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Is it New or Used?

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(@zebu12)
New Member
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

Hello,
After about 5 years of playing a decent Yamaha guitar I decided to step up and buy a higher end acoustic guitar. I looked for several weeks and played various Martins, Gibsons and Taylors. They all were great guitars, but one particular Martin, a D15M, I felt played the best and sounded very nice. I bought it yesterday and when registering the guitar I did a serial # look up and the guitar was manufactured in June 2013.

I contacted Martin and they said it's a new guitar that was perhaps in stock for a while. Does this sound reasonable? I can't imagine that a high volume store like SamAsh in NY would have something on the wall for almost 4 years.


   
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(@davidhodge)
Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 4472
 

Hi there

Guitars can hang around at stores for ages. Being left handed I often see the same guitar hang out at the same shop for years. Granted, you would think that stores would take steps to clear out inventory every once in a while (and to be fair, most try to) but there's bound to be that one guitar that escapes notice.

Chances are more likely than not that you managed to find a "new" (meaning "unowned") guitar. It probably sat around in a warehouse for several years and then got sent to the store. Being a high volume store doesn't mean that every guitar gets sold immediately.

Hope this helps.

Peace


   
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(@zebu12)
New Member
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter  

I believe you are correct about it sitting in a warehouse. I spoke to a rep from the store and he said many of their guitars were sold recently during a presidents day sale and this guitar was pulled from stock and placed on the wall about a week earlier. When I picked up the guitar it came with the original shipping box from Martin and that was dated 2013. I suspect it was sitting in this box for years before needing to move to the showroom.

The guy from the store also said the fact that it was 4 years old gave the wood 4 years to cure making it sound better than it likely did when it was manufactured. No complaints as the guitar plays and sounds amazing.


   
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oldstrummer
(@oldstrummer)
Trusted Member
Joined: 8 years ago
Posts: 47
 

A couple of additional thoughts:

1) There is a concept in the guitar industry known as "New Old Stock" (NOS). These are guitars that have never been sold, owned or played. They have just been allowed to sit, either on display, or in a case in a warehouse somewhere.

2) Older guitars are generally considered "seasoned" and are deemed by some as more valuable. An aged acoustic is often prized for its tone, as contrasted to a new guitar with fresh finish/parts.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the manufacture date, especially if this is the guitar that "sings" to you!

Duke Ellington said it best: "If it sounds good, it IS good!"


   
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(@mcpicker)
Active Member
Joined: 7 years ago
Posts: 3
 

A couple of additional thoughts:

1) There is a concept in the guitar industry known as "New Old Stock" (NOS). These are guitars that have never been sold, owned or played. They have just been allowed to sit, either on display, or in a case in a warehouse somewhere.

2) Older guitars are generally considered "seasoned" and are deemed by some as more valuable. An aged acoustic is often prized for its tone, as contrasted to a new guitar with fresh finish/parts.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the manufacture date, especially if this is the guitar that "sings" to you!

Ditto! If its a player and it sings to you, who cares about the year. I do tend to gravitate towards the older gear. There is definitely something about an older guitar.

Cheers!

MC
http://www.guitarhobbyist.com


   
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