Martin 16 Style Special - NOT the d-16e

[nycLPplayer]

Went into GC today to try a d-16e. For those not in the know it is a dread shape, 000 depth, hd28-ish wood specs with forward shift and scalloping.

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars...-16e-rosewood/

or

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin/...=d-16e&index=1

What I played was both labeled d-16e and had a martin string tag saying it was a d-14f.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin/...MaAjW_EALw_wcB

Differences that I could tell off the bat
- full D depth
- toner
- rossette is lines not herringbone
- tuners
- headplate /headstock veneer


Here is what irks me. I couldnt pull the trigger even if I wanted to. Martin doesn't acknowledge the model on their site. GC, Sweetwater, MF, etc have the model but with minimal specs. Is it scalloped? Forward shifted? Are there any wood changes besides the top/sides which are listed. Am I getting richlite on the sly?

I realize with further inspection I can deduce much of this on my own (nut is bone* and saddle is Tusq) but should I ever need to resell it for whatever reason I have to hope GC/SW/MF keep the posts up.

Ok enough complaining about unlisted specs. The guitar itself was awesome. I played it along with a 000-15m (apples/oranges) and a D28. Obviously to each his own but the D16special offered more resonance and a broader sound than the d28 which I would likely attribute to scalloping/diff strings. To me it sounded marginally "better" across the board but to each his own and each guitar is different.

So now the dilemma...do I buy a guitar that checks many of the boxes for a reasonable price knowing that if I ever sack up and want to get an HD28v/2018+HD28 that a sale will require a bunch of explaining. Used d16e seem to be keeping their value given they have been described as the poor man's hd28.

Yeah I know...first world problems.

[ribsareyummy]

Huh, the complete lack of detailed information on the GC page made me think it was a placeholder page for a coming soon product, but if you actually played it it’s clearly out. I wonder if contacting Martin or GC would clear anything up, because this is much more interesting to me than a 000-depth dread.

Also have my eye on a 90s D-16H, but it has a side crack (though all the 90s D-16s I’ve seen have a side crack) and is not offered for much less than this one.

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by nycLPplayer

.....So now the dilemma...do I buy a guitar that checks many of the boxes for a reasonable price knowing that if I ever sack up and want to get an HD28v/2018+HD28 that a sale will require a bunch of explaining. Used d16e seem to be keeping their value given they have been described as the poor man's hd28.

I don't buy spec sheets, I buy a well playing & great sounding guitar. If you liked it, maybe it should come home with you? I owned a nice 000-16 for a while but never did get the fancy 000-28EC that I wanted.

As for the HD-28 question.... Back when I was a college student and hobby photographer, many of my friends drooled over the latest and greatest Nikon bodies and lenses that they could not afford. I used Minolta cameras and aftermarket Sigma lenses, but made a nice part-time living shooting photos for the university, the college newspaper, and the yearbook. Meanwhile my friends were still comparing specs on lenses that they never bought while they worked in the cafeteria washing dishes.

[lowrider]

The new D-16e was a big disappointment to me. I tried two of them and they are beautiful but the 000 depth leaves me feeling like ''where's the beef?''

This would be a much more attractive guitar for me, but it's not a poor man's HD-28. It'll be a nice guitar but it will most likely be like the MMV rosewood. It probably has a simple dovetail (meaningless to me) and hybrid bracing (makes a difference).

At $1699 it's not a great deal to me when I can get a d-18 for about 200 dollars more. Now if GC sent me a coupon for 20% off, I'd be running over there to check it out.

To the OP, you played it, tell us what you thought of it.

[nycLPplayer]

Originally Posted by lowrider

The new D-16e was a big disappointment to me. I tried two of them and they are beautiful but the 000 depth leaves me feeling like ''where's the beef?''

This would be a much more attractive guitar for me, but it's not a poor man's HD-28. It'll be a nice guitar but it will most likely be like the MMV rosewood. It probably has a simple dovetail (meaningless to me) and hybrid bracing (makes a difference).

At $1699 it's not a great deal to me when I can get a d-18 for about 200 dollars more. Now if GC sent me a coupon for 20% off, I'd be running over there to check it out.

To the OP, you played it, tell us what you thought of it.

I guess that is partly my thinking. I could get a used d18 (not rosewood) or spring for a used hd28 but I am guessing that would be quite a bit more.

Isnt there some way to get a below list deal with Maury's or some place?

[nycLPplayer]

Originally Posted by Earl49

I don't buy spec sheets, I buy a well playing & great sounding guitar. If you liked it, maybe it should come home with you? I owned a nice 000-16 for a while but never did get the fancy 000-28EC that I wanted.

As for the HD-28 question.... Back when I was a college student and hobby photographer, many of my friends drooled over the latest and greatest Nikon bodies and lenses that they could not afford. I used Minolta cameras and aftermarket Sigma lenses, but made a nice part-time living shooting photos for the university, the college newspaper, and the yearbook. Meanwhile my friends were still comparing specs on lenses that they never bought while they worked in the cafeteria washing dishes.

I dont buy for specs but I would at least like to know what I am getting. At this price range a lot of guitars sound pretty fine but if I buy new I am taking some depreciation no matter what. Having a mystery guitar would likely make it worse.

[lowrider]

Originally Posted by nycLPplayer

Isnt there some way to get a below list deal with Maury's or some place?

Just call or email Maury or any of the other forum sponsors who sell Martin guitrs and ask for a price. There's no haggling and no baloney. The price will be around 40% off of the price on the Martin website on any Standard Series or above, below Standard, it's around 35%.

I got a J-40 from Maury in April and the discount was 38%. I probably could have made some more calls and probably got the extra 2% off, but Maury's gets me a guitar overnight and it's a short distance from his place in PA to mine in NY.

[nycLPplayer]

Originally Posted by lowrider

Just call or email Maury or any of the other forum sponsors who sell Martin guitrs and ask for a price. There's no haggling and no baloney. The price will be around 40% off of the price on the Martin website on any Standard Series or above, below Standard, it's around 35%.

I got a J-40 from Maury in April and the discount was 38%. I probably could have made some more calls and probably got the extra 2% off, but Maury's gets me a guitar overnight and it's a short distance from his place in PA to mine in NY.

Just to clarify do you mean off the Martins MSRP? So HD28 original price of 3899?

[lowrider]

Yes, the price on the Martin website, not the price at GC.