What do you all HONESTLY think of Martin guitars?

[j3ffr0]

If there is one icon or standard -- they are it. The D28, 18, 35, etc.... all sound what an acoustic guitar should sound like strummed and flat picked. The 000 and OMs are great options for fingerstyle. Many boutique builders base what they do on Martin designs, so Martin has gotten more than a few things right over the years.

If a particular Martin has caught your eye, I suggest snatching it up. Every now and then one runs across one that is truly special. I encountered a 000-28ec that really special once, but I was dead broke. That guitar made an impression though, and I've never forgotten it. Played many others since that were just not as special as that one.

[brencat]

I love the tone of Martin guitars...warm, bassy, iconic. I've had quite a few. Most were very good, some were meh, and some were awesome.

Remember Martin is a factory operation. They build to spec, and although they have more collective experience building guitars than anyone on the planet, at the end of the day, it's still a factory built guitar...which means the bell curve of life applies. Some are dogs, most are great, and select few are otherworldly. The trick is to find those otherworldly ones.

Because Martin builds to a spec, they don't tap tune and hand voice the tops like a boutique maker does. Not even the Custom Shop does that with the Authentic line. So out of the gate, the probability of a Martin being as good as a comparable boutique is lower. Over time as the guitars age, it may not matter as much.

My biggest issue with Martin has been the neck profiles. Most have not been optimal for my hand. Either too thin, or too much radical change in depth from 1st position to the 10th fret. Secondarily, I'd say the treble response up the neck on most Martins is not ideal... the dreads especially get a bit thin up the neck and when capoed up. This is where most boutiques shine by comparison.

Hope this helps.

[llew]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Depends - pre- or post-Grandpa CFM III...?

^^^Awesome!^^^

[MHC]

Originally Posted by offkey

Is this a different neck profile than LA Guitar's custom 00 21? Which by the way I own, I love it with its Martin sound. Nobody does Martin better than Martin, lots of copycats out there.

Hi Offkey. Yes, that's the same Martin CS-00-21. Great Martin guitar, big rich sound for a 00, and a better than standard neck.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by j3ffr0

...If a particular Martin has caught your eye, I suggest snatching it up. Every now and then one runs across one that is truly special...

- and therein IME lies the problem with post-1985 Martins, the level of consistency that could routinely be expected in earlier days...

There's a local hot picker with whom I've done a couple projects/twin bills, who owns an absolutely incredible off-the-rack early-2K's HD-28: perfect neck set, low action, tone and volume for days, sounds amazing for any style of music you can think of - a one-in-ten-thousand instrument...

CFM IV & Co. could produce instruments of this caliber if they so chose - the Authentics (made the way they were in Grandpa's/Great-Grandpa's day) are the proof - but they don't/won't...

The overarching corporate characteristic seems to be more one of mass-production market saturation, at every possible price point: "a chicken in every pot, a Martin in every home," and when push comes to shove there are those who do it better - Eastman, Taylor, and the Gretsch Electromatic/Professional Series electrics come quickly to mind - with no compromises in quality...

FYI I own several CFM IV-era Martins, played countless others, so I don't speak from a vacuum here...

Other than the highly remote prospect of a built-to-order Custom Shop instrument - I'm not a fan of the prewar-style necks on the Authentics, and I'm looking at an all-carved 18" archtop first - I will not own another...

[mattmar10]

Originally Posted by MHC

What do I think of Martins - honestly?

The standard series and above are fantastic guitars. They sound -- like a Martin, which means rich, wonderful and iconic. No 3rd party Martin styled guitar sounds quite like them. They would probably be the only guitar I'd ever buy EXCEPT...

I'm not a fan of their two current standard neck shapes. The MLO w/ PA taper is too thin for me and the string spacing at the saddle is quite narrow at 2 5/32". The Mod-V has simply never felt comfortable to me (it's my issue, not a problem with the shape per se).

However, I do love the Martin sound and I eventually ordered a Custom Shop 00-21 (14 fret). This guitar has the MLO neck, but without the PA taper, so the string spacing at the saddle is a comfortable (for me) 2 1/4" and it feels bit chunkier (though still slimmer than my Huss & Dalton which has the perfect neck for me).

Exactly this. I currently own 2 of the Reimagined line and the sound is there, but the neck shape is just a little too slim for me. I'll be looking to trade these out for Martins with a Modified V neck shape.

[Boozehound]

I love Martin Dreads for flatpicking and strumming big, loud, ringing chords. I don't find that Martin Dreads excel for fingerstyle like a Santa Cruz, Froggy, etc. I also find that they need medium strings - even the more lightly built Custom Shop Models.

Obviously that's just me though - some folks sound amazing fingerpicking a Martin.

[Gee Man]

I am a Martin fanboy for sure. My first, and also my first good guitar, is still a go to, 1999 OM-21, and it has gained in both value and tone over the years, that alone is worth the price of admission. Recently picked up a custom shop 00, wow. For the OPs stated needs, I think the OM is the perfect guitar. Loud enough to keep up with a dread while being very well balanced and extremely comfortable for both fingerpicking and flatpicking. If I could own only on acoustic, I would be hard pressed to give up the OM, such a great and versatile instrument.

[Skip Ellis]

Started out with an inherited 1936 0-17 in 1960 and have had very few guitars that were not Martins over the years. Martin, for me, epitomizes everything that an acoustic guitar should be. Even when I've briefly had other brands (Northwood, Taylor, Lowden, Larrivee, Gibson, Kronbauer, Avalon, Gallagher, Mossman, Brook, etc.), I've always been uncomfortable not having a Martin guitar in the house and, at times (like the present), I've had both. My Sitka/mahogany Brook Torridge is a wonderful guitar but I play my Martin 000-18 Sitka/mahogany more - seems silly having two of the same wood combinations, but's it's the tone I like.

Over the years: 0-17, D18(2), HD28, D18S, 000-28GE, 000-28VS(2), D25K, 00-28, 000-18.

Just my $.02.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by FoxHound4690

Hey guys,

Wanting to know what is your honest opinion on Martin guitars, whether it be body shapes, tone woods, Good for finger picking or flat picking etc. I'm only asking because I'm on the verge of buying one that's really got my attention.

Based on the Martins you all own and have played over the years, what would you say is the ideal Martin for someone like me who's kind of a hybrid with acoustics (flat picker/finger style).

I have 2 Marin Guitars currently, a J-35e which is the largest 6 string body Martin makes, and a 000c which is 3 sizes smaller than the J-35.
I had one J-35 that i sold, and regretted, so I bought another.
I had a J-40 that I traded on this forum and if I had the money would buy it back today. (PM me if you are interested in this J-40 listing I will forward to you)

Flat picker/ Fingerstyle? J-40 Hands down. I think it's the best sounding guitar I have ever played.

Martin makes very consistent sounding guitars that take about a year to open up with regular play. Older the better.

What size are your hands? You will need a re-imagined Martin post 2017 or an older say 2005-2012 to find nut widths of 1 3/4th or greater. String spacing at the saddle is a little thin for my taste with the exceptions of the two Martins I currently have. I would look for the long saddle Martin Guitars personally, which the J-40 is not one of-
I have a hard rule: no string spacing less than 2 1/4 at the saddle on my guitars. The J-40 is the only narrow saddle spacing exception I would consider.

What to look out for, or simply understand: all four of the martins I have had have required a very short saddle for the action to be as low as I like. I think Martin misses on the initial neck angle, and I hear that a lot need neck resets. My J-35 is currently having a neck reset, and my 000 probably needs one. You can get a Taylor or Collings and the action is going to be money out of the box, the Martins require a bit more fiddling. So if immediate gratification is a challenge for you, you may also need to add to your cart a "Patience cap".

I don't see custom shop guitars getting much more than standard guitars in resale, so personally, if I have the cash for a custom shop Martin, I will spend it on a Collings.

Buy used Martin and fix it for your playing style and you will have a fantastic lifetime guitar.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by Boozehound

I love Martin Dreads for flatpicking and strumming big, loud, ringing chords. I don't find that Martin Dreads excel for fingerstyle like a Santa Cruz, Froggy, etc. I also find that they need medium strings - even the more lightly built Custom Shop Models.

This pretty much sums up my feeling about Martin dreads. Had a custom D-18V Adirondack, rich tone. But ultimately it seemed like a flatpicker's guitar, or at least a Travis picker who used a thumb pick, which wasn't me. The guitar wanted medium strings and a relatively high action to be at its best.

Loved the tone, but feel could have suited me better.

[JGinNJ]

When I first started to play in the 70's, Martin's still had fat necks and no truss rod, so I always remembered them as too hard to play. As primarily a jazz player, an acoustic guitar was just for casual playing & practice, not very suitable.

It wasn't until I got interested in acoustic music and tried modern models that I discovered what I was missing, and how good a dreadnaught could sound. I bought a DC-16RGTE, and then a D-35. For whatever reason, the standard D-18 and D-28 don't do it for me sound wise, and the OM's sound small & thin. If you generally like that iconic Martin sound, there's probably a model you'll like, if you can try it first.

[tkersey]

I have a 15 series streetmaster with a grand performance body and I love it. It’s got more bark than some guitars that are far more expensive. That being said, I don’t think you see a worthwhile difference until you get to the performing artist series, or at the very least the road series. The x series guitars are not as good as a Segul or Eastman or one of the other well regarded guitars in that price range. I’ve found that 12 and above is definitely worth it.

[canyongargon]

I have an OM28 that I really enjoy, but it's the second one I got my hands on - the first one went back due to neck angle issues. Sampling new guitars in various stores, my anecdotal observation is that it seems like a non-negligable number of guitars have similar neck angle issues. From what I've seen, it seems that others share my assessment. That would be my only major complaint with Martin.

[noledog]

* Well I've owned and performed with two of their standard series; a 2014 D-18 of which I still have and a 2016 000-18e Retro of which I sold (although the F1A+ system imo is Martin's best effort thus far in electronics, too bad it was discontinued). In addition I've demo'd dozens and have done light luthier work on fellow musicians who own them.

** Having said that I will say that anything below the standard series has done nothing for me tonally. I do like the tone of a good D-18, 000-18, OM-28 and the 000-28. I really loved the '33 OM-18A... But here is what I don't like about them: the quality of workmanship on the ones I've owned and performed with is subpar, especially for an instrument that costs 2k+. The binding on my D-18 has unglued over and over again, the interior is a bit sloppy and the finish is too fragile. I consistently see poor neck angles on brand new Martins when I run a straight edge down the fret board to the bridge which invites a neck reset in the near future for some. They seem to creep at a quick rate imo.

*** When compared to my main workhorse performing guitars, which are MIJ Takamines, my Tak's are built far superior in build quality inside and out and are about $500 to 700 less expensive ... yes the tone difference is subjective. The same goes for the two Lowdens I had which both were far superior in workmanship to the Martin and each cost $1,800 to 2k new back in the late nineties.

**** I'm not making a blanketed statement about Martin quality, this has just been my consistent experience over the last 8 years... I doubt I'll ever buy another at that 2k+ price point when there are other options that satisfy my tonal palette at less cost, yet with a higher standard of quality workmanship. Again I love the tone of Martin in the Standard series and above. The lower series Martins like the new 16's, Road series and others do not sound that great to my ears and taste. They do not have the signature tone identifiabley found in a D-18 or 28.

eric