New Martin D-16GT full specs, tuners?

javierj · #1 12-28-2016, 03:10 PM

Hello,

Hope that you are all doing great out there!

Coming live here from my beloved Costa Rica, where I was born and lived here all my life, 100% Tico! Pura Vida!

Anyway hope that you are all having a great time in what is left of this 2016!

I recently bought a new Martin D-16GT online and I am anxiously waiting to get it in my hands!

I was going over the specs, since I always like to know all the facts and figures of my gear.

Everything was pretty much stated on the Martin's official website except for a few details. Like for example on the neck material it said ''Select Hardwood.'' It did not say what type of finish like poly or nitro. I does not say what is the brand of the tuners or it's gear ratio.

So I emailed Martin Customer service about that and they replied saying:

''Your neck can be either mahogany or cedar. We do not track by serial #, we utilized whatever martial we have in inventory at the time of production. Your guitar has a catalyzed nitrocellulose finish. Your tuning machine ratio is 16:1

Sincerely,
Matt
Customer Service
C.F. Martin & Co., Inc.''

So they did not disclose who makes the tuners, like for example Gotoh or Grover?

Does anybody have an idea of who makes the tuners on this guitar?

Here is the Sweetwater music shop link for close up pictures on the stamped Martin brand Chrome close gear tuners:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/D16GT

Another reason besides just curiosity, is that I probably would like to replace the factory chrome color tuners for gold color tuners, mainly for aesthetics. So if this stock factory tuners turn out to be Gotoh's, then I could look for the same or very similar aftermarket Gotohs that could fit in with no or minimal modification.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Best regards,

Javier

SFCRetired · #2 12-28-2016, 03:31 PM

No idea about your tuners but "select" hardwood typically mean sipo or Spanish cedar. Sipo is in the mahogany family much like sapele. I highly doubt Martin uses what we refer to as African mahogany on the neck of a 16 series. I don't think they were actually being honest when they replied. That disappoints me. Sipo may be in the family but guitar players and builders typically don't refer to sipo as mahogany. Same family but different. Either way it is still a good wood to use on a neck as far as I know.

Neil K Walk · #3 12-28-2016, 04:21 PM

The neck on my 2009 D-16GT is certainly Spanish cedar, which is technically a cypress not a true cedar. It's a little on the soft side so I advise against leaning it against a piece of hardwood furniture. As for the tuners, they are Ping chrome minis. They are adequate.

javierj · #4 12-28-2016, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwakatak

The neck on my 2009 D-16GT is certainly Spanish cedar, which is technically a cypress not a true cedar. It's a little on the soft side so I advise against leaning it against a piece of hardwood furniture. As for the tuners, they are Ping chrome minis. They are adequate.

Thanks a lot everyone for the information!

Hey kwakatak when you say that the stock tuners that came with your 2009 D-16GT and probably comes the same on mine, ''are adequate'', do you mean that you like them, that they perform okay and feel smooth when you use each tuning peg?

javierj · #5 12-28-2016, 04:44 PM

By the way the wood that is popularly called ''Spanish Cedar'' just like said before, it is not a Cedar, it is just a popular name that was given to it here in Central America. The scientific name of this wood species is Cedrela Odorata. It is a common tree from Central and parts of northern South America. Here in Costa Rica, several traditional ''Folklore'' classical style guitars neck, back and sides are made of this Spanish Cedar wood. It has a reported Janka hardness of 600 lbf as compared to the harder Genuine Mahogany which has a 900lbf Janka hardness. It has a really nice smell when recently been sawed or sanded.

Neil K Walk · #6 12-28-2016, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javierj

Thanks a lot everyone for the information!

Hey kwakatak when you say that the stock tuners that came with your 2009 D-16GT and probably comes the same on mine, ''are adequate'', do you mean that you like them, that they perform okay and feel smooth when you use each tuning peg?

They work fine and I've grown to appreciate them because they're lighter in weight than full sized tuning machines but I have often wanted to put Grover Sta-Tite open backed tuning machines on several of my guitars to give it a more vintage look to compliment the herringbone rosette.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_...FZmIswodyzkAyQ

BTW, the kerfed lining used by Martin inside the body is also Spanish cedar. That's why there will be such a strong smell when you open the case.

Anyway, congratulations on your purchase. I sort of bought mine on impulse and fall in and out of love with it but presently I'm loving it. I've taken to tuning it to open C (low to high: CGCGCE) and the drone of the lower strings really suits the guitar's tone.

javierj · #7 12-28-2016, 09:07 PM

Thanks a lot Neil!

Yeah this is going to be my first higher end guitar. I have been wanting to have this priced around $1,600 guitar, for quite a while now but never had the chance to save the money. It seems like I always ended up spending it on something else. I did play several other guitars around this price range and would have probably already bought the wrong one like 100 times! I played a couple of Gibsons and was always disappointed because I had such high expectations from Gibson and never played one that I really liked. I then went more towards the Taylor side and almost settled for a Taylor 310. But then all the Martins that I have played have always sounded so great to me. In fact I think I have never played a Martin that I did not like the sound of it completely. They were always either great or okay to me. So I pulled the trigger with the D-16GT since I thought it was the most affordable Martin that I really liked.

pickinray · #8 12-28-2016, 10:31 PM

Congratulations on your new D-16GT! I have an OM-16GT, which I bought 12 years ago. The 16 series Martins are very nice.

Another option for gold tuners are these:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...FQoNaQodfagA9Q

These will line up exactly with the original chrome tuners, so you don't need to drill any new holes. I did the opposite of what you're thinking about doing; I replaced the original gold Martin tuners (same size as those on the D-16GT) on a MMV that I used to own with chrome Grovers. It was very easy to make the switch. The Grovers are a 14:1 gear ratio, vs 16:1 for the Martin tuners, but I didn't notice a significant difference in tuning accuracy. The Grovers will be a bit heavier than the Ping minis, but that isn't much of an issue on a big guitar like the D-16GT. Martin uses the chrome Grovers on some of their standard series guitars, such as the D-28 and D-35.

javierj · #9 12-28-2016, 11:39 PM

Hey thanks a lot pickinray! I really appreciate your comments on my new guitar and your great suggestion on the tuners!

Those Grover tuners that you suggested look very similar to the stock tuners that came with my Epiphone Emperor Swingster Royale hollow body archtop electric guitar:

They are okay and smooth, haven't had any problems with them.

I kind of like the Gotoh a little better. I have some Gotoh on my first acoustic guitar. I had ordered them aftermarket and they fit in like a glove! Those are Gotoh locking tuners, I really like them! I am not 100% but I think these Gotohs are 1:18 gear ratio, as compared to the Grovers that are 1:14

javierj · #10 12-29-2016, 12:01 AM

I am also thinking about these really nice Gotohs on Stewmac, but they are the ''Magnum Lock'' ones and I have never seen those. I hope they not so heavy.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_...one_Knobs.html

I really like the peg buttons on those ones!

Ted @ LA Guitar Sales · #11 12-29-2016, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javierj

I am also thinking about these really nice Gotohs on Stewmac, but they are the ''Magnum Lock'' ones and I have never seen those. I hope they not so heavy.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_...one_Knobs.html

I really like the peg buttons on those ones!

Those Gotohs will work fine as a replacement, as will most tuners with the screw mount located at the six o'clock position. You could also order a gold set of Martin tuners if all you want to do is change the finish.

AZLiberty · #12 12-29-2016, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javierj

Hello,

Does anybody have an idea of who makes the tuners on this guitar?

Javier

Martin has used Ping Tuners on most guitars for almost two decades now.

If you are going to change them I would recommend Gotohs. Martin probably used Ping Minis, I'd go up to full size tuners if it were me.

pickoid_1 · #13 12-30-2016, 07:50 AM

FWIW, I have a D-16RGT that is a few years old, 2012 or 2013. I think the neck on mine is mahogany, but it is a 2-piece neck. There a seam along the center of the neck. Totally impossible to feel and very hard to see, but it's there. I bought the guitar used as kind of a beater and didn't really care what the neck was made of or how many pieces they used, as long as it played well and sounded good. And it does.

Neil K Walk · #14 12-30-2016, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by javierj

I am also thinking about these really nice Gotohs on Stewmac, but they are the ''Magnum Lock'' ones and I have never seen those. I hope they not so heavy.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_...one_Knobs.html

I really like the peg buttons on those ones!

That's my prime consideration. I, too like the look of bigger buttons but given that my D-16GT is already a light instrument (mahogany guitars are frequently much lighter than rosewood guitars, for example) I'd be concerned with bigger tuning machines throwing off the balance of the guitar, causing the neck to want to "dip."

FWIW I bought a set of those very Gotoh tuners for an old Takamine that had the old style closed but unsealed nickle tuning machines and they were definitely an upgrade, but that old Tak was a laminate and heavier than my all solid wood Martin. They're good tuners, mechanically speaking though; much nicer than the full size Pings on my Larrivee and the minis on my Martin.

I say that at $45 they're at least worth a try. There are more expensive tuners out there that are probably nicer from a visual aesthetic but not mechanically IMO.

javierj · #15 12-30-2016, 01:15 PM

I just pulled the trigger and ordered this Gotohs SG301 with back thumb wheel ''MG-T'' as Gotoh calls them, trad locking tuners. The gold ones.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_...one_Knobs.html

Final price $84.20 wtih standard shipping. So not on the cheap inexpensive side but worth every dime for it's really great quality and smoothness.

They seem okay on the weight (close to 8.11 ounces) as compared to the reported weight of other tuners.

I am attracted to the keystone peg style, their fuller not really mini size, the back trad thumb wheel locking mechanism and the Gotoh reputation for making superb quality and precision tuners at not such outrageous price.

Not to mention that I've had the other non thumb wheel trad, locking Gotoh tuners on my old first acoustic guitar and I feel they are among the sweetest and smoothest tuners that I have tried.