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martin acoustics?

excellentbadgerexcellentbadger Posts: 18
edited November 2005 in Musicians and Gearheads
who enjoys martins? i think i might buy one as i have some birthday money to spend and need a better acoustic, a DX1R. tried one out today and loved it. just wondering what everyone else thought of them.:)

badger
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Comments

  • Thumbing My WayThumbing My Way Posts: 1,073
    I've never played one but i heard they're great too.

    I just bought an Art & Lutherie, you should maybe look into those,

    I love mine!!! It really has a nice tone.
    "I Miss You Already!!!!!"

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  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    I prefer Guild and Gibson dreadnaughts over the Martins, but it's granny smith apples versus fugi apples. They're pretty close, but they're still different flavors, and both do their thing really well.

    Martin does have the market cornered on Auditorium and Orchestra models... 000 and OM styles. Taylor comes pretty close, and there are a dozen great small companies and builders who do better work, but for a large-run factory guitar, Martin does amazing work. Larrivee is the only one who comes close on quality, and his prices are notably higher.

    Of course, the same can be said of the dreads... Noble and Collings are doing the Martin dread style pretty damn well, but at a hell of a price.

    http://www.larrivee.com/
    http://www.collingsguitars.com/
    http://www.roynoble.net/
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • JofZJofZ Posts: 1,276
    I love my Martin. There is nothing better then Martin acoustic tone IMO. A Gibson is totally different.
    What I lmove about Martin is that their quality control is top notch. They offer solid wood guitars for less then 1K and the tone never suffers on the low end models.
    If you look at the vintage recreations, they are the only ones I know using hide glue and proper materials. Granted they charge 6K for an axe like that, but I know many others who charge similar prices and you get crap in comparison.
    With that being said, the neck and body have to be comfortable for you. I would not be set on a model until I played a bunch. And don't rule out Taylors, or Gibbys. If you want an auditorium size axe the J200 is one to check out.
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  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Posts: 6,395
    JofZ wrote:
    I love my Martin. There is nothing better then Martin acoustic tone IMO. A Gibson is totally different.

    ..And don't rule out Taylors, or Gibbys. If you want an auditorium size axe the J200 is one to check out.


    Martins are great for nuance and flatpicked lead work... unbeatable for bluegrass, which is why all the bluegrass pickers use Martins or clones of Martin (Collings, Noble, many more).

    A Gibson is for thrashing, or the acoustic equivalent thereof. If you really wanna pound on a guitar, and beat the sounds out of it, a Gibson is much better suited. I'm a fairly heavy-playing rhythm guy, so a Gibson is more my style. That's why I said, they're different, voiced much differently, and both do what they're built for very well.

    I think you might be referring to the Gibson L200, the smaller Jumbo. The J200 is a full Jumbo-body, and it's enormous... The Gibson L00 (currently labeled the Blues King) is a great parlor body, if you want a tiny guitar... Gibson also has their LC-1 and LC-2, which are orchestra-style, but it seems like they're chasing Taylor on those models.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
  • UpHereInMyTree500UpHereInMyTree500 Posts: 1,772
    My mate has a Martin and it sounds insane, picks up really well, and is really easy to play because the frets are so close to the strings. Tops my Washburn any old day
    Wave came crashing...
  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    I love Martins. Like MIG says, it you want to thrash, there are others, but there is nothing like sitting with a Martin and picking something out.
    I love the Martin tone. My D-28 is kind of beat, but it's STILL so solid and righteous.

    Although I love my Taylor, too. They have the greatest necks for my tastes and sound beautiful.
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  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Like almost everything else, depends on the individual guitar.

    I've played some I hated, and some that seemed to be crafted by God Himself.

    The EX GF has a D-28 from 1969 that is absolutely heavenly.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • enharmonicenharmonic Posts: 1,917
    Martin's are tremendous instruments. I would like to try the new George Martin Martin...though I am afraid that if I do, i will be parting with a lot of money.
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  • who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    Here's the one I want! :D
    The 1833 Martin Parlor guitar on the front page.
    http://www.mandoweb.com/

    I was up there and looked at it a few weeks ago. Nobody knows what to charge for it, and nobody knows what to pay for it either!
    That's my favorite acoustic guitar store ever.
    Mandolin Brothers
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    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
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  • nick1977nick1977 Posts: 327
    It is hard to answer your question without know what you want out of a guitar. What type of playing do you do primarily.....fingerpicking, rhythm, lead, etc. What type of tone do you like?

    It is all about what feels right in your hands and what sounds best to your ear. I bought a new guitar a year ago. I looked at many and played many. I looked at and played Martins, Taylors, Guilds, Breedloves, etc.

    Spend time with the guitars and learn which ones havet the sound you like and want. Learn about the different woods used and the different body shapes and how that affects the tone.

    When I started my search, I thought I wanted a Taylor. But after playing many of them, they were too trebley for my taste. I started leaning towards Martins after playing a freind's old D28. His sounded fantastic. However, no new martin had that sound...the new ones that I played all sounded a bit dull. I could have looked for an old Martin D28 (pre-war), which is still one of my dream guitars, but those are way out of my price range. I liked the sound of Collings, but they were a bit too steep for me also...those are the best sounding new guitars IMO. I also played a Bourgouis...which was fantastic, but it was way out of my price range.

    It was then I stumbled upon a Breedlove. I played many of them, and they had the exact sound I wanted....a good bass response without losing too much of the treble. It was perfect! So I bought it.

    The moral of the story....there is no type of guitar that is "best." If you spend $1500 plus on a new guitar, you are going to get a good quality instrument. It all becomes about what you want out of the guitar and finding the one that fits what you want.

    Searching for that guitar is a great adventure, at least it was for me. I had fun trying out many different ones. Don't spring for one until you know for certain what you want and if that guitar will meet those needs. :)
  • nick1977nick1977 Posts: 327
    who's_pearljam? wrote:
    Here's the one I want! :D
    The 1833 Martin Parlor guitar on the front page.
    http://www.mandoweb.com/

    I was up there and looked at it a few weeks ago. Nobody knows what to charge for it, and nobody knows what to pay for it either!
    That's my favorite acoustic guitar store ever.
    Mandolin Brothers

    Holy crap! That is the most amazing antique Martin I've ever seen!
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