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I'm going to start my first pretty soon. At first I thought I would build a kit but I have enough walnut to make a 3 piece with plenty of side wood to mess up in the bending process. I've got enough mahogany and tiger maple to make a laminated neck. All I will need to buy is some nice bear claw for the top and a fretboard. This is for my wife who is accustomed to an HD28 which we had to sell recently. She said she would like something a little smaller but still wants that sound. I have experience building F5 mandos with laminated necks. What might I expect tone wise from this combo? What would be a good model/plan to buy?

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I just finished a Black Walnut and Engleman Spruce. I think Walnut is a spectacular tonewood. Mine has lots of shimmery overtones and nice bass. I'd put it (at least the set I used) closer to the East Indian Rosewood end of things than say the Mahogany end.

What about an OM size? A little smaller for your wife than a dread.

Neil

That's good news. Thanks. As for the OM, are they know for good tone in the low end? I've never played one so I don't know. Everybody I know plays dreads. Bluegrassers. My wife plays strictly rhythm. I'l have to go to some stores and check them out.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I think you'll be challenged to get "that Dreadnought sound" from a smaller guitar. You can build a loud smaller guitar - but the same type of bass is likely to be elusive. The bass on a Dread is largely a function of the size of the soundbox; bigger, deeper, more space for longer soundwaves. I'm sure I'll get some corrections - I'm not even close to having a deep understanding of the physics of sound. Nevertheless, that's my simplistic understanding. I like OM guitars - and I like their balance; mids, trebles, bass. But they don't sound like Dreads (to me, anyway)

So here's an alternative - why not try a beveled armrest? (some tutorials on here and elsewhere) - if it's the shoulder angle that she's unhappy with, a nice bevel on the lower bout can make a Dread feel like a smaller guitar. I wouldn't recommend it if you were embarking on your first instrument, but sounds like you've got some experience.

The OM is (can be) a very balanced instrument. I think they are much better recording guitars than the bigger body guitars. Wayne Henderson plays bluegrass on an OM at least some of the time.

I agree with Neil, try an OM.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck