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  #1  
Old 08-02-2012, 01:05 PM
francric francric is offline
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Default Martin Retro Series

Has anyone tried one yet?
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Old 08-02-2012, 02:50 PM
fongie fongie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by francric View Post
Has anyone tried one yet?
No, but there is a thread posted here, check it out.
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  #3  
Old 08-15-2012, 09:15 PM
francric francric is offline
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Well, I finally got to try one, a OM-28, and all I can say is WOW! Acoustically it sounds great and the images sound awesome too. You need to check one out..........
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Old 08-15-2012, 09:19 PM
Black Beauty Black Beauty is offline
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Originally Posted by francric View Post
Well, I finally got to try one, a OM-28, and all I can say is WOW! Acoustically it sounds great and the images sound awesome too. You need to check one out..........
Does it sound better than the GPCPA1 plugged in? The YouTube clips I've seen so far haven't been that great... Remind me too much of K&K pickups. Then again, the YouTube clips I've seen are of the D-18 ones so maybe it's just that I don't like the sound of Mahogany.
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Old 08-16-2012, 07:01 AM
francric francric is offline
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Originally Posted by Black Beauty View Post
Does it sound better than the GPCPA1 plugged in? The YouTube clips I've seen so far haven't been that great... Remind me too much of K&K pickups. Then again, the YouTube clips I've seen are of the D-18 ones so maybe it's just that I don't like the sound of Mahogany.
I have not compared the OM28 to the GPCPA1 plugged in.........I can say though that I played GPCPA1 acoustically and although I felt it sounded nice, the OM-28 sounds much better. I do like the fact that on the GPCPA1 you can reach the higher frets.
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Old 08-16-2012, 07:37 AM
rmyAddison rmyAddison is offline
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I have a GPCPA1, and had the first generation Auras also. They are all mortise/tenon hybrid X braced guitars, and IMO do not sound as good acoustically as traditional Martins. Strictly pefromance guitars to me, meant to be plugged in.

My understanding is the Retro series uses standard Martins and adds the third generation F1+ electronics with images generated from pre-war guitars using vintage microphones.

So the good is they should sound as good acoustically as standard Martins because they are standard Martins, the bad is while the built in electronics are state of the art now, they won't be in a few years. I've already upgraded twice from the original Aura (OMC-Aura) to the F1 (GPCPA1), and the Retro would be the third time in 10 years, and my gigging time has drastically reduced.

The Retros are probably great guitars, I will certaily give the OM a try when I find one, but unless you are a regular gigging musician and plug in, (and need an acoustic electric), the electronics will become obsolete unless they provide an upgrade path.

We'll see.................
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Martin OM-18 Authentic '33 Adirondack/Mahogany
Martin CS OM-28 Alpine/Madagascar
Martin CS 00-42 Adirondack/Madagascar
Martin OM-45TB (2005) Engelmann/Tasmanian Blackwood (#23 of 29)
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  #7  
Old 08-16-2012, 08:18 AM
francric francric is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmyAddison View Post
I have a GPCPA1, and had the first generation Auras also. They are all mortise/tenon hybrid X braced guitars, and IMO do not sound as good acoustically as traditional Martins. Strictly pefromance guitars to me, meant to be plugged in.

My understanding is the Retro series uses standard Martins and adds the third generation F1+ electronics with images generated from pre-war guitars using vintage microphones.

So the good is they should sound as good acoustically as standard Martins because they are standard Martins, the bad is while the built in electronics are state of the art now, they won't be in a few years. I've already upgraded twice from the original Aura (OMC-Aura) to the F1 (GPCPA1), and the Retro would be the third time in 10 years, and my gigging time has drastically reduced.

The Retros are probably great guitars, I will certaily give the OM a try when I find one, but unless you are a regular gigging musician and plug in, (and need an acoustic electric), the electronics will become obsolete unless they provide an upgrade path.

We'll see.................
But eventhough martin comes out with a new Aura (F1++) system in the future, that shouldn't make your existing Aura obsolete. You can still plug in and play unless the system fails and it can't be fixed or they have no replacements.....unless your the kind of person that has to have the latest and greatest when something comes out. Which many of us are guilty of......... Hopefully Martin will come out with some mind of upgrade system like you said.
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Old 08-16-2012, 08:44 AM
rmyAddison rmyAddison is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by francric View Post
But eventhough martin comes out with a new Aura (F1++) system in the future, that shouldn't make your existing Aura obsolete. You can still plug in and play unless the system fails and it can't be fixed or they have no replacements.....unless your the kind of person that has to have the latest and greatest when something comes out. Which many of us are guilty of......... Hopefully Martin will come out with some mind of upgrade system like you said.
If the Retro is noticeably better I probably will trade my GPCPA1 against it, even though it won't get as much usage as when I was younger. I'm an older guy with a few bucks, not everybody is in that situation, and if somebone is only going to have one guitar for a number of years, IMO unless you are truly a working musician, you are better served with a tradtional Martin, including re-sale value when you go to sell/trade it, obsolete electronics won't help.........
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Martin OM-18 Authentic '33 Adirondack/Mahogany
Martin CS OM-28 Alpine/Madagascar
Martin CS 00-42 Adirondack/Madagascar
Martin OM-45TB (2005) Engelmann/Tasmanian Blackwood (#23 of 29)
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Old 08-19-2012, 12:26 PM
DLeeWebb DLeeWebb is offline
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I just watched a couple of videos about the "Retro Series." I am seriously thinking about buying one sometime in the future. In one of the videos Chris Martin is introducing the thinking behind and goals of the Retro Series guitars. I watched another video from this year's NAMM in Nashville that provided basically the same information about the Retro Series. I took a Martin Factory Tour earlier this week and stopped in at Nazareth Music Center, and they were clearly excited about the Retro Series, but all anybody wants to talk about is the electronics onboard. I now thoroughly understand how they developed and tuned the Fishman Aura Plus "pick-up" system to reproduce the sound quality of several vintage guitars from the Martin Museum using vintage microphones etc. What I want to know is, and what nobody seems to include in their discussion of the Retro Series, is how do these electronics effect the acoustic performance of the instrument, if at all? Do the Retro Series guitars sound like the vintage guitars acoustically without being plugged into an amp?
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Old 08-20-2012, 11:12 AM
davenumber2 davenumber2 is offline
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Here's a good demo of the Retro Series D18.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OThpl...layer_embedded
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  #11  
Old 08-20-2012, 12:31 PM
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SalFromChatham SalFromChatham is offline
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If you go visit the Martin Factory, in the museum there is a guitar that is integrated with the Palm Pilot in the body.

I bet the retro sounds amazing. And like rmyAddison says, if you are a gigging musician who uses a guitar as a tool for the job, you will probably love the retro series.

But if you are like most of us, who emotionally bonds with their guitars, and their sound, and thinks of them as a prized possession... you would do well to be reminded that technology becomes obsolete - and fast.
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Old 08-20-2012, 12:41 PM
rmyAddison rmyAddison is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davenumber2 View Post
Here's a good demo of the Retro Series D18.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OThpl...layer_embedded
Just my opinion, but I have almost 10 years using Martins with Fishman Aura electronics, and while the video is informative, I think the presets are a little too image heavy.

I would like to hear the performance mode with less image blend and near flat EQ. In my experience, less is more with Aura systems, just enough image to kill any UST quack/harshness, maybe 80/20 pickup/image. Full pickup is like any UST system, potential for quack/brittleness, full image is way too processed.

The right blend, and it takes time to dial, can be an excellent acoustic sound at stage volume...................
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Martin OM-18 Authentic '33 Adirondack/Mahogany
Martin CS OM-28 Alpine/Madagascar
Martin CS 00-42 Adirondack/Madagascar
Martin OM-45TB (2005) Engelmann/Tasmanian Blackwood (#23 of 29)
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  #13  
Old 08-20-2012, 01:12 PM
francric francric is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DLeeWebb View Post
Do the Retro Series guitars sound like the vintage guitars acoustically without being plugged into an amp?
No

Quote:
Originally Posted by themissal View Post
But if you are like most of us, who emotionally bonds with their guitars, and their sound, and thinks of them as a prized possession... you would do well to be reminded that technology becomes obsolete - and fast.
Even if the technology becomes obsolete, why can't you bond with a guitar like a retro?
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  #14  
Old 08-20-2012, 01:18 PM
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SalFromChatham SalFromChatham is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by francric View Post
No



Even if the technology becomes obsolete, why can't you bond with a guitar like a retro?
I suppose I could. I am not bashing Martin. I suppose theoretically I could have bonded with the Martin in the museum with the hole in it and the Palm Pilot glued in also. Bond with whatever floats your boat. I am just speaking for me.
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Old 08-20-2012, 01:31 PM
rmyAddison rmyAddison is offline
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There is no reason the Retro guitars should not sound like standard Martins unplugged, they are standard Martins!

All the Martin/Fishman acoustic/electrics (less a couple really high end Madi models), first generation and Performing Artist, are mortise/tenon necks with hybird X or A frame bracing, they are physically different than standard Martins and they sound different. I have the top line of the Performing Artist series and I seriously don't touch it unplugged. It's purpose in life is to be amplified and the voicing is for that usage. Unplugged IMO "not so much", but that is against some pretty high end models to be fair.

The appeal of the Retro series is you do have a traditional Martin that will sound great unplugged, but you then have the latest/greatest electronics for band/stage work.

You don't buy an expensive nail gun for just one handiman job, don't buy an acoustic/electric if you plug in twice a year or don't perform............
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Martin OM-18 Authentic '33 Adirondack/Mahogany
Martin CS OM-28 Alpine/Madagascar
Martin CS 00-42 Adirondack/Madagascar
Martin OM-45TB (2005) Engelmann/Tasmanian Blackwood (#23 of 29)
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