to the definition of a 000.
The 14 frets seem to have the same body shape. The bracing
might be different but they don't mention it. As for scale and
nut width, they are all over the map.

All and only OMs are 25.4 scale with a 1 3/4 nut width 14 fret.

000 28 EC 24.9 1 3/4     14
00028      24.9 1 11/16   14
00016      25.4 1 11/16   14
00028 VS 25.4 1 13/16   12
00016RGT   25.4 1 3/4     12
00040SPR   25.4 1 11/16   12

There don't seem to be any 24.9 scale 12 frets
or 1 13/16 14 frets.

So the rule of thumb seem to be OMs are 25.4, 1 3/4, 14 and all others
are 000s of some sort.Mike Mahar38408.6981944444

What Mike said.

Also, I've read that Martin designed the OM with a 14-fret neck to lure band and orchestra banjo players to the guitar, as they were used to a greater fret access.

Carlton

THANK? YOU ALL.