Martins/Taylors?

2

Comments

  • CM189191
    CM189191 Posts: 6,927
    CM189191 said:

    lexicondevil said:

    I would tell your friend to have her husband pick out his own guitar. Buying an instrument is a really personal thing and just because one person likes a certain guitar doesn't mean it is going to click with another. Last time I bought a guitar I went in thinking that one model would be perfect, according to the reviews I read. When I went into the store I realized that it was okay, but for $150 more I could get a guitar that I loved. I was lucky that my wife was buying the guitar as a gift for me and she pushed me to get the more expensive one. Now, I finally own a Gretsch!

    Can not stress this sentiment enough, really.
    Every instrument I own has found it's own way into my life, not the other way around
    Patience is the most important aspect of finding the right instrument
    For the record, I have a 1999 Gibson Epiphone AJ 18S OG* and 1984 Yamaha FG-612s that I love

    *if anyone can tell me what the OG stands for I would be greatly indebted to you
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,117
    CM189191 said:

    CM189191 said:

    lexicondevil said:

    I would tell your friend to have her husband pick out his own guitar. Buying an instrument is a really personal thing and just because one person likes a certain guitar doesn't mean it is going to click with another. Last time I bought a guitar I went in thinking that one model would be perfect, according to the reviews I read. When I went into the store I realized that it was okay, but for $150 more I could get a guitar that I loved. I was lucky that my wife was buying the guitar as a gift for me and she pushed me to get the more expensive one. Now, I finally own a Gretsch!

    Can not stress this sentiment enough, really.
    Every instrument I own has found it's own way into my life, not the other way around
    Patience is the most important aspect of finding the right instrument
    For the record, I have a 1999 Gibson Epiphone AJ 18S OG* and 1984 Yamaha FG-612s that I love

    *if anyone can tell me what the OG stands for I would be greatly indebted to you
    outdoor guitar?
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • mccreadyisgod
    mccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    edited April 2017
    CM189191 said:

    if anyone can tell me what the OG stands for I would be greatly indebted to you

    Original Gangster

    Okay, joking aside... what is the guitar's finish? It looks like it might refer to the finish color of the guitar.
    Post edited by mccreadyisgod on
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • CM189191
    CM189191 Posts: 6,927
    mccreadyisgod said:

    CM189191 said:

    if anyone can tell me what the OG stands for I would be greatly indebted to you

    Original Gangster

    Okay, joking aside... what is the guitar's finish? It looks like it might refer to the finish color of the guitar.
    It's a natural finish. Except every other Gibson Epiphone I have seen, the serial number ends with "NA".

    I thought I saw somewhere it might stand for "Old Growth", but have never been able to confirm for certain.

    /sorry for the threadjack
  • mccreadyisgod
    mccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    Yeah, it seems like the "NA" stands for Natural, and "VS" stands for Vintage Sunburst. I was wondering if the "G" stands for Glossy, but that's about all I've been able to come up with.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    I have two Martins, a 1974 D-18 and a 2006 (I thinks that's the right year) Martin DX1R. They both cost about $500, only back in 1974, that was a lot of money! I honestly like them both about equally. The D-18 is prettier and sounds great in open tunings but the DX1R is a fine instrument for the money. I've played the heck out of the DX1R and am not nearly as afraid to take it camping or what ever.

    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,160
    Older X-Series Martins were made to a pretty high quality standard for the money. I haven't played any of them since they moved production to Mexico. My guess is that they are still fine instruments and a great value.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • earthquakes making waves
    earthquakes making waves Posts: 296
    Both guitars can be had for decent prices. The key is playing it yourself because there are many tonal variations and feel differences on every acoustic guitar. Over the years I've played all the major brands at different price levels. If I were to go purchase again I would play all the guitars in the price range I'm looking at and compare the feel, tone, quality of build on each. Don't worry about brand unless the tuners are so horrible it won't stay in tune (that's why I added quality of build). If all of the points are good with you then buy it especially if it's a good deal. Many companies, especially the big ones, have lots of defects on their lower end models which can still be pricey when paying for the name. Now if you get into the ~$1500 and up range most are pretty reliable with the build but I have heard $3000 Martin's sound worse tonally than a $300 one. Same for Taylor. Personally I have a Martin I love that cost me around $500 about 8-10 or so years ago. But my baby is an old Gibson songbird. That thing sounds incredible and the feel is so comfortable I could play it for days without fatigue. It was truly built by an artist and somebody with a golden ear. I did have to lay down $2000 for it used, but it was worth every penny and I easily wouldn't sell it if somebody offered me $20000 for it.
    Anyways that's my input....
  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,160
    Quality of the woods definitely sets guitars apart from others. Lots of cheaper models use laminated tops and the other woods that might not have been properly dried and cured. I've seen a lot of guitars that were nice when they were new but developed warps, twists and cracks after a couple years.

    Most manufacturers are pretty competitive with each other within a particular price range. Just about everything from $500 to $1,000 should be pretty nice, should sound good and be made to a good quality standard with good materials.

    I'll echo the sentiment expressed above: Play as many different makes and models as you can and choose the one in your budget that speaks to you.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    dudeman said:

    Older X-Series Martins were made to a pretty high quality standard for the money. I haven't played any of them since they moved production to Mexico. My guess is that they are still fine instruments and a great value.

    I didn't know they had moved production to Mexico. The were still being made in Nazareth, PA when I toured the C. F. Martin factory there about 10 or 12 years ago. Great tour, by the way!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    earthquakes making waves said:

    Both guitars can be had for decent prices. The key is playing it yourself because there are many tonal variations and feel differences on every acoustic guitar. Over the years I've played all the major brands at different price levels. If I were to go purchase again I would play all the guitars in the price range I'm looking at and compare the feel, tone, quality of build on each. Don't worry about brand unless the tuners are so horrible it won't stay in tune (that's why I added quality of build). If all of the points are good with you then buy it especially if it's a good deal. Many companies, especially the big ones, have lots of defects on their lower end models which can still be pricey when paying for the name. Now if you get into the ~$1500 and up range most are pretty reliable with the build but I have heard $3000 Martin's sound worse tonally than a $300 one. Same for Taylor. Personally I have a Martin I love that cost me around $500 about 8-10 or so years ago. But my baby is an old Gibson songbird. That thing sounds incredible and the feel is so comfortable I could play it for days without fatigue. It was truly built by an artist and somebody with a golden ear. I did have to lay down $2000 for it used, but it was worth every penny and I easily wouldn't sell it if somebody offered me $20000 for it.
    Anyways that's my input....

    I would love to have a Gibson Songbird. I wish I had picked one up 30 or 40 years ago when they were somewhat affordable. Nice that you have one of those beauties!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,160
    brianlux said:

    dudeman said:

    Older X-Series Martins were made to a pretty high quality standard for the money. I haven't played any of them since they moved production to Mexico. My guess is that they are still fine instruments and a great value.

    I didn't know they had moved production to Mexico. The were still being made in Nazareth, PA when I toured the C. F. Martin factory there about 10 or 12 years ago. Great tour, by the way!
    I don't know the details of the move, just that they are building X-series Martin's in Mexico.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,256
    I bought an expensive custom Martin and it sounds great with new strings for about 2 days, and then it only sounds good after that.  I'm sure there are $800 acoustics that sound just as good so play as many guitars as you can and pick the one that sounds the best. 
  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,160
    How old is your Martin? Have you experimented with different strings? 
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • tempo_n_groove
    tempo_n_groove Posts: 41,385
    dudeman said:
    Older X-Series Martins were made to a pretty high quality standard for the money. I haven't played any of them since they moved production to Mexico. My guess is that they are still fine instruments and a great value.
    Only the lower end models are made in Mexico.  The higher end guitars are still in fact made in PA.
  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,160
    Yeah, the X-Series is at the lower end of Martin guitars. I know that just about any guitar they make that costs over $1k is still made in Nazareth.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,256
    edited June 2017
    dudeman said:
    How old is your Martin? Have you experimented with different strings? 

    It is from 2010-12 I think.  A 0000-28H model from Gruhn Guitars in Nashville.  An impulse buy.  A beautiful looking guitar.  

    This may be more of a situation where it is the golfer and not the golf club (I'm not a hack though).  I think I'll find some time to take it to a guitar shop and get a nice setup done on it.  Always found it difficult to play versus the Taylor I have.   Sadly I've played these guitars about 30 times in the last few years and need to find more time.  I've been playing my electrics a lot, lot more.  It is funny how for a period of time I thought I would never play electrics much anymore and then things completely flipped and I was all about electric and not much about acoustic. 

    Post edited by bootlegger10 on
  • dudeman
    dudeman Posts: 3,160
    In the scheme of things, your Martin is still pretty new, epecially if it doesn't get played a lot. After ten years of regular playing, mine really filled out. The fullness, depth and complexity of tone is day and night different compared to when it was new. 

    If I were you, I would string it with medium Elixirs and make the time to play a few heavy handed, open chord songs each week. 

    You won't notice a difference right away but that should help the top open up a bit. There's no reason that that beautiful guitar shouldn't sound incredible. It probably just needs to mature.
    If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done. - EV
  • bootlegger10
    bootlegger10 Posts: 16,256
    Thanks for the advice.  I will do that!
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,662
    dudeman said:
    Yeah, the X-Series is at the lower end of Martin guitars. I know that just about any guitar they make that costs over $1k is still made in Nazareth.
    I hope the X series are still as nice the my PA made model.  I love it- play it every day. 

    I might have mentioned this before, but the C.F. Martin factory tour is a must see if any of you are in that neck of the woods.  It's amazing to watch the work in progress and the little museum has some amazing stuff.  Bought me a little C.F. Martin light switch plate while I was there too and a ball cap for my bro.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

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