Been having a lot of fun with my EPI Les Paul, bubbles, and my new Line 6 UX1 I just recieved for christmas, but my acoustic department has been lacking in quality and sound. So with my taxes filed and accepted and a GuitarCenter Card in hand I went ah'shoppin. My criterias were; acoustic/electric with a cutaway in a range of $500, but I had a bit more to play with if I felt the pull. This would have been my first actual hands on shopping experience in the music department. Usually the World Wide Web is my store of choice, but for an acoustic I felt more of a desire to hand pick.
Played several beautiful guitars; the EPI John lennon and a nice low end Taylor caught my eyes and ears right away but like the rest I played they just felt like guitars. After about ten different guitars I picked up a lower end Martin. The DCX1E to be exact. The price was all wrong for my budget, tagging in at $699, but the look and feel of this guitar was amazing. Everything about this guitar set me on fire; the feel of the natural finish, the warmth of the sound, the neck and how it played me. I found an acoustic version of it with no cutaway at about two hundred less but I couldn't get away from that feeling that the acoustic/electric gave me plugged in or acoustic. I made my decision and got the purchase finalized. With a few new packages of strings and a 10% off coupon I clocked in under $700.
I get her home and in my lap and she sounds and feels just as good as when I first met her. My only concern is the finish. At times I can be semi rough and care free with my electric but with the natural finish and feel of my new baby I can tell I'm gonna have to spoiler her and treat her like gold. At any rate, she is a beautiful guitar and I can tell she's gonna bring me many years of enjoyment. I just feel so privileged to be able to wrap my fingers around her neck. So I named her Privilege.
All the good music has already been written by people with wigs and stuff. ~ Frank Zappa
I've got blisters on my fingers. ~Ringo Starr
Music is spiritual. The music business is not. ~ Van Morrison
I'm a Martin owner, too. Nice guitars. I am pretty sure you will get a lot of fun with Privilege!
Congrats! :D
i have the non-electronic DX1. mine's the model from about 5 years ago. They're a little different now I think. Does yours have a wood fretboard and bridge? Mine's plastic (well, Micarta which is basically plastic) I think they changed the neck material too since I bought mine. Anyway it's a fantastic guitar and you did well. mine is my favorite guitar and I hope to be buried with it. not to be morbid or anything.
very cool. you had the "Martin" experience. they feel so right in one's hands.
my experience was exactly as yours. I had been playing hand me down acoustics all my life.
I reached a point now where I could afford a nice acoustic. I hadn't a price range yet because I was curious of what was out there. went to GC down to the acoustic room. I told the salesperson I was going to buy and wanted to go into the small room with five or six guitars. they ranged in price form 300 to 2000$. Gubson, Taylor Takamine, Martin, Fender, Yamaha, what am I missing. I tried them all.
I found a marked difference in quality of feel and sound by price range.
300-500
600-900
1000-1400
1500 and up ...well drool.
each make varied in tone and build quality in each price range.
each time to my surprise the Martin felt great in my hands.
I didn't really want to buy a Martin. was it over hyped???
finally I was down to three guitars.
I forget the other two, Taylor and Gibson something.
I went with the Martin GT 16. mahogany back and sides, spruce top ( mine has a bit of bear claw:)).
gloss top matte back and sides.
I use a clan dry cloth to clean it. that's it.
I keep it in the case and it goes everywhere.
your Martin will be fine as any of your cared for instruments.
congrads on your cool experience. and choice guitar.
do you find your fingers going right to the notes; fitting like a glove?
Congrats on your purchase. Martins sure are sweet sounding guitars.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
