So after all this I may be shifting direction! And Chris probably saw me post about this on another forum he and I frequent.

I went in to my favorite local store Saturday. I knew that he didn't have an EC in inventory but I thought I would just browse. There is a great little restaurant across the street that has great burgers and really good wood fire pizza. And it was beautiful and we could sit outside No masks!  So it was as much for that as guitar shopping.

I told the owner I knew he didn't have a 000-EC but what asked what he had potentially similar. He said he had something that I really should look at. He took me back to the room that has the guitars you need to ask for an employee to take off the wall. Where the PRS and Collings, etc. are!

We often use the expression  "find the guitar that speaks to you". That's exactly what happened. He showed me a Martin M-36. Gorgeous guitar, especially gorgeous 3 piece back, really, really playable. And just full, deep low end. To my limited ability full everything but especially the lows. Not thumpy like a dreadnaught. I don't know how to describe it better. It should be good for blues. Not as small as a 000 but a little thinner than a dreadnaught. It is, in Martin terms, 0000 size. The size felt good to me.

AND slightly cheaper than the EC.!  And it has built in LR Baggs pickups

We had lunch and I went back and put a deposit on it. He's giving me a week to think on it.

Anyone have a report on the M-36?

Blind dating in the guitar world.  Mrs. Ron is the model I admire most for understanding.