Martin OM-1: What's the scoop?

[Puckman]

I currently use a Larrivee dreadnought, but have decided to look into something with a smaller and more comfortable body (shoulder problems) and have kinda zeroed in on the Martin OM-1.
But I don't know what the consensus is on these, so I thought I'd drop by here and ask away.

Thoughts? Comments?

Is it overall looked at kindly around here?

 

[Brion]

The Body is solid woods which is good, but the stratobond neck is quite a few peices of thin laminate wood glued together which is not necessarily looked upon as being a good thing in general. It's certainly not traditional. I had a Larrivee OM-03R that was a spectacular guitar for the money. Maybe you could look into a Larri OM. On the used market they are great deals.

 

[JefeMaximo]

Actually, if you go beyond appearances, the stratobond neck is a great idea. It resonates well, and the way it's constructed makes it very strong and stable. Looks odd though.

 

[goodandswarty]

an om-1 is a beautiful guitar size wise and tone wise. martin, like many, seems to be very inconsistent from guitar to guitar so i would play a bunch. i ended up buying a Bourgeois Custom 00, all mahogany. Slightly smaller body, amazing tone... based on an old 40's martin. check out some other stuff like Collings too. most of all, enjoy the hunt... it's usually the best part.