Don't buy a Dreadnought Guitar

Baxter and Jonathan discuss the Dreadnought guitar and if it's the right guitar for you as a beginner. There are so many choices for your first guitar picking the wrong size could make it very not fun.

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[johnokeeffe]

At 6'4" 270 lbs, anything but a dreadnought feels like a toothpick in my hands. I've been playing the same 65 Hummingbird since I was ten years old, at first it seemed a little big, but I loved the sound of the guitar so much, I just dealt with it till I grew into it. When you play the same guitar for 47 years, trust me, it becomes a part of you, it knows what I'm going to play next even before I do, dreadnaughts forever Baxter!

[paulhendershott]

The 000-15M has turned out be my dream guitar. Had a D-28 but after a left shoulder injury that required 2 plates and a dozen 2" screws in my upper humorous, I lost the ability to wrap my arms around the D-28. I play mostly by myself or my wife and the sound of the 000-15M is so sweet and not overpowering, and just a perfect size for my new situation!

[anabidingdude]

Just bought my first real high-end acoustic, trading up from a MIM Martin DRS-1. It came down to a D-28 and 000-18. The 000-18 had a beautiful top end clarity, was thin-bodied so you could hug it closer to the body which made very comfortable to play in a sitting position. I got the D-28 because it had a magnificent bottom-end and the top end clarity in one package. I can live with the Dreadnought shape for that kind of sound.

[danielphillipsmusic]

I made the same mistake when I moved from just being a bassist and songwriter for bands to performing solo with an acoustic guitar. I bought a dread because I figured "that's what everyone plays". I spent a couple years struggling with it until I realized that the dread was working against me vocally. I don't have a lot of range, or power vocally and when I'd lean into the dread it would get that low mid range drive right where I work vocally. It wasn't until I switched to Gretsch Rancher Jumbos that I realized that the Jumbo was the right guitar design for me. When you lean in on a Jumbo it gets bigger and wider on the top and low end. Allowing my voice to still sit naturally right in between. I wish someone had mentioned this to me when I was starting. Great video.

[benjieduvall]

Great video!!! “It’s the guitar you can’t put down that’s right for you” I’m 6’2” and I love playing my 000-17 and RO 328. I also have a GS mini, wonderful, fun and easy to play. I think a GS mini should be the standard for all beginners, no matter your age or size.

[JWhitneyInc]

Great topic for a video. I just always assumed the dreadnaught was basically the "it" acoustic and everything else was the oddball. I'm 6'2" with long enough arms that it shouldn't bother me, but I ended up going after a Martin 000-15M and it's the only acoustic I own now. Fits just perfect, plenty loud, great unique tone. I also used to be the "Nah man, you GOTTA put 13's on that acoustic for the toans, man." I play 10's on my electrics and decided to set up the 000 with 11's. Best decision I ever made.

[mikegreen]

I bought my son a Taylor Academy 12e-N to learn on. What a great 1st guitar. I often find myself picking it up.

[WS-bkuu]

I'm 6'5 so find dreadnoughts comfortable but I just got a great deal on a Gibson LG-2 American Eagle and it's the uktimate couch guitar. I'm also impressed by how much bark and low end it's got for such a small body

[paulthorn]

My first guitar was a Dreadnought. I don’t think it’s a coincidence I quit almost a month after starting. Never felt comfortable. Years later after making progress on electric, I came back to acoustic with a Taylor GA size. Much more better for me.

[zachyweezer]

great topic, and one that's rarely discussed it seems. i'm a larger guy, but gravitate towards smaller guitars. this preference wasn't realized, however, until i was much older and had been playing for over a decade. i'd bought a parlor and was amazed at how much i enjoyed playing it. i have my dreads still but my main player today is an orchestra model. it's just so comfortable and excellent for fingerpicking.

yet another reason to play many guitars before buying.

[carlosgravy]

My favorite acoustic, 3/4 scale Martin, and I'm 60. Also, loved the "gut-shaped muscles" I have those, too.

[BrianWMay]

Well done spelling it correctly . . .

I have a D-28 and a 000-28 and the auditorium size is SO much more comfortable to play. Good point letting people know regarding the alternatives. Mind you, I'm 72.

I am very happy with the 1 11/16 fretboard size.

[jakebecker]

Love this. I play a 00-12 fret after years of dreadnought. Love the responsiveness of the smaller 12 fret guitar.

[DRChevalier]

I'm not a slight person and own several dreadnoughts. They are wonderful. However, I find that I am more inclined to grab a parlour or OM sized when I just want to play acoustically for fun. I also find my Gibson L00 or Boucher JP Cormier signature awesome for recording using a two mike method. We are all different and thus different guitars suit each of us differently.

[CraigScott]

I purchased one of the new Gibson J50 originals during Lockdown and it was the best thing I've ever done. It sounds and plays great. Also, it just looks so god darn cool that it makes me want to pick it up and play it. So important. I now own the guitar I always wanted but it was all through trial and error. I think the journey of buying and selling guitars as a young player is all part of the fun. Try stuff, find out what you like.

[jed]

6’ tall, 185 lbs., tune down D to D, strum hard, sing loudly, and always play standing up, so I can sing / practice for the stage…. Dreadnoughts and Jumbos are the only size guitars I own. Once bought a concert size, and gave it to my daughter after playing 1 hour… the smaller guitar just didn’t work with my tuning and style, and felt like a uke in my hands…
And then Baxter said, “Dreadnoughts don’t have cutaways…” YES! If you want to shred 20th fret leads, buy a friggin Strat or Les Paul, and leave my dreadnoughts alone! THNX Baxter!

[_Yep_Yep_]

Martin apparently agrees. They now make a small, comfortable and uncharacteristically affordable laminate guitar that sounds pretty great. That being said, im 99 percent going in on an acoustasonic for my next guitar purely for comfort and ease of play with full understanding that it is sorta meh without an amp. I tried and quit guitar with a jumbo 20 years ago because the size made me touch every part of the instrument wrong as a learner, i mean every part was hard to reach and the thing was a pain in the ass just to hold. Martin Dreadnoughts sound beautiful, mind you. Make your decisions based on your own observations. Just try to wrap your head around the idea that a perfect guitar can be "unplayable" based on your body dimensions and skill in order that you dont sabotage and stymie your journey. It is frustrating to have music inside you and not be able to let it out:)

[derekeboyd]

This applies to electrics too. You don't need a big, heavy guitar to get good tone. Small, light guitars are liberating. They make you want to move the guitar around more and you can play longer with a lighter guitar. I'm looking or a parlor acoustic now.

[mburtondavis]

I had to get a smaller body style because I have a bad shoulder on my strumming hand side. But, I still love that low end bass when you strum an open chord.

[CaptainOfMyBurden]

I’m an at home player and 6’1” but I still prefer a 000 size guitar for its comfort. I mostly play at home on the couch. Slope shoulder dreads are more comfortable for me on the couch.