Opinions wanted! Martin X-Series acoustic guitars

Elzar

wondering peoples opinions and feelings about the Martin X-Series
give me all your crits!

ok - so i got a great deal i couldnt resist on a Martin DXK2, it sounds awesome, it looks cool at first glance, fairly easy action - but these are my problems with it that keep me from playing it (especially in front of anyone). mainly because i dont think there is any real wood on this at all - but it does sound great, thats the only reason why its still here! ive had it for a couple months and put a good amount of hours on it already.

- too much HPL - feels weird, especially the neck
- the HPL looks so cheapo
- very heavy
- looks fake

i guess the biggest problem i have is that it looks sooo fake, and secondly, the wood feels weird in my hands. But if i never saw it, and someone were to blindfold me and i only listen - this would be one of my top choices.

thoughts?

mccreadyisgod

HPL has a couple advantages. One, it's much cheaper than solid wood. Two, it is much more stable and predictable than solid wood. That means that you get a well-built guitar that can take a beating (especially when we talk about temperature and humidity conditions). Really, it's kinda similar to carbon fiber guitars, except it's a bit cheaper and less space-age.

The other thing worth saying about HPL is that you aren't causing massive deforestation in tropical and subtropical rainforests. So you can tell people you were concerned about how tonewoods were being clearcut, so you got a guitar made of environmentally-friendly materials.

I've really only played a few of them out there, but I've been impressed with the tone. I'd be much more into the models that have a solid top; I have almost bought an LX1 or LX1E on several occasions, which has HPL back and sides and the lam neck, but with solid spruce top. And I kinda think the necks look pretty cool, but I can't say how they play once they get broken in.

My last thought about your OP is that you like the way it sounds. You can't argue with good tone. Combine that with the overall value, and it's a sturdy guitar that you don't have to baby. Sounds like a keeper. If it was me, I'd play the shit out of the X-series, while at the same time saving up for a vanity guitar if that's so important to you.

Elzar

mccreadyisgod wrote:

HPL has a couple advantages. One, it's much cheaper than solid wood. Two, it is much more stable and predictable than solid wood. That means that you get a well-built guitar that can take a beating (especially when we talk about temperature and humidity conditions). Really, it's kinda similar to carbon fiber guitars, except it's a bit cheaper and less space-age.

The other thing worth saying about HPL is that you aren't causing massive deforestation in tropical and subtropical rainforests. So you can tell people you were concerned about how tonewoods were being clearcut, so you got a guitar made of environmentally-friendly materials.

I've really only played a few of them out there, but I've been impressed with the tone. I'd be much more into the models that have a solid top; I have almost bought an LX1 or LX1E on several occasions, which has HPL back and sides and the lam neck, but with solid spruce top. And I kinda think the necks look pretty cool, but I can't say how they play once they get broken in.

My last thought about your OP is that you like the way it sounds. You can't argue with good tone. Combine that with the overall value, and it's a sturdy guitar that you don't have to baby. Sounds like a keeper. If it was me, I'd play the shit out of the X-series, while at the same time saving up for a vanity guitar if that's so important to you.

thanks! it makes me feel a bit better .

M_S_X

mccreadyisgod wrote:

The other thing worth saying about HPL is that you aren't causing massive deforestation in tropical and subtropical rainforests. So you can tell people you were concerned about how tonewoods were being clearcut, so you got a guitar made of environmentally-friendly materials.

My last thought about your OP is that you like the way it sounds. You can't argue with good tone.

You can't argue with logic.

I've tried a few of the X's in shops and I only own the LX1E "Little Martin", but I will say this: I love my "little Martin" and I might to go for an X-model for my next dreadnought.

acutejam

Almost pulled the trigger on something similar, but went with the D1, which has solid wood back and front, but sides in HPL. Wanted to get as much wood as I could, but still affordable. And yes, I very much just wanted the Martin name on the headstock, but honestly, played against the other guitars in the price range, I liked the sound best. A taylor was a close second, better action, but more twangy taylor sound.

Think my D1 is like 8 years old now and as you said, just love the sound. The sides seem a bit more resistant to scratches as well, back is beat to hell. I don't think there was a full HPL model back then, just back and sides?

8-year later, no issues with the HPL sides of my D1. I've never had anyone comment that it looked cheap, nearly always the opposite, and only a few have even figured out the sides are lammy. People see the headstock and put on kid gloves when i toss it over to 'em!

And one thing I've gotta credit Martin with, they established a few lines of cheaper guitars a few years back TO KEEP THEIR WORKERS EMPLOYED through the recession. So the same hands that made that D28 also made the X! Martin didn't want to chance not being able to hire them back when the economy turns around.

brianlux

I hope this isn't too far off topic but it is Martin related. My first guitar was a new 1974 D-18 The guy in the music store told me to keep it forever because the sound would improve with age. 37 years later I'm sorry to report that is not the case. Last year I sent the D-18 back to the Martin repair shop in Nazareth, PA. A few weeks later it came back with a note that said that they had replaced the nut but everything else was fine. Hmmm...

Anyway, a year or two before this incident I decided I wanted a less expensive Martin that I could travel with. In the midst of trying to decide what to get, I visited a friend who had a DX1E and I immediatly fell in love with her guitar. Not long after, I purchased a DX1R (the only difference is the 1E can be plugged in and the 1R is all accoustic). That guitar has since remained my number one accoustic both at home and on the road. I have a friend who has been playing for about as long as I have and whenever he visits from back east we get together and jam. He used to go for the D-18 but now he wants to grab my DX1E first (I tell him, "Sorry pal, but you know how it is..."). I suppose the resale value of the DX series is lower and it's not the fanciest Martin around but it really is a great value and a sweet sounding guitar.

As an aside, if any of you Martin fans are ever anywhere near Nazareth, take the tour of the Martin factory. I really enjoyed doing so 4 or 5 years ago, and their museum has some awesome guitars in it.

mccreadyisgod

Most guitars get mellower and "warmer" with age, so if you prefer a bright tone, then an aged guitar isn't necessarily for you. Also, some guitars will age better than others due to the cellular composition of the wood, and of course the temperature and humidity conditions the guitar has faced over it's life will have a effect on the way it ages.

The difference between those solid-wood guitars and plywood/HPL/graphite/carbon fiber guitars (whew!) is that the solid wood will age and change tonally (again, losing that bright high-frequency sparkle in favor of some low- and mid-friendly warmth) over the years, where the laminate/synthetic guitars will tend to sound very similar over their lifespans. The difference is that solid wood will age along the lines in the grain, where the lam/synth guitars don't have those lines.

On the plus side, even if you don't like your old Martin, someone else probably will, and regardless, it's probably worth a heck of a lot now!

brianlux

mccreadyisgod wrote:

Most guitars get mellower and "warmer" with age, so if you prefer a bright tone, then an aged guitar isn't necessarily for you. Also, some guitars will age better than others due to the cellular composition of the wood, and of course the temperature and humidity conditions the guitar has faced over it's life will have a effect on the way it ages.

The difference between those solid-wood guitars and plywood/HPL/graphite/carbon fiber guitars (whew!) is that the solid wood will age and change tonally (again, losing that bright high-frequency sparkle in favor of some low- and mid-friendly warmth) over the years, where the laminate/synthetic guitars will tend to sound very similar over their lifespans. The difference is that solid wood will age along the lines in the grain, where the lam/synth guitars don't have those lines.

On the plus side, even if you don't like your old Martin, someone else probably will, and regardless, it's probably worth a heck of a lot now!

The thought certainly has occured to me. That D-18 and I have been all over the map together- that's really the only reason I still have it. It's not quite like Willie and Trigger but, well, you know...