OM vs. Dred

[EnFuego]

This is kind of a stupid question...does the OM sized guitar just have less volume than a dred, or does it muffle the sound (kind of like mash allthe notes together) if you strum on it. Because I figure that if you need the volume you can just plug it in and make it amplify the sound. i like the body of an OM better (feels more personal) but i didnt know if it was just lower in volume or if it mushes the notes together when strumming.

[MWR]

In GENERAL dreds will have more volume than OM's. There are plenty of exceptions though. Martins OM-28V is widely regarded as the best guitar Martin ever made and I know that volume certainly wouldn't be an issue with that guitar. The difference with body styles is not so much in general volume but more with string to string volume. A dred is going to have a more pronounced bass than an OM wheras an OM will have more pronounced mids and often highs. If your exclusively strumming I would not recommend an OM. If you do mostly fingerstlye with some light/medium strumming than an OM would be suitable. There are of course styles in between these like Taylor's 14 style and many manufacturers make mini jumbos. These would probably be better suited for all around playing.

[EnFuego]

yeah, that makes since...i was trying to figure out why the John Mayer was an OM, but I guess he plays some lighter picking too.

[Ranting Thespian]

dreads are my favorite type of acoustics. They just feel right, and I like the sound more than any other bodies.

[s1m4m]

I have a dread now and I love it cause I really dig in when I strum. My next guitar though will be a Taylor 414, no cutaway, and after-market electronics(iBeam most likely). I absolutely love that guitar...

[sacdeez]

I have a taylor dread (420) and love it, it has that bassy sound that sometimes you dont get from others. in fact the reason i bought the dread was i missed the sound when i got my jumbo cutaway so i went back to the dread.