I love my guitar, but it's not a Martin, and I wish it was.

[hairpuller]

I absolutely adore my Collings, but the one that got away (and I never should have sold) was a a Martin 00018GE.
Awesome guitar. Everyone should own a Martin at one time or another, if for no other reason than scratching that itch!

Scott

[MisterOM]

I'm with you on 2 counts. 1, I am somewhat addicted to the Martin brand. I had some nice Martins (and other guitars) until life changes dictated that they get sold and I adjust to a new budget. I have a few inexpensive guitars now, the best of the lot is a 2007 Martin OMCX1KE. I long for a "real" Martin like an OM-28. I am a position to thing about that now, but that leads to #2:

I agree about the specs for nut and string spacing. The trend towards 2 5/32 has been driving me nuts. I know some folks can deal with it but I'm at a point where my fingers like what they like, and that is 1.75 and ~ 2 1/4 at the saddle. I'm about to sell my Seagull since I can't stand the 2 1/8.

I think that only leaves me the 000-28 EC and OM-42. Wish there were more options.

Every time I look at other manufacturers guitars for the desired specs I keep telling myself "You want a Martin...".

Used is about the only option for me right now, unless I decide to pony up for an OM-42.

It used to be that 1.75" nuts were hard to come by. Now they are plentiful but then they decided to tighten up the saddle spacing. Just can't win I guess!

[Rad]

Originally Posted by eljay

I was a martin kool-aid drinker for a long time. No more.

Equal or better guitars out there for same or less money.

Santa Cruz, Guild, Larrivee come to mind.

Yamaha L-36 and L-56 guitars are the top of the mountain, imo, and can be had for under 4 large.

Good luck on your journey!

Well, I’m considering thinning the herd even more so I spent an hour trading off between my Martin D-18 and my Guild D40 today. I’m kinda shocked! If I do the further thinning, the Guild stays, not the Martin....

[Mr Bill]

I love my guitar, and it's a Martin, and I'm glad it is.

When I bought it in 1971, as far as I knew there were Martins and Gibsons and that was about it. All my heroes played Martins, so there ya go.

Just polished it and changed the strings today, so I'm ready for another 100,000 miles!

There are times I wouldn't mind being in a position to have lots of different guitars, with room to have them readily available and the time to play as often as I wanted, but that probably won't happen. So, if I could only have one guitar, (and for years that's what my situation was) it'd be my D-28.

[Pura Vida]

Martin has a huge and loyal following, esp. here. But I don't share the same Americana attraction you mentioned, so it's allowed me to remain brand agnostic with guitars, cars, and everything else, really. It's a freedom to choose what's best for me without looking at the label, so enjoy that guitar of yours. It sounds perfect, just the way it is.

[llew]

My advice...be careful. A lot of people want something until they get it. I know...I've owned a lot of guitars (many of them Martin's) just to sell them and repeat the process. It's a curse. In the end all you do is lose a lot of money trying different guitars. If I could do it over agin...I wouldn't!

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Lillis

Sounds like a good time to become a two guitar kinda guy

This! DO NOT get rid of the one you have. Find something to compliment it.

[J Patrick]

As far as I know Martin doesn’t make a guitar much like the Waterloo Scissortail…so unless you want a pretty significant change switching to a Martin doesn’t seem logical….

…if otoh…if your tired of that Waterloo you speak so highly of…a change may be the logical path forward….


…..if you want to a Martin that might do a fair job of covering similar ground as the Waterloo….a 12 fret mahogany 0 might do the trick nicely….an 0-16NY maybe….

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by cc132

Posting here hoping that someone can talk some sense into me.

I have owned many guitars in my life, but I'm generally a one-at-a-time kind of guy. I primarily play old blues and rags, and I've been obsessed the last few years with learning every John Fahey song I can.

My current guitar is a Waterloo Scissortail that I've had about a year. This is my second Waterloo, and it's truly special. You know how some guitars are just special? This one is. It just has it. It's easy to play, sounds gorgeous, looks cool as hell, and overall does exactly what I want it to do. The only other guitar I've ever owned that I'd say was truly special was a Greven L-00v which I sold about a decade ago.

Yet it's not a Martin.

I don't know if it's because I'm helplessly attracted to Americana, or because I just love the classics like Levi's blue jeans and Chevrolet pickups, but there's a part of my brain that wants the guitar I keep forever to be a Martin. The standard series is the platonic ideal of acoustic guitars as far as I'm concerned, and I can't help but feel the desire despite having a guitar that is truly special.

Am I crazy? Has anyone else been in this situation before? Is this rational whatsoever? Should I just get over it?

On a totally unrelated side-note, are there are factory Martins floating around with a 1 3/4 nut and 2 3/8 bridge spacing? I've really fallen in love with those specs, and the only Martin I've come across with them is the CEO-7, which doesn't particularly scratch my itch for a classic.

I would keep the Waterloo - they are not getting made much at the moment due to Covid.......

The Martin CEO7 has 2 5/16" bridge spacing, by the way, but it is a great guitar that would exist beautifully NEXT to your Waterloo!

Another suggestion if you don't want to spend too much (and also keep the Waterloo) is to have a look at a custom 15 series from LA Guitars....this one is out of stock but a lot of their various sized customs have 1 3/4" nut and 2 1/4" bridge spacing!

https://www.laguitarsales.com/index....-15-16550.html



BluesKing777.

[Rad]

Originally Posted by llew

My advice...be careful. A lot of people want something until they get it. I know...I've owned a lot of guitars (many of them Martin's) just to sell them and repeat the process. It's a curse. In the end all you do is lose a lot of money trying different guitars. If I could do it over agin...I wouldn't!

Apparently you have met me....

[gmel555]

Originally Posted by cc132

Is this rational whatsoever?

To me this post is not at all about whether a Martin is worthy of your "longing". Whatever your reasons, if they're right for you so be it. Martins, Waterloo/Collings and many other luthiers make fine guitars. Many of us have various reasons for owning or wanting certain luthiers, models, woods, finishes, etc. That's all part of the journey and only you need to validate those reasons. No doubt it's good advice to move cautiously when considering selling a guitar you love; the AGF is full of valid "regret" stories. These include instances of both guitars we've sold AND some we never bought. IMO however, only you know what might* make you happy. Perhaps you can figure out a way to keep the Waterloo and obtain a Martin. If not, good luck with your decision.

*We humans are not very good at predicting what will make us happy, but we do the best we can.

[jklotz]

Don't sell that Waterloo. If you are anything like me, there aren't many guitars I truly bond with, and who's to say, if you sold yours and later replaced it with another, it would be the same. Plus yours will continue to get even better as it ages.

There are tons of Martins out there. Wait until you find the RIGHT Martin and get it. As mentioned previously, if you buy used and keep it in good condition, you can get close to what you paid for it if you decide to sell it down the road.

Oh and 2 guitars, by AGF standards, is barely getting started.

[Tony Burns]

Martin makes a great guitar - i love my 06 OM28v , but even after saying that
every guitar brings something different to the table - having several of different brands is kind of a luxury -
some folks stick to one brand , Im kind of a nut about Original company Guilds .
But their is no right or wrong answer -its what ever floats your boat .

[RoyBoy]

Well I guess I'm all backwards. After 50 years of playing, first less expensive Asian guitars and then 20+ years of Taylors, I bought my first Martin recently and couldn't be happier. It cost 3x as much as the last Taylor I bought new.

My purchase had nothing to do with marketing or brand loyalty or tradition. It had everything to do with tone and versatility. I've circled back around to Bluegrass/Newgrass/Americana and flat picking in particular. I tried an Eastman rosewood dread to conserve money, sweet guitar but not enough string definition to do what I needed, took a bath on the trade in. I needed a guitar that had the pop and sass of a tele, something to put the "blue" into bluegrass. A CS18 turned out to be my elixir. Hey, if it's good enough for Dan Tyminski and Ron Block, I should be able to live with mahogany, right? Of course mine is a '21 not a '38. I did spend a good while in the guitar room at Elderly with more than a dozen guitars in the $3-7k range, but the Martin spoke to me better that others twice as expensive. Go figure.

It's all about tone. The depth and 3D quality of the notes is there. So is the string definition and expressiveness. It does that classic Martin sound, but it's a much more versatile guitar than I was expecting. I'm amazed at how good it sounds brand new. The fit and finish is flawless. We'll see how many years I get before a neck reset.

I looked long and hard at Bourgoise rosewood dreads but could only afford used and they just don't turn up that often. Well, maybe someday. But I can say first hand that Martin knows what they're doing and is still making quality (albeit expensive) instruments. Their resale value attests to that.

[dnf777]

Has no one given you the help you ask for?? The root of your problem lies in your one-guitar constraint! We get one trip on this ride—get yourself a Martin and be done with it! I totally understand your craving-Martins are excellent guitars with an American heritage second to none. The solution here is not to bash Nazareth’s product, but to GET one, and make it your second keeper.