Dreads Are SO Big!

1958 Goya M-26


1962 Martin D-21


1950 Gibson LG1

I have always played dreads.  My first guitar, circa 1960, was a Goya M-26.  Goya called them Goliaths, but they matched a Martin dreadnought perfectly.  My second guitar was a Gibson J-50.  I owned a Yamaha FG180, not exactly a dread, but pretty close.  I also half owned a '74 D-18 and my favourite guitar is my '62 D-21.
My newest (to me) flat top is a 1950 LG1, my first small bodied guitar and I'm really enjoying it.
We also have a Yamaha FG75, a small bodied guitar, set up as a high-strung.

Jul 9, 2016 13:12:39 GMT -5 RobertW said:

Jun 13, 2016 14:12:31 GMT -5 FloridaGull said:

Out of my 12 guitars, only 2 are dreads - both Seagulls, oddly enough - the S12 and Performer...and they do feel a bit like hugging a washing machine...at least when sitting...

Out of my 12 stringed instruments, only 2 are dreads - both Seagulls, oddly enough - the S12 and the S6.

The other acoustics are mostly small bodied.. except the Baritone. I really don't know the martin body names.. they all look pretty much alike if they have a waist. Only significant difference is if the bottom bout is circular or flattened.

The Martin body size and shape are indicated by the letter part of the model name.  The smallest is O and the largest is OOOO.  The OM and OOO have the same size and shape body, but a different scale length.  The O to OOO (maybe the OOOO, but I've never seen one with a 12 fret neck) and the Ds come in 12 fret and 14 fret necks and the body shape, although about the same size, is different.  The 12 fret models have a rounder shape than the 14 fret models. 
Until the coming of the dreadnought (D), the OOO was considered a large bodied guitar.

Big Bill Broonzy is playing a OOO size Martin.  Not a small body guitar, but not as large as a dreadnought or a Gibson SJ200.

Joan Baez is playing an O size Martin.