#46
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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.
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Alvarez: DY61 Huss and Dalton: DS Crossroads, 00-SP Kenny Hill: Heritage, Performance Larrivee: CS09 Matt Thomas Limited Taylor: 314ce, 356e, Baritone 8 Timberline: T60HGc |
#47
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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.
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Merrill | Martin | Collings | Gibson For Sale: 2023 Collings D2H 1 3/4 Nut, Adi Bracing, NTB -- $4100 shipped |
#48
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Jim Dogs Welcome......People Tolerated! |
#49
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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.
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#50
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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...
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased) |
#51
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#52
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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.
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| 1968 Martin D-28 | 1949 Gibson J-45 | 1955 Gibson LG-2 | Santa Cruz 000 Cocobolo / Italian Spruce | Martin D-18 1939 Authentic Aged | Martin Gruhn Guitars Custom D-21 Adi/Madi | Gibson J-45 | Fender American Elite Telecaster | Fender American Standard Stratocaster | Gibson Les Paul Standard | Gibson Les Paul Studio | PRS Custom 24 10-Top | Gibson Les Paul 1960 Reissue (R0) | |
#53
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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.
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#54
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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.
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2022 Brook Lyn Custom, 2014 Martin 000-18, 2022 Ibanez GB10, several homebrew Teles, Evans RE200 amp, Quilter 101R and various speaker cabinets, Very understanding wife of 48 years |
#55
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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. |
#56
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Loved the tone, but feel could have suited me better. |
#57
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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. |
#58
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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.
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#59
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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.
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#60
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* 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
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NOLE TUNES & Coastal Acoustic Music one love jam! Martin D18 & 3 lil' birdz; Takamine KC70, P3NC x 2 Last edited by noledog; 11-12-2020 at 09:57 AM. |