What happened to Martin’s Modern Deluxe line?

[HippieDave]

Since the initial hype, I’ve heard almost nothing. I posted a while ago how disappointed I was with the MD OM I took as part of a trade deal. I quickly moved it through eBay or reverb. Mostly I’m curious whether I had a dud or whether the entire line flopped.

[Peter Z]

Hi Dave,
I think you had bad luck or maybe you don’t like the clearer sound of the MDs. I’m totally happy with my D-18MD and from what I read there are many more satisfied MD players.
Maybe you will get a chance to play another one or two to clarify the ‘dud’ question. I know that’s not easy now.

[HippieDave]

Well that certainly could be the case. The one I had certainly had a great clarity on the treble side. It seemed dull in bass and mids to me. But then, again, my ear is also getting older .

[brencat]

The 000-28MD was a little thin sounding being short scale, but the OM-28MD was awesome and so was the D-18MD. Could be you had a bad one, but more likely the guitar just didn’t measure up to the very stiff competition in your signature. Collings guitars are VERY loud and very projective, and they are also optimized/hand voiced, whereas Martins are not and never have been. You’re comparing upper level Collings and Goodall boutique to a production builder and while there are plenty of great sounding Martins, more times than not you’re likely to be disappointed until you’ve accepted what it is — and that means living with it for a while.

[warfrat73]

I've not actually played one. But I have read a very mixed bag of reviews from people that have.

[HippieDave]

True enough what you say. But a Martin was my first good guitar gift to myself, and I've always had a fondness for them, and room in my music room for one. I still go to my HD 28 VS in the right circumstances, and still love it. I'm in the process of acquiring a quad 0 that I think will be suitable for a lot of purposes. My Collings and Goodalls are fantastic guitars, but sometimes you want that rounded, warm Martin sound....and that's what I found lacking in the 000 MD. Most likely it was the individual guitar if many others are happy.

[llew]

I've never had the opportunity to play one but the videos I've watched/listened to left me wondering what the big deal was? Most of them were with a Standard line model vs the MD model and I never once heard one that I thought the MD sounded better. That being said...I realize I was listening to a video and not in person and being a fan of Martin guitars overall I will hold judgement (so to speak) until I can actually play one or more. They certainly "look" good from a spec standpoint other than the saddle spacing could be a little more generous.

[HippieDave]

looks wise, Martin nailed it....maple binding, abalone (ormaybe MOP?) logo on headstock--generally a beautiful guitar. As someone else mentioned, the neck is modeled on a so-called 'favorite' neck from a 1930s guitar in the Martin museum. I personally didn't like the neck particularly.

[Bear Davis]

Bought an OM28 MD and it ranked dead last compared to my other OM's

She soon left the team and joined someone else's ranks.

[aeisen93]

I played a D-28 Modern Deluxe and it was so treble-y it was awful.

[boneuphtoner]

People have reported that the MD dreads sound brighter - my personal theory is that is because these (at least the two I’ve tried) have less bass than a standard guitar. I didn’t think anything about the guitars sounded bright but the lessened bass response was noticeable.

[Br1ck]

Martin is just building a guitar for Taylor fans. Taylor and Collings both building to encroach on the Martin market. No need to worry.

[egordon99]

I just got back from Sam Ash in King of Prussia (actually bumped into a fellow forum member!) and somehow a 000-28 MD followed me home!

I also played a regular 000-28, OM-28, D-18MD, and some Taylors. The 000-28MD was the best of the bunch for me. It played like butter and it reminded me of some "boutique" guitars I have played over the years in terms of feel and looks (I LOVE the maple binding).

The sound was great; certainly nothing thin/trebly to my ears. I was originally leaning towards something more "traditional" but the sound/feel and that maple trim ( ) won me over. It fits in nicely with my other instruments, despite everyone in my family thinking all my guitars look the same

[UncleJesse]

Originally Posted by brencat

The 000-28MD was a little thin sounding being short scale, but the OM-28MD was awesome and so was the D-18MD. Could be you had a bad one, but more likely the guitar just didn’t measure up to the very stiff competition in your signature. Collings guitars are VERY loud and very projective, and they are also optimized/hand voiced, whereas Martins are not and never have been. You’re comparing upper level Collings and Goodall boutique to a production builder and while there are plenty of great sounding Martins, more times than not you’re likely to be disappointed until you’ve accepted what it is — and that means living with it for a while.

Just goes to show. The only MD I ever really liked was an 000-28MD. I didn't care for the D18, D28, or OM28. And I'm a dreadnought only player.

[SleepyAudi]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Martin is just building a guitar for Taylor fans. Taylor and Collings both building to encroach on the Martin market. No need to worry.

Spot on, also should note that Taylor’s Grand Pacific and Grand Orchestras aren’t seemingly big sellers likewise Martin probably is having trouble with the modern deludes.

Fender failed with the Dimension Bass to make a Stingray
Gibson and fender both failed with shredder guitars
Mesa failed to make a VOX.
It’s a tail as old as time. Companies trying to do what other companies do. Usually people just end up getting the thing they want rather than the copy.

Dimension Bass, Trans Atlantic, MD, GP, and all those things were all very good imo. It’s just branding and voodoo has a powerful effect on the guitar market.