Martin DM

Sleepy · #1 05-28-2013, 10:09 PM

I'm looking at a Martin DM I can get locally for 350. Looks to be in really good shape, but I guess I'll find that out when I see it in person and can check the guitar out up close. Do you guys think this is a fair price for these? I remember when they were out but can't seem to remember how much they were new.

Just looking to get it for a beater/camping guitar.

patrickgm60 · #2 05-28-2013, 10:17 PM

I bought one new around 1996 for ~$700. Sold it 10 years later for 1/2 that. It served well as my second dread. Nice tone and playability, although I never cared for the narrow and thin neck profile as much as the wider, beefier ones.

If it's in good condition and you like it, I think $350 is reasonable. Should include a hard shell case. Although the back and sides are laminated, the top is sold spruce.

Sleepy · #3 05-28-2013, 10:29 PM

I think I'm going to pass. No HSC, he's got one of those formed gig bag type things. It is cheap, but I keep getting that "don't buy this, you won't be happy with it" gut feeling.

On the other hand, there is a Tacoma DM9 that is catching my eye for a fairly cheap price at around 400.

GuitarLight · #4 05-28-2013, 11:13 PM

Had a DM years ago. Hated it. They are way over priced being a Martin. No tone either. Epiphone makes better sounding guitars, and Takamine, Sea Gull too. My DM was a dark muddy sounding mess. Just saying. Good luck.

Brucebubs · #5 05-28-2013, 11:15 PM

You guys in the US don`t know just how lucky you are! That guitar would be double, maybe more, down here in Australia. Buy it, enjoy it, use it . When it wears out, buy another one.

chitz · #6 05-29-2013, 03:10 AM

I've had a DM for years. I think they have great tone and presence. Nothing muddy about it at all.
That's what drew me to it in the first place. (that and the price) I've played plenty of them too and all that I played were consistent.

$350 w/o case is a good deal. They sell around here for $500ish with case.

I think both the discontinued DM and DR are great bang for the buck

Go play it before you count it out.

TwoMartinMan · #7 05-29-2013, 04:23 AM

A Martin DM for $350? Send it my way. That's a good deal, even without the case. I have 2 DMs (and a DR). Great guitars. Nothing muddy at all about them. Big, rich Martin dreadnought tone. Like chitz wrote, they usually sell for around $500. Even if you ever re-sell it, you'll never lose value on it. I'd grab it fast.

JanVigne · #8 05-29-2013, 07:18 AM

Another DM owner here. Bought mine used years ago and paid about what you're looking at. Most DM's are selling for a hundred or so more than that price.

You really hurt though with the "beater" comment. If you want a beater, buy a used laminated Fender for a quarter that price. Or a laminated Little Martin that isn't all that concerned with humidity and temperature. I would consider my '96 DM to be far from "beater" quality, even if you're more accustomed to boutique products. But then I was told by one friend that it's just impossible to buy a good car for under $70k. I would have thought he might notice I was driving a 17 year old Toyota at the time. Perspective is amazing, isn't it? When you consider a guitar many buyers would have saved up to buy just beater quality. New the DM sold for between $800 to $1k. Now it's just a "beater"?

The DM is no $3k instrument, that's true. But it is very true to what you would expect from a spruce top, mahogany bodied Martin dreadnought. Full bottom end, slightly scooped mids and good sustain in the upper ranges. String choice is easily detected through a DM. Not all that far from a new D18 in overall character. The neck is what a Taylor fan would call "fast". If you feel you need a baseball bat neck to play, then you won't be happy with the DM. Still, it's an easy play with fingerstyle. Very good intonation for what you're going to pay. Look at most of the new competition at this price and you'll see two or three splices in the neck. The DM is a solid piece of real mahogany. Buy it and swap out the saddle and nut for bone with a quality set up and you're less likely, I think, to consider this your beater guitar.

And, as has been pointed out, if you take some care with the DM, you can play it for a dozen years and not lose any of your investment. Free guitar! What's better than that?

Opa John · #9 05-29-2013, 08:00 AM

I bought my 2001 DM a little over three years ago for $400, with the hardshell case, and feel fortunate to have found it. The guitar and case were both in like new condition and still are. At the time I bought mine, the DM prices on Ebay were anywhere between $500 and $750 and couldn't possibly have been in any better condition than mine.

There's nothing "muddy" about the sound of mine. I'd buy another one just like it if I found one. No intention of ever selling mine.

I suppose there may be a few out there that might not sound as good as some others, but you could say that about ANY guitar ever made.

BTW - The original owner bought this guitar in his home town.....Chicago. He brought it with him when he'd gotten transferred to Columbus, Ohio. During his stay here, his father gifted him with a new custom made guitar and he was being transferred back to Chicago. He also mentioned that he picked this particular DM out of a group of seven others. He made a good choice and I think I did too!

brian a. · #10 05-29-2013, 05:23 PM

I had a DM several years ago and it was a great player with good sound. IMHO, it would sound very good with a bone saddle.
If it is in great shape, that is an excellent price for a DM. Original MSRP was over $1000 with current values showing around $500.
You can get a hard shell case for about $100 or even less online.

Telecastoff · #11 07-07-2017, 07:33 PM

I bought my DM a year ago. It's a 1999. I had Hoffman Guitars in Minneapolis replace the nut and saddle with bone and do a pro set up on it. This guitar plays like butter and produces tone like nothing but a quality Martin can produce.

Boneman · #12 05-11-2021, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JanVigne

Another DM owner here. Bought mine used years ago and paid about what you're looking at. Most DM's are selling for a hundred or so more than that price.

And, as has been pointed out, if you take some care with the DM, you can play it for a dozen years and not lose any of your investment. Free guitar! What's better than that?

Hey all, just updating this as I was looking at the old threads since I just bought a used 1996 Martin DM here in 2021 near the end of the pandemic and the seller wanted 500, so the price hasn't really gone down. Now I negotiated it for even less than that, but I'll tell you I also see a 1996 DM for sale at guitar center in Sherman Oaks for $599. I called and spoke with them, no case and it looks like it was repaired at the neck they said. Ouch, the one I bought is like new. And the sound is not muddy at all, I'll say that for sure. I've never played a Martin before, but the first strum of this one blew me away. I said I need to have this! And heck, who wouldn't want a made in USA Martin for less than $500!? I don't care it they laminated driftwood, they make it in Nazareth its a quality instrument. This one anyway sounds amazing and I just love it.

stevgo · #13 07-13-2022, 04:45 PM

Fellow DM owners, please help me out:

I bought my DM new in 2007 for $399 plus two beater acoustics on trade-in. I really like it, but for the past year I've had the itch to upgrade to something nicer. Problem is, I can't find anything that, to my ear, sounds "nicer enough" to justify paying a lot for a new guitar.

I've played a new HD-28, a used D-28, a used Guild F-55, and a used Gibson SJ-100 (custom, mahogany back/sides). I brought my DM along and played side-by-side. The Guild sounded terrible, which surprised me. The Gibson sounded nice, but obviously a different beast. I liked the 28's, and while both sounded better than the DM (clearer, a little more refined), the improvement didn't seem nearly substantial enough to warrant a $2500-$3000 upgrade over what I have today.

Big question: is it possible that in my small sample size the Martins I played were duds, and that if I play more I'll find some that sound hands-down better than my DM? Or, was the Martin DM just the all-time value leader in tone for the dollar?

Gomers · #14 07-14-2022, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevgo

Big question: is it possible that in my small sample size the Martins I played were duds, and that if I play more I'll find some that sound hands-down better than my DM? Or, was the Martin DM just the all-time value leader in tone for the dollar?

Sorry, not a DM owner but think your last sentence about covers it. The first gen Road Series were superb guitars and great value IMO, I had a 000M and it was lovely.

For me, the 2.5K uplift to attain 'better' in this case needs some serious querying but I also get it....the chase. Sometimes we just feel we need 'more'.

Good luck

catdaddy · #15 07-14-2022, 05:46 AM

I've played several Martin DMs and always found them to be really nice sounding guitars, certainly an outstanding value. While I'm generally very fond Martins and have owned a few over the years, I've never played a D-28 that has impressed me.

If you get a chance, try out a D-18 or D-35, or for something completely different try a 15 series Martin. You might just find one of those to be an upgrade worthy of your investment. In any event, you should consider holding on to your DM. Always a good idea to have a nice sounding second guitar in your stable.