is it just me when it comes to martin guitars

musicman100 · July 2016

Is it just me that can't really find a martin that I like enough to buy. I've tried loads n I've always wanted to love them but apart from the eric Clapton model ive always come away feeling cold.

BahHumbug · July 2016

I've never found a Martin that I got on with at all. Lots of people like them, which is fair enough. I don't.

thomasross20 · July 2016

I like them, depends what model. I like those omcp models, actually.

I find the action on them is really good. Prefer the sound of my larrivee.

SquireJapan · July 2016

Martins are literally the only acoustics I can stand.

Horses for courses...

musicman100 · July 2016

SquireJapan said:

Martins are literally the only acoustics I can stand.

Horses for courses...

Definitely, it's like me with electric guitars as I'm a massive fan of gretsch but thier not everyone's cup of tea.

Winny_Pooh · July 2016

You could be more specific? If you've only played rosewood models then you should try a D-18.

RandallFlagg · July 2016

Many guitars copy the Martin designs so what exactly is it you don't like? Looks, woods used, feel, tone?

ToneControl · July 2016

I believe they are all very expensive for what they are

For the same price as a Martin, you can get a boutique guitar with a better sound from the smaller US builders (Or Avalon, Lowden, etc)

Johnspreyer · July 2016

I'm so relieved it's not just me. When I was in the fortunate position of being able to afford a good acoustic, I knew I wanted a Martin. After trying nearly every one in the (huge) shop, I came home with a Taylor.

thomasross20 · July 2016

ToneControl said:

I believe they are all very expensive for what they are
For the same price as a Martin, you can get a boutique guitar with a better sound from the smaller US builders (Or Avalon, Lowden, etc)

My Larrivee is all-wood, light, sounds fantastic, and was £800 or so. And that included a case that costs $250USD.

TOTAL bargain buys are Larrivees.

thomasross20 · July 2016

I'm like that with Taylor - I don't get on with them, sorry to say.

richardhomer · July 2016

Martin is THE classic flat top. Virtually every 'boutique' brand uses their designs as their starting point. They are a tonal 'benchmark'.

Modern Martins are extremely consistent and very playable. And compared to other US brands - reasonably priced - if not exactly 'cheap'.

Not really sure what's not to like....

crunchman · July 2016

They vary. To me the vintage spec ones with the forward shifted bracing sound a lot better than the ones with the post war bracing style.

In the recent production it's very hard to find a bad one, but some are better than others. If you can find a really great one they stand up to anything from any maker. If I had to list the top ten acoustics I've ever played there would definitely be at least 3 or 4 Martins in there, and most of the others would be from very expensive boutique brands that are more expensive than Martin.

By the way the OP might want to move this to the acoustic section.

musicman100 · July 2016

Imo if you take collings for example they basically copy martins design but make a better guitar. The last martin i tried was a d28 and imo it was very poor for the money as It just lacked something. But at the end of the day it's all down to personal preference. I have a collings now n to me it's everything i wanted a martin to be n more.

BigLicks67 · July 2016

musicman100 said:

Imo if you take collings for example they basically copy martins design but make a better guitar. The last martin i tried was a d28 and imo it was very poor for the money as It just lacked something. But at the end of the day it's all down to personal preference. I have a collings now n to me it's everything i wanted a martin to be n more.

Fair enough, but I've found the opposite to be the case. I tried a D28 against a Collings Dread which was £600.00 dearer and I preferred the Martin. That's not to say there was anything wrong with the Collings it was a beautifully made instrument, but I preferred the D28.

ICBM · July 2016

musicman100 said:

Imo if you take collings for example they basically copy martins design but make a better guitar. The last martin i tried was a d28 and imo it was very poor for the money as It just lacked something. But at the end of the day it's all down to personal preference. I have a collings now n to me it's everything i wanted a martin to be n more.

It very much is personal preference. I've never played a Collings I even like.

To me they've copied Martin's (or Gibson's, depending on the model) designs and taken out everything that gives them the tone and character I want. Beautifully made but entirely uninspiring, to me.

That's not just restricted to Collings either, I feel the same about every other high-end brand guitar I've ever played as far as I can remember.

crunchman · July 2016

musicman100 said:

Imo if you take collings for example they basically copy martins design but make a better guitar. The last martin i tried was a d28 and imo it was very poor for the money as It just lacked something. But at the end of the day it's all down to personal preference. I have a collings now n to me it's everything i wanted a martin to be n more.

Should have tried an HD28V. I'd definitely take that over a Collings and it's a couple of hundred cheaper than the Collings D2H.

richardhomer · July 2016

ICBM;1138833" said:
It very much is personal preference. I've never played a Collings I even like.

To me they've copied Martin's (or Gibson's, depending on the model) designs and taken out everything that gives them the tone and character I want. Beautifully made but entirely uninspiring, to me.

That's not just restricted to Collings either, I feel the same about every other high-end brand guitar I've ever played as far as I can remember.

I agree about Collings - I find them stiff and lacking in subtlety - I really don't 'get' their appeal at all.

I once got close to replacing my D28 with a Santa Cruz, which when I tried it in the shop blew me away. To be sure, I went home and got my Martin. I spent ages comparing the two and concluded there were aspects of each which I preferred over the other - but neither 'won' outright. Given that my Martin has great sentimental value, I've stuck with it ever since.

Incidentally, I much prefer the post-War bracing. The tone is more even - with more sustain. The forward-shifted models have greater dynamics - but are less tonally balanced.

SRich · July 2016

Never played one - nor any affiliation - but if you like the Clapton Sig..........this also looks very appealing

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/74870/martin-omjm-acoustic-guitar-as-new-2-350-ovno#latest

Sassafras · July 2016

I haven't played that many but the only one that really blew me away was a very old pre-war 00-28 parlour sized thing. It sounded absolutely glorious although the action was a bit of a challenge.

musicman100 · July 2016

Well I'll stick with collings as imo there great

Lewy · July 2016

musicman100 said:

Well I'll stick with collings as imo there great

Me too

For me, the appeal of Collings is punch and headroom in a true acoustic ensemble setting. They have a slightly longer scale length than Martin (On D and OM models anyway - 25.5" versus 25.4") and quite stiff sides which may well be why people find them stiff and less responsive than Martins.

But most of all I think the difference is in how they deliver bass, You can tickle bass out of a Martin and get a very full sound without much input. But...they run out of headroom a bit quicker. Collings are brighter and more focussed .... the bass is there of you want it but you have to bring it out and the pay off for the effort is the ability to project that bass at a higher volume. Play a rest stroke on the low E of a Collings dread with a decent pick and it will punch through just about anything.

The brightness and focus also makes them extremely microphone friendly - whereas especially some of the lighter braced Martins can be a touch more challenging to mic up on a gig without feedback.

Dave_Mc · July 2016

Same here. I've tried very few good acoustics (and I might change my mind tomorrow) but they just didn't do it for me- perfectly good guitars, but I'd like to like them a bit more to be willing to spend the kind of money you have to spend to get, say, a D28 or whatever.

musicman100 · July 2016

Obviously it's not just me then which is good to hear.

JCA2550 · July 2016

There's this whole thing about Martins need to be played-in before they get really good, that I've never bought into! My favourite Martins tend to be small bodied mahogany or mahogany and sapelle 00 and 000s and some OMs (Clapton one is rather special). My real bug-bear is the skinny frets, I just don't get on with these at all, consequently I had my 0015 refretted with taller slightly chunkier fretwire and it's almost become my ideal acoustic.

crunchman · July 2016

I think any all solid wood or solid top acoustic will sound a lot better once it's been played in a bit and got some age on it. That's not just a Martin thing.

Sassafras · July 2016

There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.

crunchman · July 2016

Sassafras said:

There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.

My number 1 acoustic is around 9 years old and that has got steadily better.

Dave_Mc · July 2016

Sassafras said:

There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.

Is that owning it for 20-30 years, or 20-30 years' playing time?

'Cos if it's playing time I'm going to have to figure out a way to live to about 800...

Sassafras · July 2016

Dave_Mc said:

Sassafras said:

There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.

Is that owning it for 20-30 years, or 20-30 years' playing time?

'Cos if it's playing time I'm going to have to figure out a way to live to about 800...

Here's wishing you a long life.

Dave_Mc · July 2016

thanks

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is it just me when it comes to martin guitars

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