My Last Guitar - A Martin?

[lowrider]

The best priced, and great sounding new Maritn right now, is the Martin 16 Style Rosewood dread that's available from Guitar Center;

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin/...sewood&index=2

The price is amazing for such a quality guitar. I would normally say that the D-18 was the best deal from Martin, but this is a better guitar for a lot less $$$$

There is also a GPC version, if you want something smaller.

[Synrel]

Originally Posted by deanmadonia

Best Martin for all styles of music?

I am a lifer musician - still making a living at it at 59 years old. I have about 25 guitars and with few exceptions, these have all been cheap or midrange guitars. I love my '78 Gibson Gospel. It sounds wonderful in the recording studio, but the neck is a little small for my big hands to play live. I also don't like to gig with it because it's a little more delicate than other guitars I own. I am a singer songwriter, but I play a lot of cover gigs - strumming, finger style (a little) and soloing. I need a well-balanced instrument. I want to be the one who decides which notes of a chord or a run are stressed - I don't want to leave it up to the bracing pattern...

To solve the "big hands" problem, I searched for a guitar with a wider nut and came across the Seagull Mariner. This guitar is OK, but balanced/braced for strumming. The high notes disappear and solo runs go unheard. This pisses me off and led me to look for a new gigging guitar that will really pop out on the top strings. I recently bought a Yairi dy 38 that I love. I just had a K&K pickup put into it. Going to pick it up today and A/B with the Seagull (I believe that the Yairi will blow it's doors off), but we will see.

While I was buying the Yairi, I asked the seller (more of a collector than a player) WHY he was selling. He told me that he is going to collect only Martin Guitars. I asked if he had one I could try and he let me play it. Not sure what it was, but it was better than the Yairi. I left there happy about my purchase, but lusting for a Martin. After playing for 46 years, I finally found a guitar that I would be willing to part with a lot of money for. I'm tired of the "Sounds just like a ____" and the "Poor man's _____". I want the real deal.

I played a few martins at Gruhnn's guitars in Nashville, but I didn't find "the one that I couldn't leave the store without." I think the problem is that the guitars were all new and mostly unplayed. It takes awhile for the tops to "open."

What are the best reasonably priced Martins out there? I'm not opposed to buying a used one with battle scars if it's been previously owned by someone like me who plays for a living and has put hundreds or thousands of hours on it...

D-18? D-24? An older sustainable woods Martin?

Something about the sound of a good Martin is compelling. Not necessarily better than my Gibson, but different and in a very good way.

What to buy? Where to look? I live in Kalamazoo (probably why I have stuck with the Gibson so long - hometown pride), but there are surprisingly few guitars in the shops around here.... Thinking of just ordering from Sweetwater or American Musical and sending it back if it sucks...

What went through my mind after reading your whole post..

The one Martin that popped into my head as an all rounder that will do well in the studio is Martin's "secret weapon" or "sleeper" guitar as it's often referred... The "M-36". I've read that it is a favorite of Nashville Session musicians for it's balance and tone. It's basically a jumbo bodystyle with a "000" body depth. As someone said, "you don't need to fill a room with sound when the mic's less than two feet away."

Reservations would be that although it is a 1 3/4 nut with a 25.4" scale, it does have the MLO neck that you may or may not like. You did say that you were looking at guitars with a 1 3/4 nut to offset your large hands, and you mentioned that you played several Martins at Gruhn's and were offput by the tone of the newer guitars, not the neck. Did the MLO neck work for you when you demo'd newer Martins at Gruhn's. Most of the new standard series have a 1 3/4 nut with the MLO neck with exceptions for customs, limited editions, and select signature series.

If the neck works for you, you can probably find a used M-36 for a good price that will be well played in and well cared for. I don't know about older Martin "M" series guitars, but there may be older versions that have a chunkier neck like a Mod-V if that's more your preference. Good hunting..

[zombywoof]

Granted the Gospel was the one bright spot on an otherwise somewhat dismal Gibson landscape in the 1970s. I recall looking at them when they first hit the market around 1972. Not sure I would describe them as "delicate" though They are tanks but a tank with a heart. But no argument that Gibson necks from 1960 on had a less than generous carve.

My first thought would be why rule out Gibson. A short scale mahogany body slope shoulder guitar is going to be a "and now for something completely different" guitar than your Gospel.

When it comes to specs though nut width is only one variable which figures into feel. Unless Recording King is still offering a 1 7/8" nut about the widest I have run across was 1.8" on certain Gibsons. All were I believe 12 fretters such as the Smecks and the Keb Mo Signature. But depth of the neck and carve (round shoulder C, tapered C, soft V and such) also come into play in terms of how they fill your hand. I have a number of guitars with a 1 3/4" nut combined with a round shoulder C carve clocking in at between .93" and something over 1.0" at the 1st fret which I find very comfy. Not that I cannot play guitars with skimpier necks. Just not the ideal for me.

In the end it all still just comes down to playing everything in a certain price range you can get your hands on. But I would never limit myself to one moniker on the headstock.

[rollypolly]

Many good options out there but I'll advocate for a sustainable.

I got a SWOMGT , a 2004 I believe, recently on Reverb in mint condition with plenty of saddle left. Sound and playability are amazing , for an OM it has a very BIG sound, like a dread almost. I don't heard much difference between cherry and mahogany to be honest, but I guess it's a little drier and simpler sounding but not by much.

Looks-wise, it's a little different than a traditional Martin. The binding is red faux tortoise and the whole look of the guitar can be a little red and yellow in pictures online. But in person it's a good looking guitar, just different than the regular white or black binding on a 000-18 or 28 for example.

The upside on the sustainable models is they're typically priced in the mid range, a bit below the standard series.

I bought mine a few months ago and it's in such good condition that I've been case queening her. I have a few others that are already beat up, so for now she's more of a collector piece than anything. But they're made to be played and I think you'd enjoy one.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by dirkronk

I would humbly suggest a 000-18.

I don't think there's a more versatile guitar in the Martin lineup than the 000-18, especially if you're going to add a pickup.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by deanmadonia

Best Martin for all styles of music?

I am a lifer musician - still making a living at it at 59 years old. I have about 25 guitars and with few exceptions, these have all been cheap or midrange guitars. I love my '78 Gibson Gospel. It sounds wonderful in the recording studio, but the neck is a little small for my big hands to play live. I also don't like to gig with it because it's a little more delicate than other guitars I own. I am a singer songwriter, but I play a lot of cover gigs - strumming, finger style (a little) and soloing. I need a well-balanced instrument. I want to be the one who decides which notes of a chord or a run are stressed - I don't want to leave it up to the bracing pattern...

To solve the "big hands" problem, I searched for a guitar with a wider nut and came across the Seagull Mariner. This guitar is OK, but balanced/braced for strumming. The high notes disappear and solo runs go unheard. This pisses me off and led me to look for a new gigging guitar that will really pop out on the top strings. I recently bought a Yairi dy 38 that I love. I just had a K&K pickup put into it. Going to pick it up today and A/B with the Seagull (I believe that the Yairi will blow it's doors off), but we will see.

While I was buying the Yairi, I asked the seller (more of a collector than a player) WHY he was selling. He told me that he is going to collect only Martin Guitars. I asked if he had one I could try and he let me play it. Not sure what it was, but it was better than the Yairi. I left there happy about my purchase, but lusting for a Martin. After playing for 46 years, I finally found a guitar that I would be willing to part with a lot of money for. I'm tired of the "Sounds just like a ____" and the "Poor man's _____". I want the real deal.

I played a few martins at Gruhnn's guitars in Nashville, but I didn't find "the one that I couldn't leave the store without." I think the problem is that the guitars were all new and mostly unplayed. It takes awhile for the tops to "open."

What are the best reasonably priced Martins out there? I'm not opposed to buying a used one with battle scars if it's been previously owned by someone like me who plays for a living and has put hundreds or thousands of hours on it...

D-18? D-24? An older sustainable woods Martin?

Something about the sound of a good Martin is compelling. Not necessarily better than my Gibson, but different and in a very good way.

What to buy? Where to look? I live in Kalamazoo (probably why I have stuck with the Gibson so long - hometown pride), but there are surprisingly few guitars in the shops around here.... Thinking of just ordering from Sweetwater or American Musical and sending it back if it sucks...

The 000-18 is a wonderful choice if you can afford it. If not and since it's for gigging, why not check out the SC13e? It's the most comfortable gigging guitar I've ever played and plugged in with a few enhancements can sound great....or better yet, replace the pickup with something like an Anthem SL.
Or....you can try the 000-11, 12 or 13.