Questions Re the Martin Guitars

For that , you need to go to your guitar store and play them out.

Words don't describe martin guitars. :wink:

I posted this a while ago...
https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=159336&highlight=#159336

Martin Guitars are the finest instrument money can buy! Unfortunately (though deservedly!), they ain't cheap. It is my ultimate goal, one day, to own one. In the meantime, I'm more than happy with my Simon & Patrick Spruce 6 - handbuilt in Canada and sounds amazing! It mops the floor with my mates Taylor and was half the price!

What is it about Martins? Sound? Durability? Prestige? Other?

IMO it's reputation. There are lots of guitars that are just as well made and sound just as good as Martins if not better. But Martin is the Big Dog, they've been around a long time and have developed a good reputation. They are good quality instruments but they're over valued in my opinion.

ask your friend to borrow the Martin so you can check it is ok for him ;)

As much as I love almost all of the Martin guitars I've tried (each very briefly) I did not have the same perception as you. Especially after seeing live performances as you have and following some forums. For instance Larevee seems to be more sought after. It might just be my distorted perception. I've also come to realize that there are some brands like Takamine that you would normally not associate with the level Martin is at, but i've seen artists I respect considerably use those in live performances.

One thing I am sure though. The taste in Martins is subjective. I doubt many people would have a word to say against their quality. But the sound is just not for every one.

oktay

i have a Martin guitar, the 00016-GTE acoustic electric. i bought it earlier this year. the reason i bought it is because it was exactly what i was looking for, an acoustic electric, all wood, in a smaller size. Martin makes high quality guitars is a varity of sizes and styles but the reason Martins are sought after is for their sound.

To tell you the truth I had picked up Martin's in stores before i bought this one and was never particularly impressed with the Martin sound. I thought i sounded dull. But having played this one now for the several months that I've had it, I've come to luv the sound.

The Martin sound is well recognized to a lot of people, i think, as being what a guitar "should" sound like, in part because they've been around for a long time and many many many songs have been recorded with them. So when you hear a Martin you think it sounds "right." that's a part of the popularity. But not to be cynical, they're great guitars.

Also you should be able to buy a book with prices listed of older Martin guitars.

Since beginning playing a year ago I've noticed that as far as acoustics go Martin seems to be the most sought after guitar. I am basing this on my unscientific observations of live performances, videos, and guitar magazines.

I'm glade you said unscientific :) I would say vintage Martins (pre-war) are sought after. But I see a lot more professional performers using other brands than Martin. I see a lot of country performers using everything except Martin, when Martin use to be the guitar for country music. I play Bluegrass and there are still a lot of people using them in my circle. But even here I see people using other brands, when it use to be that you had to have a Martin. They still have a large part of market share but I don't think they are the must have that they use to be. I could have bought just about any guitar I wanted and Martin would have been the logical choice, after all they are the Bluegrass guitar. I bought a Tacoma, it sounded better than the Martins I looked at.

There's also the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum where you can find out a lot about Martins there.

Have you seen the white Eric Clapton signature guitar from Martin? Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

http://www.mguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?p=c&g=4&m=000-ECHF%20Bellezza%20Bianca

Srry for the ugly link.

I own a Yamaha FG. It cost me $200. Compared to all the other guitars I played in my price range, this one was the best sounding one I played, except for one older Ibanez they had. The only reasons I didn't get it is because when I told the guy at wanted to buy it, he said he thought that one was already sold. It ends up it was, but the person had bought it right before me, and as they were checking out they noticed a nice big crack in it. They put it right back in the acoustic room and went to tell someone. Then I picked it up. So I got the yamaha, which is really nice in its own right, and I was trying to pick between the two the whole time I was their.

Back to the topic...

It sounds like your friend has an older martin, which means the wood has aged. THAT IS GOOD!!! Go to the guitar noise web site, that has an excellent article about buying used acoustics, under they buying gear section.

Martin makes good to excellent quality mass produced guitars ... as does Taylor. One cannot say they are the finest money can buy, as that's the same as arguing who are the best guitarists. It is subjective. Might be the best your money can buy, IYHO or IYNSHO. I can tell you that many experienced players like or love a Martin or two and many are generally unmoved by them. FWIW, I have only played a few Martins I really like sonically. Same is true of Taylors and Gibsons. For acoustics is comes down to the individual guitar just as much as the make and model ... and also what will be played on it.

Martin is good, but look beyond. There's a big world of acoustics out there, and Martin is no longer the only game in town (and never really was).

i have a martin d-16 RGT it is so freakin sweet it was worth every penny. It plays like an electric, sounds incredible, is beautiful, and id rather play it then any other guitar. Whats so great about martins is that they are so great haha.

Hmm, this is getting subjective isn't it? However, I think the point what everyone is missing why Martin are the finest guitars ANYBODY'S money can buy, is down to the wood and craftsmanship that goes into them, and actually has nothing to do with price. Martin uses only the finest, choice woods, left to dry for a minimum of 15-20 years before it's even considered good enough to go into one of their guitars. This process makes the wood resonate much better, thus sounding superb. Other manufacturer's are only in it for the cash, and don't really care about the choice of woods they use, or how the wood is treated - hence why some guitars really do sound better than others. I personally have owned a £500 Tanglewood guitar (made in Korea) and played a £500 Martin, and the sound quality is incomparible. One's ears don't lie, and you know instinctively which is the better guitar.