Finally.....A lifetime keeper!!!!

[JerryM]

I have been playing about 20 yrs. seriously and doodled for another 20 prior so been at this a while. Over those years I have had Many Guitars, by every major mfg. and many boutique makers and Many very expensive guitars. I have been on the constant search for the better one over and over, and in the process had some pretty great playing sounding guitars. Some I kept a while, some I sold or traded off sooner than expected but never had one I couldn't part with and replace.
Well, it has finally happened, I recently acquired a Martin Outlaw 17 and I have never, ever, had a guitar that I bonded with like this one! Must have been a real good week at Martin when they made this guitar, it is fabulous!
The tone, bass, overtones, intonation, neck shape, weight, woods and the smell!
Every time I pick this guitar up out of the case to practice and play in the morning I fall in love again. So it took 40 yrs. but I finally connected with, what is for me the Perfect Guitar.
Hard to explain in words but the sustain and bottom on this dreadnought just go right thru me, I have played and owned at least 10 very high end dreadnoughts and Never heard sustain like this.
Thanks Martin.....ya done real good!

[jricc]

Congrats on your lifer, wish u the best!

[vindibona1]

Sometimes it takes time to find "the one" that you know you'll never sell.

Congratulations! I wish you many years of enjoyment with your new guitar.

[aintitthelife98]

Congrats but we need to see pics of the keeper!

[muscmp]

that's what they all say! ha! congrats on a great guitar.

play music!

[jaymarsch]

Congratulations! It is such a great feeling of satisfaction when you find the guitar that you fall in love with. Enjoy, play it in good health, and we would love to see some photos.

Best,
Jayne

[JerryM]

Been on this forum for many years now and still have not succeeded in posting a photo of anything, use lots of other sites with no problem but gave up on this one for photos......

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by JerryM

Been on this forum for many years now and still have not succeeded in posting a photo of anything, use lots of other sites with no problem but gave up on this one for photos......

If you re using a PC, download "imgur."
I can't see how much easier anything could be than this app is to post pictures.

[Goodallboy]

Great news!

As an owner of a lifetime guitar that only took 40+ years to find, I know your amazement at finally acquiring the tone you’ve been searching for, even after owning other fineinstruments. It’s a Zen moment for sure.

[AcousticDreams]

[QUOTE=
Hard to explain in words but the sustain and bottom on this dreadnought just go right thru me, I have played and owned at least 10 very high end dreadnoughts and Never heard sustain like this.
Thanks Martin.....ya done real good![/QUOTE]

The Martin Outlaw 17 intrigues me very much. There was another AFG member who recorded a few tunes and I found it every bit as you described. It is one of the most beautiful sounding guitars I have ever heard....and I am not a Martin fan.

Can you tell us the other 10 dreadnoughts you have owned and compared it too?

[tadol]

Yup - your first lifetime guitar - its a great feeling - ;-)

[justonwo]

It's a great feeling when a guitar grabs you and there is no doubt whatsoever that it's "the one."

[JerryM]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

The Martin Outlaw 17 intrigues me very much. There was another AFG member who recorded a few tunes and I found it every bit as you described. It is one of the most beautiful sounding guitars I have ever heard....and I am not a Martin fan.

Can you tell us the other 10 dreadnoughts you have owned and compared it too?

I started with a Martin D18, then a D28, graduated to a Collings D , to a Bourgeois Vintage D, had two of those, then went on to try a Taylor D8 and a D5 ok but no mojo for Bluegrass, then tried a Goodall TSRD, beautiful guitar and great tone but no bottom for BG, then went on to a Collings CJ35, a SCGC Tony Rice, then a D18 short scale, and a Breedlove, then back to a Bourgeois Country boy, all nice all played great but None had that Martin bottom G run sound I hear from so many recording and live shows, till this one..it's got it in spades!! It is a Bluegrass killer machine with the added benefit of a fast solid Mahogany neck in low profile. I have actually had 5 D18's over the years and kept searching for that particular sound of which I speak some were close and one D28 was close but any grassers out there know that sound, when you hear it you know immediately it's a Martin.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

Sometimes it takes time to find "the one" that you know you'll never sell.

Yes , it does. After many years I settled on a D35 in 1975 which I kept until 1996 when I traded it for a J40 which I instantly hated.
however, the J-40 (and assistance from the late great Isaac Guillory) taught me that skinny necks and thin profiles didn't suit me.

In 1999, I discovered a 12 fret Collings dread with a 1 &13/16" nut to a 2 &3/8" string spacing over a modified "V" profile, and there was no looking back.
(Actually I look back quite a lot).

Moral: Don't assume that your standard shop type mass produced guitars are your only options.

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by JerryM

I started with a Martin D18, then a D28, graduated to a Collings D , to a Bourgeois Vintage D, had two of those, then went on to try a Taylor D8 and a D5 ok but no mojo for Bluegrass, then tried a Goodall TSRD, beautiful guitar and great tone but no bottom for BG, then went on to a Collings CJ35, a SCGC Tony Rice, then a D18 short scale, and a Breedlove, then back to a Bourgeois Country boy, all nice all played great but None had that Martin bottom G run sound I hear from so many recording and live shows, till this one..it's got it in spades!! It is a Bluegrass killer machine with the added benefit of a fast solid Mahogany neck in low profile. I have actually had 5 D18's over the years and kept searching for that particular sound of which I speak some were close and one D28 was close but any grassers out there know that sound, when you hear it you know immediately it's a Martin.

What a great score! Sometimes you have to go through all that to truly know what you've got. Given the prestigious company you've kept through that glorious run of GREAT acoustic guitars, I am confident you really KNOW what you've got.

My story is similar, although I've owned fewer boutiques and Taylors. I've owned a few Collings that were the best of all I'd played, Borgeois, Santa Cruz, Taylors (upper level 814CE Dlx, 514CE, Limited Editions).

Then I found a Martin D-18 and I realize "THAT" was the sound I'd been chasing. It was the gateway drug to the Martin Outlaw 17 for me as well. I kept the D-18 and love it. But the Martin Outlaw 17 is without any peers in my personal experience.

For "ME", there is no finer acoustic dread than the Martin Outlaw 17. It seems to bridge some of the qualities of Mahogany with some characteristics I normally associate with Rosewood (such as its sustain and natural reverb)
The Bass notes are deep yet distinct. They never blur or cloud the midrange complexity like some dreads where the bass notes overpower other frequency ranges.

What a GREAT Score! Did you find it new or used? Nice case too right? The case mine came with is better built and nicer than any other Geib style cases.
If you can't figure out how to post the pics, you can email me and I'm happy to post and share them. Just let me know if I can help. (Fellow Outlaw 17 owners code of kindness and all. Right? LOL )