Acoustic Guitar Body Styles and Sizes

Acoustic guitar sizes chart: body sizes at a glance

The quickest way to compare shapes is by the width of the lower bout, the widest part of the body. Depth matters too: a deeper body gives more low end. Exact numbers vary by brand and model, so treat these as typical figures and check the spec sheet of the guitar you are looking at.

Martin uses a letter-and-number system for its sizes (0, 00, 000, D), and many makers have copied the names. Taylor uses its own names (grand concert, grand auditorium, grand pacific), and Gibson uses J for jumbo models, so the same word can mean slightly different guitars from different brands.

Dreadnought

The dreadnought is the shape most people picture when they think “acoustic guitar”. Martin built the first ones for the Oliver Ditson company in 1916 and began selling dreadnoughts under its own name in 1931, when its D-1 and D-2 became the D-18 and D-28. The name came from HMS Dreadnought, a large British battleship of 1906.

What defines it:

• Square shoulders and a wide, shallow waist, so the body looks almost rectangular.
• A deep body and a lower bout of about 15 5/8 in on the standard Martin D.
• 14 frets clear of the body on modern versions.

The result is a loud guitar with a lot of bass, built for strumming and flatpicking in a band or around a campfire. The trade-off is comfort: the wide waist sits high on the leg when seated, and a lot of low end can blur fast fingerpicking. A round-shoulder (slope-shoulder) dreadnought, such as the Gibson J-45 style, has the same general size with softer upper curves and a slightly warmer, less boomy sound.

Auditorium, OM and 000

The 000 (triple-O) is Martin’s auditorium size, around 15 in at the lower bout and noticeably narrower at the waist than a dreadnought. The OM (Orchestra Model) came from a request by banjo player and teacher Perry Bechtel for a guitar with more frets clear of the body. Martin reshaped a 12-fret 000 so the neck joined at the 14th fret and paired it with the long 25.4 in scale.

This size is a favourite of fingerstyle players: the narrow waist holds the guitar securely on the leg, the sound is balanced from bass to treble, and the guitar still strums well at moderate volume. If you are not sure what to buy, an OM or 000 is a low-risk middle choice.

Grand auditorium

Taylor introduced its grand auditorium in the 1990s as a shape between the 000 and the dreadnought: about as wide as a dreadnought at the lower bout but with a narrow waist, so it sits more like a 000. Many brands now sell a similar shape, sometimes called an “auditorium” or “orchestra” model. It is the shape to look at if you play a bit of everything and want one guitar that fingerpicks and strums equally well.

Concert, grand concert and parlor

These are the small bodies.

• Parlor guitars are narrow, often with a 12-fret neck joint and a slotted headstock in vintage designs. They sound focused in the mids, with less bass, and are very comfortable on the sofa.
• Concert (0) and grand concert (00) are Martin’s smaller sizes, around 13.5 in and 14–14.5 in. They are quieter but very even, and their clarity makes them easy to record.

Small bodies suit players with shorter arms, anyone who plays mainly fingerstyle or at home, and people who find a dreadnought uncomfortable. They are not “beginner guitars”; many professional fingerstyle players use them by choice.

Jumbo

The jumbo is the largest common shape. Gibson’s Super Jumbo, later the J-200 (SJ-200), arrived in 1937 with a body about 16 7/8 in wide, and it has been the classic jumbo ever since. Jumbos have a big rounded lower bout, a narrow waist and a loud, bright, ringing sound. They are great for strumming on stage but heavy and large to play seated.

Cutaways and body depth

Two other options change how a body plays:

• Cutaway. A scoop in the upper bout next to the neck. A Venetian cutaway is rounded; a Florentine cutaway is sharp. It lets your hand reach the high frets. It removes a little air volume, but most players cannot hear a big difference.
• Thin body. Some electric-acoustics use a shallow body to reduce feedback when amplified. They are comfortable but quieter unplugged.

Scale length is part of the size

Body size and scale length (nut to saddle) are separate choices. A shorter scale (about 24–24.9 in) puts the strings under a bit less tension at the same pitch, so bends and barre chords feel easier and fret stretches are slightly shorter. A longer scale (25.4 in or more) has a firmer feel and a little more sparkle. Travel and 3/4 guitars often use scales of 22–23.5 in. If you are buying for a child, see how to pick the right size guitar for your child.

How to choose a body size

Answer three questions:

1. How do you mostly play? Strumming in a group: dreadnought or jumbo. Fingerpicking or a mix: OM/000, grand concert or grand auditorium. Quiet home playing: parlor or concert.
2. How does it fit you? Sit with the guitar on your right leg (left leg for left-handed players). Your strumming arm should rest over the lower bout without the shoulder lifting. If it lifts, go smaller.
3. Will you play it plugged in? Smaller and thinner bodies feed back less on stage; see what an electric-acoustic guitar is.

Whatever you pick, a good setup matters more for playability than the shape. A dreadnought with low action plays more easily than a parlor with high action. The parts named here are explained in the anatomy of an acoustic guitar.