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  #16  
Old 03-25-2020, 08:24 AM
jgottsman11 jgottsman11 is offline
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Originally Posted by Arlington View Post
Thanks for the input so far. I know I'm all over the place which is why I vented/shared my frustration - is it normal to have such a hard time? :-)

I guess part of my hesitation with the OM-28MD is if it will stand the test of time? Or is the Modern Deluxe line something that will fizzle out in one or two years, and be viewed as an obscure trial by Martin and experience little demand/resale value?
This is the exact reason I didn't buy one. I would definitely recommend a Collings OM or Bourgeois OM. You will never look back
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  #17  
Old 03-25-2020, 08:36 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlington View Post
Thanks for the input so far. I know I'm all over the place which is why I vented/shared my frustration - is it normal to have such a hard time? :-)

I guess part of my hesitation with the OM-28MD is if it will stand the test of time? Or is the Modern Deluxe line something that will fizzle out in one or two years, and be viewed as an obscure trial by Martin and experience little demand/resale value?
Pat, as Klotz as your options are all over the place. It seems you want to buy a quality instrument but as yet have no idea what you want.

It seems that you are currently focussing on the fun of buying a new guitar. This is understandable but your current approach is going to mean that you will begin a repeated process of buying a bunch of unsuitable instruments (as did I back in the '60s, and early '70s.

We can fire of other options all day long but I fear that will only serve to confuse.

Most of us start with one guitar, identify shortcomings and then look for another that resolves that issue. Over time and as your playing skills improve you slowly zero in to the shape, design, dimensions, tonewoods, and brand that best suits you.

Answer these and we might be able to assist.

Q.1 - What do you currently have?
Q.2 - What is your playing style?
Q.3 - What kind of music do you play?
Q.4 - Where/when/how will you be playing it?
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  #18  
Old 03-25-2020, 09:38 AM
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Groberts Groberts is offline
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I played an OM-28MD recently that was very impressive. Very much so! I was extremely impressed with it and would absolutely consider it if I was looking for an "OM."

I've also played very impressive J45's, D-41's and other dreads ...the list goes on. So the big question is; what do YOU WANT? OM? Dread? Slope shoulder Gibson? Those are all very different. Narrowing your search will help. What works best for you? Make a shorter list of guitars that fit the criteria that matters to you the most.

OM's typically sound smaller than dreads, especially in direct A-B comparisons. Will that bother you? Only you can say.

OM's can sound big, rich and wonderful but they will not typically match a dread in a side-by-side comparison. That may not matter to you. But if you are comparing directly, a dread usually wins in terms of volume and fullness. Yet a dread may lose in terms of body-size comfort versus the user-friendly size/shaped OM. OM's also often have

M36's are super cool. You almost get a dreadnaught low end grunt with the comfort of an OM body depth. That doesn't make the M36 better than a great OM or dread however. I almost bought an M36 but I ultimately didn't love the treble string sound and vain or not, I dislike large Grover tuning gears. Not a deal breaker, but overall the M36 didn't get me 'all the way there'. (For me)

Most OM's are braced and optimized for light gauge strings making them a bit friendlier to play. Not always, but I've experienced this.

Hey ...in the end, you are considering some great guitars and having fun! So enjoy the ride.
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  #19  
Old 03-25-2020, 11:05 AM
TJNies TJNies is offline
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Since you are considering an M-36, I might venture that a Martin 0000 Sinker Mahogany would impress you.
No affiliation, but there is one right now in the Emporium I would buy if I was in the market.
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  #20  
Old 03-25-2020, 11:13 AM
brandall10 brandall10 is offline
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Originally Posted by rolleiguy54 View Post
There is a good deal on a used one on he forum. You could save a grand.
If it's the one recently listed, you'd only save a couple hundred, possibly less, over what you could get from a forum sponsor w/ free shipping, no payment fees, and with full warranty. I'd def go with a forum sponsor.
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  #21  
Old 03-25-2020, 11:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Arlington View Post
I never had such a hard time making a purchasing decision in my life! :-)

t
Infinite choice is not all it's cracked up to be.

I was thinking about how I acquired my guitars. I'd done research and knew brand characteristics, but the way I chose guitars was really not as rational as I thought.

I basically walked into stores with reasonably extensive inventories, and played a lot of guitars, often with the owners funneling the next one into my hands when I finished with the previous. Sometimes something clicked, but most of the time nothing quite got me to put out my wallet.

Anyway -- if you just go out an play guitars (bad time right now) something good and unanticipated might happen.
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  #22  
Old 03-25-2020, 01:41 PM
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blindboyjimi blindboyjimi is offline
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I agree with all the previous posts. I’d probably go for that Bourgeois OM, but the MD is excellent too. But, yeah, between an OM, a Dread, and a slope shoulder, they are SO different and all great. 3 different bodies, with 2 different scale lengths, I’d really try to narrow it down. My only reason to post is to make sure you know that the D-41 is more expensive for better “quality” wood as you stated, but the quality is graded visually, not tonally. You are paying extra for looks not necessarily tone.
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  #23  
Old 03-25-2020, 01:53 PM
ManyMartinMan ManyMartinMan is offline
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Originally Posted by blindboyjimi View Post
......My only reason to post is to make sure you know that the D-41 is more expensive for better “quality” wood as you stated, but the quality is graded visually, not tonally. You are paying extra for looks not necessarily tone.
I think you might query 100 D41 players and find that the overwhelming consensus, for whatever reason, is that the D-41 has, and continues to be one of the best sounding dreads you can find anywhere. Especially older ones. I find them to almost universally eclipse D-45's and most D-42's. The reason for that has been debated for a long time but with less "bling" than the 42's and 45's they still seem to rise to the top.
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  #24  
Old 03-25-2020, 02:11 PM
RussL30 RussL30 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlington View Post
Thanks for the input so far. I know I'm all over the place which is why I vented/shared my frustration - is it normal to have such a hard time? :-)

I guess part of my hesitation with the OM-28MD is if it will stand the test of time? Or is the Modern Deluxe line something that will fizzle out in one or two years, and be viewed as an obscure trial by Martin and experience little demand/resale value?
Ultimately the MD’s are still 18 and 28 series Martins with a few modern tweaks. I think there will always be a premium for any variation of a standard series Martin.
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  #25  
Old 03-25-2020, 02:27 PM
kentwinterton kentwinterton is offline
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My .02. Don't overlook the D-35. Phenomenal guitar and a good used one wouldn't be too painful on the budget.
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  #26  
Old 03-25-2020, 02:56 PM
reeve21 reeve21 is offline
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Pat, put your wallet away for a while, and keep playing different guitars until one of them gets under your skin to the point where you have to have it. There is nothing any of us can say or do to get you to that point. You will know. Maybe it takes a month, maybe a year, these things can't be rushed (unless you want to be a serial gasser, not that there's any thing wrong with that )

It can be very expensive to start buying and selling higher end guitars looking for the "one". You are not ready to get married yet, you are having too much fun playing the field
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  #27  
Old 03-25-2020, 03:14 PM
Arlington Arlington is offline
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I humbly thank everyone for providing me your input and wisdom - I don't take it for granted and appreciate it. As we all know, going round playing guitars during the Corona outbreak is less than ideal, but I don't want to wait 1, 2 or 4 months to get a good quality guitar at home. I don't have enough patience for that! :-)

Infinite choice: hey, I wish I was moved back to a 60-ies USSR setting there there only was one choice: "Here, guitar!" :-) Then again, we would have to settle for the Lada of guitars... ;-)

Context: I covered some of this in a separate thread, but basically I'm coming back to playing guitar after a +25 yrs break. I just cleaned up and gave my old Ibanez Dread to my son. I don't play in bands, I won't play in concerts or plugged in for that matter - heck, not even on YouTube. I want a US made guitar of superior quality, craftsmanship and tonal quality, but I don't necessarily want to go over the $3,000 mark (even that much of guitar is to cast your pearls before swines (me)). I won't build a dedicated studio/musicroom, I'll play my house in Virginia, entertain (?) my family, and a mix of fingerpicking, flat-picking and strumming. I'm 6'1"/185cm so I can easily handle a Dread but I'm not sure I truly need the boom, nor is it as comfortable if you are sitting in the sofa playing away, at least that is the common wisdom.

Reality check: Yes, I understand that there is no such thing as a perfect guitar, and ideally one would have a Jumbo, a small 12-fret, a classic Spanish guitar, Dreads in various woods, etc. I'm trying to avoid that. I don't want to become a guitar collector. I just want to buy one really good guitar that I will enjoy and have fun playing. In reality, any sound differences between a hog or rosewood Dread, or Dread and OM, will all disappear at home because I plan to only play one guitar.

I saw this thread with an amber D-41 https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=575944 what a machine, but I'm sober/reasonable enough to realize that this would probably be too much of a guitar for me, but I do subscribe to the theory that a D-series sound differently and it is more than looks. I recently played a D-41 and D-35 side-by-side (along with a J-45 and regular OM) and the D-41 was clearly the most compelling in terms overtones, balance, volume, sustain, etc. I sort of read/heard that it takes a lot longer to make a D-series instrument and they receive a different level of attention than your regular standard series Martins? Who knows - perhaps I am less wishy-washy that I sound, I just have to get over the mental hurdle of dropping +$3,500 on a D-41 and get it over with.

Sorry for the rant, if you put a quarter in me I ramble on... ;-)

Last edited by Arlington; 03-25-2020 at 05:40 PM.
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  #28  
Old 03-26-2020, 07:11 AM
emtsteve emtsteve is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arlington View Post
.......I do subscribe to the theory that a D-series sound differently and it is more than looks. I recently played a D-41 and D-35 side-by-side (along with a J-45 and regular OM) and the D-41 was clearly the most compelling in terms overtones, balance, volume, sustain, etc. I sort of read/heard that it takes a lot longer to make a D-series instrument and they receive a different level of attention than your regular standard series Martins? Who knows - perhaps I am less wishy-washy that I sound, I just have to get over the mental hurdle of dropping +$3,500 on a D-41 and get it over with.

Sorry for the rant, if you put a quarter in me I ramble on... ;-)
It sounds like the D-41 is the guitar that floats your boat. So, if it's in the budget, get one. Now would be a good time to deal on a new one, or maybe find a used one for a great price. From what you've said, if you don't get that D-41 then a little voice will be in the back of your head saying "What if?"

Let us know how it turns out.
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  #29  
Old 03-27-2020, 01:02 PM
Arlington Arlington is offline
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Found a dreamy D-41 with a good enough price. Done deal. It arrives next week. It might not be my end guitar but I'm pretty sure this one will stick with me for a long time, maybe forever.

Now I cannot ever blame the gear again ;-)
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