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  #16  
Old 07-12-2012, 12:13 AM
martin000 martin000 is offline
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Default Strings? Comparisons?

On the string issue, I would say:
1-Most durable for the money-D'Addario Extra Hard Tension EXP.
2-Best sounding in my opinion-Oasis GPX High Tension (only 11.99)
3-Best strings that sound good for a week-Savarez Corum
4-Middle of the road strings-Savarez Corum Alliance

Comparisons to a traditional classical?
1-I bought a Cordoba two weeks ago, a low end C3M with great tone woods but lousy tuners.....was amazed at how great the cedar and mahogany sound with D'Addario EXP extra hard tension.
2-More volume to be sure from a real classical but more complex overtones and longer lasting resonance from the Martin.
3-Much more of a 'folk' sound to the Martin and not a true Spanish classical sound. Trebles are folky and twangy and bass is punchy on Martin but classical has more dark boom and thick midrange with tinty trebles.

I played the two guitars side by side and realized that the Martin is really designed for a plug and play steel guitarist who wants a nylon sound....and for long practices or performances.....it is a nice change up.....while the classical is bigger and has more volume it is very 'spanish' as opposed to folksy.

For the money, I think the 000C Nylon will be around for while. It is more guitar than a Taylor ever will be (sorry). I played a 414CEN for more than a hour three months ago and could not believe it was 600 more than a Martin 00C Nylon.

Just my thoughts....Chris has really done a nice job on video comparisons.
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  #17  
Old 07-12-2012, 06:02 AM
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CCFingerstyle CCFingerstyle is offline
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Default High Tension on Martins

I just looked at the above "String Issue" list. I would at least be careful putting the Oasis High Tensions on an old Martin nylon. You might want to stick with the normal tension on these (which sound great to me) or watch the bridge (and around it) closely for possible separation. The high tensions should be fine on the newer (post-1969 and the STGNE/SRNE/000C models). I have bought these older Martins with a bit of separation before (it is not uncommon) and gone ahead and had the bridge re-glued before it got worse. As I have heard Mike H say occasionally, "you should expect to have to do this every 50 years or so on these old Martins." So if you get an old Martin nylon as a baby, you might have to have it re-glued twice in your lifetime. Not too bad.
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  #18  
Old 07-12-2012, 07:48 AM
john bange john bange is offline
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Default

[quote ]
I played the two guitars side by side and realized that the Martin is really designed for a plug and play steel guitarist who wants a nylon sound....and for long practices or performances.....it is a nice change up.....while the classical is bigger and has more volume it is very 'spanish' as opposed to folksy.

For the money, I think the 000C Nylon will be around for while. It is more guitar than a Taylor ever will be (sorry). I played a 414CEN for more than a hour three months ago and could not believe it was 600 more than a Martin 00C Nylon.

Just my thoughts....Chris has really done a nice job on video comparisons.[/QUOTE]


well said...I never seem to play a classical guitar long enough to bond with one(I do keep trying though)...I could not agree more about the Taylors...even the new line...they sound and play like my Ovation country artist...a little thin sounding with one of the best playing necks around
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  #19  
Old 07-12-2012, 04:21 PM
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arktrav arktrav is offline
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Default Thanks for the String Recommendation

Martin000, thank you for the recomendation on strings. I talked with the great gentleman at Oasis and then to another great guy at Just Strings and ordered some of the Oasis GPX High Tension strings. I ordered several sets with a couple extra sets of bass strings, thanks again. Blessings, arktrav

BTW the order number for the set is GX1000M and C4556M for the basses

Last edited by arktrav; 07-12-2012 at 04:26 PM. Reason: additional information
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  #20  
Old 07-15-2012, 12:39 AM
wcap wcap is offline
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oops... double post

Last edited by wcap; 07-15-2012 at 12:48 AM.
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  #21  
Old 07-15-2012, 12:47 AM
wcap wcap is offline
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Thanks everyone for the comparisons to the classicals.

Given all the videos and descriptions I certainly can see the appeal of the Martins now. I'm intrigued, and I'd love to play one sometime. I suspect that the greater dynamic range and depth of tone of a good classical would make me favor the classical over one of these Martins, but those recordings certainly sound nice.

The comparison to the Takamine classicals was interesting to me. I have an all laminated wood Takamine classical that I got in the mid 80's. It is nowhere near the guitar of my nice Spanish made classical (it is not particularly loud, and it takes more effort to get a great sound out of it), but it does actually have some very nice tonal qualities. There is a lovely sweetness to its sound. I have often thought that it might be a great guitar to put pickups in. Amplified it could be pretty nice I think.

To the person who said he had tried to bond with a classical and has not managed to: I wonder how good your classical is, and how your right hand technique is (and how your right hand nails are). A good quality classical guitar can be a knock your socks off guitar (e.g. for fingerstyle, which is mostly what I play on mine), especially if you have good nails and know how to use them. It might be that classical guitars simply don't appeal to you (and that is fine), but if you have only played a mediocre one you might not have had the full experience. There are a lot of cheaper classical guitars that I don't care for (some of the student Yamaha classicals I have played have been just atrocious, for example), and no classical guitar I have played has sounded really inspiring without good right hand technique.

Though I can now switch back and forth between my steel string and classical guitars and turn on that classical guitar technique immediately, it used to be that I couldn't get a decent sound out of my classical for a bit if I had been playing steel string exclusively for days or weeks beforehand - it use to take me a half hour or more on the classical to readjust my technique and start sounding good.
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