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Old 04-10-2015, 08:34 AM
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Default NGD - Martin Dreadnought Jr.

Got it yesterday from Sweetwater, and it was still perfectly tuned. Just had a few hours with it, but what a nice little guitar. If their production team can keep up with the inevitable demand--without any compromise to quality--the D Jr. will be a HUGE success for Martin! On to the details...

1. Fit and finish are great - It's a plain Jane guitar, but the workmanship is excellent and I like the hand-applied oil finish.

2. Set-up - The action is a tad high compared to where I generally like my acoustics set-up; but, it's very playable all up & down the neck. It has a ton of saddle, so dropping it down to where I like it will be a piece of cake. But again, it's fine where it is...just a matter of personal preference.

3. Gig Bag - I like it and feel it will provide ample protection. The Taylor gig bag might have a bit more padding, but not enough to squabble over.

4. Neck - The 1-3/4" width is just so nice to have. In addition to being an all solid wood guitar, the neck width was definitely a big factor in my purchasing decision. Neck profile is comfortable and nice to move around on with the satin finish.

5. Tone - Lovely sounding guitar, with ample volume for casual play. Very nicely balanced, with enough bass presence for my taste. No one is going to mistake this for a D-18, D-28, or the like; but, that would be an unreal expectation. It is outstanding for what it is meant to be, and to my ear, has more of everything compared to the GS Mini. Not a knock on the Mini's, but to me, they sound a bit constricted; whereas, the D Jr. has an openness & more overall presence to it.

6. Pick-Up - Played through my Fishman Loudbox Mini it sounded quite good. As with any pick-up system, it allows you to color the tone to your preferences. Of course, it also provides the extra boost in volume you may want in certain situations. It's an inexpensive system, and since I have a Fishman Matrix Infinity system laying around the house, I may opt to swap it out--but not out of necessity.

7. Playability - Again, the 1-3/4" nut is a winner, and along with the neck profile, 24" scale, and overall size of the guitar, it's super comfortable & just a pleasure to play. I think I'll have a lot of fun with this guitar...


The below pics are from Sweetwater (who gave me permission to share them). So, since they are of my actual guitar and are much better than I could take, I'm going to use them...















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Last edited by drplayer; 04-10-2015 at 12:19 PM.
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Old 04-10-2015, 08:44 AM
teleamp teleamp is offline
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Congrats, they are nice, and yes, the gig-bag is more than adequate. Plus, they will sell like hotcake once the stores get them in...
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Old 04-10-2015, 08:48 AM
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Congrats on the new D Jr! I was a bit iffy on the gig bag when I first got mine, but it's growing on me.
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Old 04-10-2015, 09:03 AM
woodbox woodbox is offline
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Thank you drplayer for your informative review.

I confess to more than a passing interest in one of these new Martins.
Trying to think of a reason to have one.

Ive read a lot of comments comparing it to a GS Mini, but I wonder how it compares to a Big Baby Taylor? (of which I have two, and prefer to the GS Mini, size wise, not tone)
The BBT being a small (15/16's) Dreadnaught shape, always seemed a little thin tonally, so I wonder if (and hope) the D Jr. might give a fuller sound.

congrats and thanks
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Old 04-10-2015, 09:06 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Great review - Congrats!! It's going to be a big seller for sure. I didn't realize it has a 1 3/4" nut width, I like that.
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Old 04-10-2015, 09:22 AM
guit3090 guit3090 is offline
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Good review, nice looking guitar.
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Old 04-10-2015, 09:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodbox View Post
Thank you drplayer for your informative review.

I confess to more than a passing interest in one of these new Martins.
Trying to think of a reason to have one.
You're welcome... FWIW, my reasons were:

1. - I like Martin guitars, and this is just an incredible value.

2. - I didn't have a small inexpensive enough guitar that I would feel comfortable taking on a trip, or camping, or to the beach, etc. It's all solid wood and a nice instrument, so definitely, you still need to take precautions; but, I feel much better about taking a $600 guitar vs. a $3K one.

3. - These will sell like hot-cakes, and being in manufacturing for many years, I know what happens when demand starts exceeding capacity. Short cuts are taken, which usually have an adverse affect on quality--at least in the short-term until measures are taken to accommodate the increased demand. I didn't want to wait and risk that this production facility might fall victim to this, and as a result, possibly start producing sub-par instruments for a period of time. And...

4. - These will sell like hot-cakes, which almost always equates to price increases. Nothing new or nothing wrong with that...it's just simple supply & demand economics.
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Old 04-10-2015, 09:42 AM
TRW1 TRW1 is offline
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I, too, bought one of these from Sweetwater. Took it out of the box and went out to the patio to check it out. 2 hours later I realized this must be a pretty sweet little guitar. I actually decided to part with my Koa Mini in favor of the D Jr. The Jr is just more comfortable for me to play with the slightly longer scale and wider nut. I still love the GS Minis but for me the D Jr is just a better fit, though not nearly as pretty as the Koa.
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Old 04-10-2015, 09:58 AM
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Thanks for the review and photos. Mine will be here tomorrow. I already have my photos from Ben.
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Old 04-10-2015, 10:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodbox View Post
Ive read a lot of comments comparing it to a GS Mini, but I wonder how it compares to a Big Baby Taylor? (of which I have two, and prefer to the GS Mini, size wise, not tone)
The BBT being a small (15/16's) Dreadnaught shape, always seemed a little thin tonally, so I wonder if (and hope) the D Jr. might give a fuller sound.
Having owned the BBT and having had a D Jr for about a month now, in my opinion the D Jr is fuller and more well-rounded tonally than the BBT.
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Old 04-10-2015, 10:48 AM
gretchen55 gretchen55 is offline
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So what is the neck profile, exactly- full C? Shallow C? More of a D, perhaps? thanks-
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Old 04-10-2015, 10:59 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gretchen55 View Post
So what is the neck profile, exactly- full C? Shallow C? More of a D, perhaps? thanks-
Well, Martin calls it a "Dreadnought Junior Profile", so apparently it has it's own unique shape. However, based on the below link, I'd say it's probably close to the "Low Profile" or maybe somewhere between the "Low Profile" and the "Low Oval"?

http://www.martinguitar.com/features...dthshapes.html
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Martin 000-28EC
'71 Harmony Buck Owens American
Epiphone Inspired by Gibson J-45
Gold Tone PBR-D Paul Beard Signature Model resonator

"Lean your body forward slightly to support the guitar against your chest, for the poetry of the music should resound in your heart."
-Andrés Segovia
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Old 04-10-2015, 11:01 AM
Steelhead Steelhead is offline
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Great review! Funny you mention the guitar was in tune...mine arrived from Sweetwater in perfect tune as well! QC on mine appears to be great! Cannot hardly put it down...just a nice little guitar.I still prefer the Taylor gig bag but really the Martin bag looks cool in black and yes, will provide the same protection (not checking it as luggage anyway.)
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Old 04-10-2015, 11:08 AM
teleamp teleamp is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gretchen55 View Post
So what is the neck profile, exactly- full C? Shallow C? More of a D, perhaps? thanks-
Full C IMHO...
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Old 04-10-2015, 11:13 AM
AmericanEagle AmericanEagle is offline
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Default scale length

So, the GS Mini has a scale length of 23.5"
and the Dread Jr. has a scale length of 24"

Have you found that half inch difference noticeable?
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