Martin's New Super D Questions

[L20A]

I'm intrigued with this new body style.

Anyone here have first hand experience with one?
What are your thoughts about the guitar?

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by L20A

I'm intrigued with this new body style.

Anyone here have first hand experience with one?
What are your thoughts about the guitar?

I own the Guatemalan Rosewood version. It is a large guitar. Not silly large. But, it produces a tone that is simply bigger than what a traditional dreadnought can produce. The rosewood version has a bass that is phenomenal. Yet, it is balanced in the highs. They went to a lot of trouble to get the bracing right and make sure the voice was "Martin" but bigger. The Koa version is a little fatter in the highs and more focused in the bass. Still huge sounding. When you're playing it, you may not really notice the increase in size. It's about a 1/2" bigger around. It's the same depth as a dreadnought. The top is VTS Sitka. I don't know where they got it, but this is some fine sounding stiff and LOUD Sitka. My only regret is that I intended to use the "place" in my guitar collection (I limit myself due to space and practicality) to purchase a 12 fret Norman Blake style dread. But, I may not be doing that. I'll posit that the old timers might have picked one of these SuperDs if they were available. They have all the benefits of a 14-fret dreadnought guitar and a 12-fret dreadnought guitar.

Sadly, I don't think Martin will make a ton of these in the future - maybe none. Martin dreadnought players seem to be too worried about the size to give them a try in person. They were liquidated to Willwood who is selling them online. I'm glad I got mine when I did.

[SpruceTop]

Dave, you got me checking out Wildwood's Martin Super D stock!

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Dave, you got me checking out Wildwood's Martin Super D stock!

Looks like they have 38…

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Looks like they have 38…

According to a thread on UMGF, I think they had 42 at the peak, so they are selling them.

[martingitdave]

I think they are very nice guitars. I do hope more people get to enjoy them. I have a use for such a big guitar while leading acoustic jams, song circles, etc. It helps keep time and certainly helps being heard. It's also nice for solo work because I think the tone is sweet given the nice choice of woods. People have been playing Jumbos, which are even bigger, long before these came out.

Ken, I figured someone with your fine taste would have their interested piqued.

[Tony Burns]

They look really nice !

And only 4,999.00 ! ( just under 5 grand )
actually have a nice sound





.

[joeld]

>>They have all the benefits of a 14-fret dreadnought guitar and a 12-fret dreadnought guitar.

Can you speak to this a bit more? I've been thinking of getting a 12-fret dread, maybe a 1931 D28 Authentic if I can find one. Maybe this instead? For aggressive (but sloppy) fingerstyle. Are these things made for plectrum, or are they willing to be finger picked? Do they need mediums or more to get the top moving, or could a light string set be sufficient?

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by joeld

>>They have all the benefits of a 14-fret dreadnought guitar and a 12-fret dreadnought guitar.

Can you speak to this a bit more? I've been thinking of getting a 12-fret dread, maybe a 1931 D28 Authentic if I can find one. Maybe this instead? For aggressive (but sloppy) fingerstyle. Are these things made for plectrum, or are they willing to be finger picked? Do they need mediums or more to get the top moving, or could a light string set be sufficient?

Hmmm. I do a lot of Travis picking folk songs and such. I think the guitar sounds great for that. The 12 fret comment is made with respect to the bass response and air volume you from that body design. The 14 fret design sounds different. I think this model has the benefits of the extra air volume (18% more than a D14) which give that Martin thunk. I also play with a pick and this guitar is loud. The neck is the new standard MLO, so nowhere near baseball bat, which contributes to the sound of the Authentics. I believe there is a 12 fret Authentic with mahogany B&S. You're not going to get Authentic level clarity in single note lines, especially compared to Mahogany. I use mediums, but the store that sold it to me restrings all guitars with lights for display. I played with with lights initially and it was still very good. I would recommend playing first if possible, though that seems difficult unless your local dealer has at least one of the B&S (Koa or Guatemalan Rosewood). You might prefer Koa if you play bare fingers? If one of those 1931s dropped in my lap, it would be a hard choice. It would depend on the neck, I suppose.

[AeroUSA]

I just played one at Rudy’s, they still have the two in stock that they got at release so it seems they are not too popular.

I thought the guitar would be louder than it was and it didn’t have as much bass as I thought. It was nicely made and had a nice overall tone with good clarity.

It felt big to me and I am 6’4” but I prefer smaller guitars. I think I’d rather go for a nice D42 instead of the SD myself.

[UncleJesse]

I had one. It was a good guitar for what it was. But it was a sitka top and had standard scalloped bracing. So it sort of reminded me of a HD28VS 12 Fret. It lacked the focus and punch I prefer from a Martin authentic with a red spruce top. I would love to see them use this shape with even a 4 piece red spruce top and GE bracing.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by UncleJesse

I had one. It was a good guitar for what it was. But it was a sitka top and had standard scalloped bracing. So it sort of reminded me of a HD28VS 12 Fret. It lacked the focus and punch I prefer from a Martin authentic with a red spruce top. I would love to see them use this shape with even a 4 piece red spruce top and GE bracing.

That’s a good comparison. HD28VS 12 fret. I think mine is a bit louder than that model. And yes, authentic bracing and an Adi top would make EVERYTHING better. Same as chocolate sauce.

I think this one has the small bridge plate like the GE. I’m not sure about the GE scallop. Might be too much bass. So hard to guess these things.

[L20A]

Reading everyone's thoughts here and over on the Martin site,
it may be worth waiting a few months before purchasing a Super D.
Perhaps the price will drop?

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by L20A

Reading everyone's thoughts here and over on the Martin site,
it may be worth waiting a few months before purchasing a Super D.
Perhaps the price will drop?

You’ll find one used in a few months.

[Bertiman]

I have a Koa Super D. I can't say enough great things about it... I've had it for 4+ months now....

The TLDR; version:
Massive soundscape, with great balance and an incredibly low floor/high ceiling. A full yet tight and snappy bass with sweet sparkly yet rounded trebles. I play mostly bare fingered and can not reach its ceiling. With a pick, it's deafeningly loud.

Here's my initial post on the UMGF:
I've had this lovely lady for nearly 2 months now. I was not in the market for a new guitar and wasn't much up-to-date on Martin's new offerings. I was... in the bathroom and figured I'd check the store hours of Acoustic Vibes (as I needed a new nut on a different guitar), when their site presented me their current "showcase guitar". The flamed mahogany neck, the koa back and sides rung my bell something fierce. I went to drop off the repair guitar with my wife, and on the way, I was truly hoping this guitar would just sound meh and I'd be able not give it another thought.

I picked it up and was blown away by how wonderfully huge, sweet and articulate it was. Crap! I played it for a bit and the guitar warmed up and sounded, just MORE. I play bare-fingered and the dynamic range was jaw dropping. From whisper quiet, to a ceiling that I still have not found (with bare fingers at least), with a sweetness throughout the range.

Acoustic Vibes is a fantastic store with a huge selection and I needed a more objective test. So I a/b'd against a D-45. No comparison, the D-45 sounded smaller, muddier and more compressed. I then compared it to a D-28 authentic, which I preferred over the D-45, but still, same impression, just a little less so. I compared it to a D-18 authentic relic'd, which sounded great, but still a smaller soundscape with less range, and different sweetness.

I bought it on the spot... then proceeded to sell a bunch of stuff to fund it, lol.

After having it a day or two, I put a set of martin's retro strings on it. Those strings took the guitar to a whole 'nother level, mostly adding an even sweeter richness.

Fast forward to today... This is my all-time favorite acoustic guitar. It's the guitar I hear in my head when working through ideas.

Sorry for the long post...