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Dreadnaught vs Grand Concert vs 000

6/19/2012

15 Comments

 
Over the past few months I’ve received quite a few inquiries about the differences between dreadnaught and grand concert size guitars. I wrote about the basic differences in the most common acoustic guitar sizes a while back but I want to revisit this as it relates to these two sizes (plus one other), which are arguably the most common and popular sizes sold today.

First off, I applaud anyone who asks this question because it means they are doing some research to find which guitar size would suit them best. Often, beginners will opt for a dreadnaught because this is by far the most common size available at a wide range of price points. Why is this? Simply because a dread is just plain louder than a smaller guitar, in most cases. And because of this even an inexpensive all-laminate bodied dread can sound OK to the uninitiated. That’s fine, if volume is a buyer’s only concern. But there are other very important factors to consider.

The most basic one is: how big is the person playing that guitar? I’ve seen more than a few cases when a fairly small boned woman or a youngster really struggled to play a dreadnaught-size guitar because it was difficult to hold the guitar comfortably and reach around it to play. A while back I had a student who was so overweight that she could not hold the body of her jumbo size guitar close enough to play comfortably and unfortunately that led to her giving up the effort. That is the exception, obviously, but all I’m saying is that your body type, which must include the size of your hand and the length of your fingers must be considered when buying a guitar.

Here are the basic dimensions of three of the most popular size guitars:


(the lower bout is the wider section of the guitar body where the bridge is located)

Dreadnaught: Body length: 20”, lower bout width: 15 5/8”, body depth: 4 7/8”

Grand Concert: Length: 19 ½”, lower bout width: 15”, body depth: 4 5/8”

Auditorium or 000:  Length: 19 5/8”, lower bout width: 15”, depth: 4 1/8”

I found these dimensions on the Martin and Taylor web sites and from maker to maker you may find some slight differences but I believe those are pretty accurate numbers, generally. There are also larger (Jumbo) and smaller (00, 0, Parlor) guitars of course. But as I said, these represent the most common and popular sizes.

So here we go. These are my opinions only and you can find exceptions to what I’m about to say but after owning over 50 guitars and playing at least four times that number I think you can depend on this information.

Dreadnaughts:

Advantages: More volume and often more sustain and resonance than the smaller bodied guitars. A very wide selection from dozens of manufacturers at all price levels.

Disadvantages: Can be difficult to hold for smaller people or very large people. Often better suited for strumming compared to finger-style playing due to more pronounced, sometimes overwhelming bass end sound.

Grand Concerts:

Advantages: Usually quite comfortable to hold and reach around to play. Usually a nice, even response from low to high strings. Preferred by many accomplished finger style players.

Disadvantages:  Less volume than a dread, making an unamplified model less able to “keep up” with other instruments in a band. Fewer choices when selecting a new or used instrument.

000 or Auditorium size:

Advantages: A nice compromise between the previous two sizes, able to hold its own in a band and still respond nicely to either finger style or strumming. A few more choices from various manufacturers, compared to Grand Concert. Comfortable to hold and play for most people.

Disadvantages:  Still not as much punch as a dreadnaught and if volume is the primary concern, may not have enough power to be heard as well as a dread in a band. Body size may still be too big for very small framed people.

As I said, you could most likely find opposing views of all this. There are certainly dreads that sound great when finger picked and grand concerts that are loud and punchy. But those are the exceptions.

I hope this information helps if you’re considering buying your first guitar or upgrading from your present instrument. If possible, at least hold and compare a couple sizes before making a decision. Even if you can’t play at all it should be fairly obvious which body size suits you.

Peace & good music,

Gene

15 Comments
Ross
10/1/2012 07:21:36 am

You wrote a nice piece, but your spelling is definitely off unless you're trying to create a new spelling convention for guitars. "Dreadnought is sometimes misspelled as "Dreadnaught"." says wikipedia, and they are right when it comes to guitars. Hasn't anyone pointed this out?

Reply
Gene
10/2/2012 09:19:41 pm

Thanks Ross. I did a bit of research on this - I am somewhat skeptical of using Wiki information for just about anything, except when accompanied by a large grain of salt - and on the Martin site when the guitar size in question is used in reference to the Ditson models, it is spelled "dreadnaught." When describing their standard D's such as the D-28, it is spelled "dreadnought." I have a reproduction of a 1930 Martin catalog that they sell at the factory in which it is spelled "dreadnaught" but in a later catalog reproduction it is spelled "dreadnought." So there you are! If Martin has used both spellings, I figure they have more credence than wiki, as Martin came up with the designation in the first place! But - whatever! In any case, thanks again for the comment.

Reply
Angela
1/29/2013 02:16:19 pm

Yes. 'Wiki" is unreliable. Anyone may add information there. In higher education this fact is one of the first things you learn for choosing reliable sources.

Aaron
3/9/2013 05:57:27 am

Thanks Gene! This is very helpful.

Reply
ehcuoDAsIssoR
10/28/2013 04:12:41 pm

Ross, no one cares, man. You wrote a good comment but you're content is way off, unless you're trying to create a new douche baggery convention for posting comments about guitar articles. Hasn't anyone pointed this out?

Reply
Aludra
11/21/2013 05:33:36 pm

Thank you so much for the information. Very helpful article for a guitar newbie like me who is planning to get a new guitar.

Reply
Marie
3/5/2014 07:10:52 am

What is a good Grand Concert Guitar for beginners. I have a small frame so size matters.

Reply
Custom Home Theater link
11/4/2014 06:18:53 pm

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Reply
Fun_times_doit link
12/12/2014 11:42:35 am

Gene, that is a helpful and generally good article. Very helpful. Ross needs to ask his boyfriend for sex.

Reply
Ria
9/6/2017 08:50:49 am

Thank you for taking the time to write this article - it was very helpful!!! :)

Reply
Gene
9/6/2017 10:49:06 am

No problem Ria, glad you liked it. Hopefully it was not too confusing. The best thing you can do is try out as many guitars as possible to find one that "fits" you well. Neck profile figures into that as well of course. Good luck! Gene

Reply
Michele
10/5/2017 12:28:06 pm

So, what size would you suggest for a smaller boned female that also is im a wheelchair?

Reply
Gene
10/5/2017 04:38:15 pm

Michele - I think you might want to check out either the Taylor GS Mini or the Martin Dreadnought Jr. Both are 3/4 to 7/8 size versions of their namesakes, i.e., the Taylor GS series and the Martin Dreadnought. Both sound very good and are small enough to hold comfortably. There are less expensive "parlor" size guitars from a number of companies (Washburn, Alvarez, others....) that are nice but to my ear anyway, don't have the sound quality of the Martin or Taylor. However, I would avoid the Baby Taylor and the Martin LX series, which are even smaller but aren't much in terms of sound. Others may disagree of course. Good luck with your search! Gene

Reply
nobodeuno
3/16/2018 05:53:35 am

I agree with most all of the explanation of differences between an OM and a dread....however one thing missing is that OM's can have more presence, focus and projection. Key here is that the projection can allow a smaller guitar to be heard better at distances than dreads. Of course this depends on the build and woods of the guitar. Some mahogany OM's are extremely powerful cutting through and over many dreads due to their midrange focus. This will present itself as the louder guitar to the listener out there...remember the human ear audible range is focused more on the midrange volume frequencies (500hz-2000hz). Hearing in these frequencies will sound louder, as the human ear has a non-flat frequency response. Of course there will always be human exceptions.
Also the quicker response of output as opposed to a dread can be another desirable difference as compared to a dread. Another misnomer is that wood thicknesses can be the same. Most handcrafted guitars in any size can vary...dreads tend to have thicker woods in order to counter-balance the larger surfaces (not always though, depending on builder)...a lighter less thicker dread may sound great, but will be more susceptible to humidity changes and must be very well cared for. Therefore production model dreads may mostly have thicker wood dimensions that an OM.

Reply
Clare link
11/22/2020 01:39:53 am

This was a lovely blog posst

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