Anyone else here who has never wanted a Martin?

[donlyn]

Never owned a Martin. Can't say I never wanted one.

While I never met a 6 string Martin that said 'take me home tonight'. it's a different story with 12 strings. Almost bought a Martin 12 back in the '70s. Tried it in a shop; figured out my finances, and slept on it. Went back the next day with the intention of buying, and it was gone. :-(

Fast forward to the '00s. Ran into another great Martin dread 12 and it's owner, who wanted to sell. Decent price, but I had recently purchased my Taylor 355, and it just wasn't in the cards.

Like a lot of things in life, maybe it's all about timing.

Don
.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

Hello, my name is Dwasifar (hello, Dwasifar!) and I've never wanted a Martin.

I realize this is walking dangerously close to breaking the forum rules about being nice and not starting brand wars, so let's not take it there. I'm not meaning to diss on Martin at all; they sell eleventy gazillion guitars a year, so clearly people like them and want them, and I would not dream of trying to talk anyone out of buying, playing, or cherishing a Martin.

I am just not one of those people, though.

Trying to explain why is hard without it coming out sounding bad. I guess I could say that I have a sound in my head for what I want a guitar to sound like, and the "Martin sound" just is not it. I realize that puts me in the minority. I'm not going to compare to other brands' sound, because that takes us down the brand war road, and I don't want to start that.

Maybe if they were less expensive, I'd be more inclined to buy one and see if I came to love it. But they're premium priced instruments, so that's not likely to happen. Again, not faulting Martin for that. Lots of people clearly feel they're worth the money, and who am I to argue? I can only make that decision for myself.

Am I the only one here who feels that way?

I wanted a Martin in the beginning Until I played one and then I didn't, But I've come full circle and want one of those New Johnny Cash DX models not that I do a lot of Cash music, but I'd like one

[Jaden]

If I was a billionaire I would make a deal with the factory, set a quota and donate Standard Series to any good guitar players who would appreciate it but are excluded by the price.

[Bax Burgess]

So many builders to try. I did get around to Martins as a way to complete my understanding of it all. A D28 is right next to me now, representing against a Collings D1, not to mention the Rainsong H-DR.

[Rudy4]

I've played guitar for something on the order of 55 years. I bought a new Ovation Balladeer when I knew I was going to be in it for the long haul (they were a relatively new company at the time) and after a few years I had centered my interests more towards Bluegrass.

I met the leader of the primary Bluegrass band in town and he was a Martin dealer and suggested I come in to check out guitars when I told him I was interested in buying a "normal" wood guitar.

A trip to the shop proved fortuitous and life-changing for me, with several Martins to choose from. The first guitar I looked at had the normal hang tag explaining "action adjustment". In a nut shell, if the neck bowed the corrective action was heavier strings. A reverse bow meant lighter strings were needed.

My suspicion was Martin chose not to make simple changes to keep up with the earlier development of the truss rod. Alarm bell 1.

Then the sticker shock came when I started looking at the price.

The store owner also showed me his personal D-45 which he had transported in his cold car trunk and opened too quickly when he got to a gig. The top lacquer was a huge spider web of cracks. I began to think the REAL cost of ownership was far above the sticker price.

The life-changing part came when I thought to myself "These are made by actual mortals such as myself...". I picked up a couple books on building and made my first guitar, still being played today by my daughter.

No brand bashing, just took an alternative route. I have a good friend who purchased a new John Renbourn that obviously needed a neck reset. I suppose when you sell that many guitars that a few get past quality control. He chose to remedy the strings being too low by adding a very tall saddle but I know what the results of that will be down the road.

[RP]

I greatly respect Martin’s heritage and have owned several. However, I just didn’t bond with them.

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

A Martin was the acme of my desire...

After flirting with a silly and totally unsuitable J40, I went to Bourgeois and ultimately Collings...

I have a whole load of books on/by/about Martins and respect them greatly, but at the time when I'd finally learnt what suited me best, Martin didn't have it, and Collings did.

Collings makes a beautiful guitar, but they really don’t sound like Martins. Some prefer one, and some the other, but they sound different, for sure.

[Pinetreebob]

I can't say I never wanted a Martin but the ones I have picked up and played in stores didn't do it for me. While some sounded great they action and neck profile seemed hard for me to manipulate. I have heard they are manufactured that way with action a bit high with the assumption that a competent setup would make them work for those who need the low action.
This is not the case when it comes to Taylors, they have the opposite philosophy. Out of the box they just play a lot easier that's why my first (and second) high end acoustics are Taylors.
All that being said, if I happen to have some extra cash in the future, I have considered buying a Martin and having a professional setup with instruction to make it play like a Taylor, if that's possible. Hopefully I would have the both of both worlds, Martin sound and Taylor action. Has anyone had a Martin setup with fast action in this manner and did it affect the sound in a negative way?

[roylor4]

I don't actively avoid or gravitate to any one brand. My purchases are largely dictated by the thickness of my wallet. I have played many Martins and Taylors that I liked. I have played even more of both that I didn't.

I don't know if I'll ever own any of the "big 3" or not, but I won't rule it out.

[ship of fools]

I'm kind of like RP have owned a few but they were never ones that stood out for my music and frankly I am not one to love any brand in particular.
I have always concentrated on the sounds the guitars produced that was what was most important especially when recording.
Thats not to say that there aren't great Martins out there I have heard some that I would have loved to have owned but alas their owners refused my best offers so there be that. And thats all she wrote.

[Jim in TC]

I Always wanted a Martin and realized my dream in the 80's with a D18, only to find it too large as I aged and swapped out for a 000-15M. That was another great instrument that I could not quite bond with. Now that I have lived the dream I have little interest in Martin in my future, and in fact have moved over to the dark side, with a carbon fiber Cargo.

[Jaden]

To answer the question directly, I wasn’t interested during the days of the black pickguard and closed gear tuners.

[TBman]

I have a Martin, but I'm not gassing for another.

I know a lot of members are on mobile and can't see signatures so these are the solid wood guitars that I have:

Avalon L2-320C
Gibson J-45
Guild D-120C
Guild D-55 {retired}
Larrivee OM-05
Martin D-16GT

I like different tones, but with a similar neck profile.

I'm looking to add a Furch or a Taylor, but if I ran across a Martin with a great tone I wouldn't be afraid to get it.

[raysachs]

It is my considered opinion that EVERYONE (who plays acoustic guitars) wants a Martin at some point in time. It's just that some people don't live long enough to realize it... The more fortunate among us realize it at an early age.

I SAID it was an opinion...

-Ray

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by RP

I greatly respect Martin’s heritage and have owned several. However, I just didn’t bond with them.

Well said. Dad grew up in Virginia right about where and when "blue" met "grass". For me a Martin was the be-all and end-all in the acoustic guitar world. After college I was in a position to get one or more and did, accumulating four at one point. They are all gone now. Part of that was my hand changing and not liking their neck profiles anymore, and the other part was how shabbily I was treated when needing legitimate warranty work.

I have literally been there, done that, got over it. But that leaves more for you.....