Opeongo - our OO small body acoustic

Name: Opeongo - our OO small body acoustic
Brand: MacKenzie and Marr Guitars
SKU: Opeongo
Price: 949.99 CAD
Availability: In Stock

A full sound in a small guitar doesn't cost thousands anymore

Availability:
In Stock

Our artisan-crafted small-bodied OO style all solid wood parlor acoustic guitar. With 12 frets to the body and a 1 3/4 inch wide neck, Opeongo harkens back to the golden age of the steel string guitar.

Crafted from solid AAA-grade Sitka Spruce and solid Mahogany. A small guitar with a big sound.

Back and sides of responsibly harvested solid African Mahogany (Kaya Ivorensis)
Topwood is solid AAA-grade Canadian Sitka Spruce
A hand-set dovetail joint ensures full projective voicing

Suggested Retail Price:

CAD $2,399.99

Your Price:

Price:	CAD $949.99

Building a small body guitar is easy. Building one worth listening to? Not so easy. And one that is a joy to play? Even tougher.

It took us two years of experimentation and samples before we finally created a 00 size solid wood acoustic we could call an authentic MacKenzie & Marr guitar. Calling upon two highly respected luthiers, we started by re-engineering the bracing. Highly sculpted X bracing supports the top without restricting the "acoustic trampoline" of the quarter sawn Sitka Spruce. The back and sides are solid African Mahogany (Khaya Ivorensis), which suits the geometry of a small body guitar perfectly. By engineering the neck of Opeongo to transmit acoustic vibrations along its length, telegraphing them to the slotted headstock, we've expanded the resonating chamber beyond the physical confines of the body.

The overtones and sustain created by the play of space and materials belie the small body size. Hearing the true"wood" voice of Opeongo and experiencing the projection of that voice for the first time throws everyone off. Playing Opeongo is even more of a joy. Twelve frets to the body (most guitars including our other models have 14 frets clear of the body) mean less stretching and more comfortable fingering. Even barre chords become pleasurable to play (pleasurable, in this case, being highly subjective because who among us enjoys barre chords?). The 1 3/4 inch fretboard width at the nut encourages accurate fingerpicking.

As with all MacKenzie & Marr Guitars, Opeongo comes with a limited lifetime warranty against any manufacturing and/or material defects. Play this guitar in the comfort of your own home for a week. If you don't fall in love with it, we'll take it back and issue a full refund, including shipping costs.

A hard shell case is included at no additional cost with every Opeongo guitar.

Owner Reviews

James from Novato

Fri, 06/11/2021 - 10:11

I waited a long time for my guitar to arrive, with some anxious moments because of COVID shipping delays. But I was thrilled when UPS delivered it. Some perspective: I have several guitars, some of which are made by high-end guitar makers with big names and one that is a custom job. So I know and appreciate quality. At this price point, I wasn't expecting to get an instrument that would compete with those larger instruments. In fact, I chose the Opeongo because I wanted a 12-fret with the feel that those instruments are known for—a looser feel and faster action. I added the Baggs pickup because one of my main guitars has the same one. Okay, so the results: Yesterday, I spent another hour playing my M & M. It is a "hot-rod" of a guitar that invites improvisation. What I also appreciate is its sonic balance. While it is not a "boomer" at this size, the bass notes absolutely support the treble end. Everything is clear. Chords seem more transparent as a result. I also value the "songs" that come out of any guitar, seemingly born with them. I noticed in the first half-hour of play that this guitar had some ideas of its own—things that somehow came out of my hand for the first time. Okay, that's magical thinking, I know. But it's true. This guitar had some gifts for me. I wish it had a glossy finish, yes, and if that were ever an option (like the pickup) I would go for it. But this is a friendly, playable guitar with great spirit. I'm a happy camper!

Dave from Corman Park

Thu, 06/10/2021 - 12:24

A very nice instrument. I have yet to figure out the nine volt battery power to the pickup and how that battery is to be anchored

Ramsey from Birmingham, AL

Thu, 06/10/2021 - 12:08

This is the first product review I've ever written. I bought the Opeongo on a whim with my tax refund. It took over 3 months to deliver but it was worth the wait. The action was set too high for my liking. The Allen wrench that fits my Martin didn't fit the Opeongo's truss rod. I emailed MacKenzie and Marr asking what size wrench was required. John Marr replied that there was an Allen wrench in the case. LOL. It took a little while to adjust but I have it set perfectly now. This guitar plays like a dream and sounds great, bright and full. They're not kidding. This is a quality instrument. Even the case is top quality. I have a Martin and a Taylor that don't get played much anymore.

Glenn from Liverpool

Tue, 06/08/2021 - 23:18

My Opeongo is a great little guitar. Been playing it every day for about a month now. Sits right next to my Southern Jumbo and gets played more. It's easier to get my arms around that the SJ which makes it a convenient armchair guitar, but I'm also playing it because it sounds great, and tunes really great. It's a joy to own. It plays like you'd expect a parlor to play. I find the fret edges a little sharp, but it doesn't actually annoy me or stop me from picking it up several times a day. I've played dozens of new Gibsons and Martins in music stores and immediately put them back on the rack because they just don't cut it. Especially when you look at the price tag for these high end brands. This Opeongo is exactly what the company says it is. A guitar that measures up to others that cost 2-3 times as much. I'm very pleased. I will always own it.

Mike from Gabriola.BC.Canada

Sun, 03/28/2021 - 14:33

My new Opeongo that is hanging on my wall resonates and sings back to me when I sneeze. First off the guitar is awesome and sounds great but to have it sing back when I'm not touching it denotes the calling of a top quality guitar. I pick it up and play it right away when that happens.

Rich from Boston

Thu, 02/18/2021 - 15:15

All my life I wanted a solid wood guitar, but the cost of a Gibson or Martin et al. was out of range for a hobby guitarist. I took a chance on this brand and I couldn't be happier. An elegantly crafted instrument. “It stays in tune!”

Charles from Amma, WV, USA

Tue, 02/16/2021 - 12:49

I'm 78 years old, 5 ft 2 inches tall, with corresponding short arms and a body that's not very flexible. I also have short and very thick fingers. I wanted a smaller guitar (that I could reach around comfortably) with a short neck (so I could reach the end) with a wide neck (room for those fingers). The Opeongo gave me all I wanted plus the sound of a larger, more expensive guitar. No adjustments in "action" had to be made out of the box and it came in a much higher quality case than I expected. However, I would gladly pay more for one just like it that delivered even higher quality sound (probably not possible).

Douglas from Roxbury

Thu, 02/04/2021 - 11:28

Sounds great and plays even better. I love mine.

Mike from Gabriola

Thu, 02/04/2021 - 11:28

Well, 6 months or so ago I bought a Tofino Limited Edition and love it totally. Wrote a review on it. Today (only 10 days after ordering) I received my Opeongo 00 Acoustic parlour guitar. Based on the Tofino, I just had to get this one and man it is beautiful and sounds great. Everything about the Opeongo is top-notch. Right out of the pro four latch hard shell signature case it was in tune and the action was perfect. I've played it now for about an hour and absolutely love it. Easy to play and true the entire neck with an unbelievable loud full sound for a smaller body guitar. Living on a Gulf Island off the BC Canadian west coast I'm in a lot of ferry line ups so you'll see me in the back seat playing this guitar. To be buying guitars without seeing, touching or playing them seems nuts but I took a chance on the Tofino and now feel I don't need to go anywhere else. To me that says a lot about quality, sound, look and price. I'm already thinking of buying the Ian Tyson or the Grand Manan and I only just got the Opeongo today. After a year of Covid isolation and not going out for dinners, shows and concerts etc., I find I've saved enough to justify just one more guitar....ha ha.

Allen from Sydney

Thu, 11/12/2020 - 16:19

Have to say this guitar is amazing incredibly light and resonant ! Beautiful tone and the playability is off the charts . I have. Even using a tonerite device on it when not playing to help with the breakin I can honestly say this guitar has blossomed I’m very short period of time incredible instrument I could not be happier !!!!!

Iain Matthews Playing MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo

MacKenzie and Marr Opeongo - Harmonics and Overtones

The MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo in Open Tuning

Cécile Doo-Kingué plays the MacKenzie & Marr Opeongo

That Was Then

Back around the turn of the century (the 20th century that is), we'd sit down in the parlor after a hard day's work and pick out a few tunes. Those small body guitars were fun to play and sounded sweet. But time marched on - obviously to a different drummer - guitars grew in size to accommodate the need for "boomer" concert hall sound and our favourite OO size acoustics followed Gene Autry into the sunset. Building small guitars with a full, rich, resonant voice became a lost art. But............

This is Now

..........everything old becomes new again. The resurgence of small parlor style guitars is (pardon the oxymoron) huge. They're showing up everywhere, played by the cool dudes and dudettes. (You don't think Rodney Crowell is cool?). We first played a modern small body guitar made by a California company, whose name, looking north across Monterey Bay, shall remain nameless. It was love at first chord. But it wasn't cheap, and we quickly realized that OO guitars were either expensive and excellent or affordable and not very good at all. We took up the challenge of blending small with affordable and exceptional. It took three years, but we did it.

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