Martin guitars

[Gdjjr]

I didn't know which "forum" to put this in, so here it is.

I've recently became a Martin guitar owner and have now become fascinated with them- guess I'm a martinophile-

Mine isn't a high end, (00015m, all mahogany body) made in Nazaeth, Pa., but it was more than I've spent on my others (I just gave away two to a vets organization that didn't equal the cost of the Martin)- I have 8 others, all less than the Martin, but I am wanting a 00017 which is on back order and Martin doesn't have a clue when they'll catch up.

I'm going to post some videos- building guitar is labor intensive- even the mass produced ones made elsewhere. There is a lot of work just keeping up in mass production, but, the cnc machines do most of the intricate stuff- as an example of intricate in the video of the factory tour it shows installing/laying in the abalone body binding- one piece at a time- each piece looks to be about 2 inches long- around the top of the body time consuming- at Martin (even their Mexico plant where they build strings and laminate guitars) the employees have been with them for years-

 

[Gdjjr]

 

[Gdjjr]

 

[Whodatsaywhodat.]

I didn't know which "forum" to put this in, so here it is.

I've recently became a Martin guitar owner and have now become fascinated with them- guess I'm a martinophile-

Mine isn't a high end, (00015m, all mahogany body) made in Nazaeth, Pa., but it was more than I've spent on my others (I just gave away two to a vets organization that didn't equal the cost of the Martin)- I have 8 others, all less than the Martin, but I am wanting a 00017 which is on back order and Martin doesn't have a clue when they'll catch up.

I'm going to post some videos- building guitar is labor intensive- even the mass produced ones made elsewhere. There is a lot of work just keeping up in mass production, but, the cnc machines do most of the intricate stuff- as an example of intricate in the video of the factory tour it shows installing/laying in the abalone body binding- one piece at a time- each piece looks to be about 2 inches long- around the top of the body time consuming- at Martin (even their Mexico plant where they build strings and laminate guitars) the employees have been with them for years-

Have you ever been to the factory?

 

[Gdjjr]

Have you ever been to the factory?

No- but it's on my bucket list now-

 

[Muhammed]

One of my biggest guitar regrets was selling a Martin. By the end of the day, I was regretting it already. I couldn't even sleep that night.

Inexperienced 17 year old kid mistake.

You live and learn.

 

[Whodatsaywhodat.]

Have you ever been to the factory?

No- but it's on my bucket list now-

I live 45 min away . Def. Worth going

 

[InstantOn]

I have a Martin parlor guitar my father bought used in the 1920s or 30s. I never learned to play. A friend who can play tuned it and started playing it. OMG, it sounded so beautiful. My cat was a kitten then. He's afraid of OTHER PEOPLE, yet when he heard my friend play, he came over and laid down next to him and listened. My friend went out and bought a new Martin right away.

 

[miketx]

I have a Taylor.

 

[wamose]

I'm not a connaisseur of guitars but I live 7 miles from Nazareth and I've always heard great things about Martin. Thank you for your input. Now I'll tell you a little about Nazareth people. They are mostly German, extremely clean, humorless, great school system and great high school wrestlers. Mario Andretti lives here too but that poor guy had a lot of death in his family lately. Sorry for babbling but I just thought you might want to know a little about where your guitar came from.

 

[WelfareQueen]

I have a Taylor.

View attachment 489156

Me too. A CE 310. And I know this is hearsay, but I think they sound better than Martin.

 

[miketx]

I have a Taylor.

View attachment 489156

Me too. A CE 310. And I know this is hearsay, but I think they sound better than Martin.

Mine's the CE 214 and when I bought it I almost bought a Martin, but the one I could afford just didn't do it for me. Something about the neck IIRC.

 

[Gdjjr]

One of my biggest guitar regrets was selling a Martin. By the end of the day, I was regretting it already. I couldn't even sleep that night.

Inexperienced 17 year old kid mistake.

You live and learn.

I've had that feeling about a couple of cars I've had- sure with I had them now-

 

[Gdjjr]

I'm not a connaisseur of guitars but I live 7 miles from Nazareth and I've always heard great things about Martin. Thank you for your input. Now I'll tell you a little about Nazareth people. They are mostly German, extremely clean, humorless, great school system and great high school wrestlers. Mario Andretti lives here too but that poor guy had a lot of death in his family lately. Sorry for babbling but I just thought you might want to know a little about where your guitar came from.

Sincere input is not babbling- if it is, babble on- I'm curious person- I spent some time in Llano, Tx (my mohers family is from there [but, I'm Irish on my dad's side and Indian on my mothers side-LOL] that had it's share of German people, as did Fredericksburg not far from Llano- I also worked with a German man (years ago) who was instrumental in the design of a tool his company was trying to sell the company I worked for at the the time- it was a machine to facilitate rebuilding Industrial Engine cylinder heads- he spent about a week with us, IMS and I got to know him pretty well- he showed me some pictures of his swimming pool he built- yes, he built- by hand- amazing tenacity and determination at the least-

 

[Gdjjr]

I have a Taylor.

A Taylor AD12 or 17 is on my bucket list- but, the 12 is a bit out of my price range- depending on how much longer I stay in the building

 

[Gdjjr]

but I think they sound better than Martin.

That's subjective- all mahogany is all mahogany- I have a Mitchell (guitar center house brand) all mahogany that sounds a lot like the Martin (which is also all mahogany)- just not as sweet in the sweet spot- and they have the same strings- GHS 11-50 cryogenic label-
The Taylor ad12 is an awesome sounding guitar- so is the ad17- but, they aren't all mahogany-

I've never been a prude about guitars brands- but, this Martin has convinced me that quality and price point are not necessarily one and the same- I've said for quite some time that if I won a lottery I still wouldn't pay 1000's of dollars for a guitar- (Gibson are you listening?)

I bought the Martin from Sweetwater- I've bought other stuff from them. I asked the sales rep to talk me out of buying it (the Martin) he failed, spectacularly! and made me a deal I didn't want to refuse- 1175 bucks (+ uncle shams cut)- I knew the Guitar Center I deal with, who treats me quite well btw, couldn't match that price- I ordered it on a Monday a little before lunch and I got it Thursday by noon- free shipping (from Fort Wayne In to where I stays just north of Houston 1142 miles) and they threw in 2 sets of the GHS strings I've grown to like-

The Martin 00017 I want is on back order for god only knows how long (an email exchange with them they told me maybe by November - so, a Taylor ad17 may be next- of course, I've also had my interest piqued about a Gretsch "Rat Rod"- that is one cool lookin and soundin guitar- for under 1000 bucks- so many guitars, so little time- I have few regrets in my life- not stayin with playin at playin guitar is close to the top of the list if not the very top-

 

[Gdjjr]

I have a Martin parlor guitar my father bought used in the 1920s or 30s. I

Daaaaang! Man- that thing is priceless! Listen to that interview with Vince Gill-

 

[WelfareQueen]

but I think they sound better than Martin.

That's subjective- all mahogany is all mahogany- I have a Mitchell (guitar center house brand) all mahogany that sounds a lot like the Martin (which is also all mahogany)- just not as sweet in the sweet spot- and they have the same strings- GHS 11-50 cryogenic label-
The Taylor ad12 is an awesome sounding guitar- so is the ad17- but, they aren't all mahogany-

I've never been a prude about guitars brands- but, this Martin has convinced me that quality and price point are not necessarily one and the same- I've said for quite some time that if I won a lottery I still wouldn't pay 1000's of dollars for a guitar- (Gibson are you listening?)

I bought the Martin from Sweetwater- I've bought other stuff from them. I asked the sales rep to talk me out of buying it (the Martin) he failed, spectacularly! and made me a deal I didn't want to refuse- 1175 bucks (+ uncle shams cut)- I knew the Guitar Center I deal with, who treats me quite well btw, couldn't match that price- I ordered it on a Monday a little before lunch and I got it Thursday by noon- free shipping (from Fort Wayne In to where I stays just north of Houston 1142 miles) and they threw in 2 sets of the GHS strings I've grown to like-

The Martin 00017 I want is on back order for god only knows how long (an email exchange with them they told me maybe by November - so, a Taylor ad17 may be next- of course, I've also had my interest piqued about a Gretsch "Rat Rod"- that is one cool lookin and soundin guitar- for under 1000 bucks- so many guitars, so little time- I have few regrets in my life- not stayin with playin at playin guitar is close to the top of the list if not the very top-

Agreed. The idea of " best" is totally subjective. My Taylor Made cost about $1400 in the early 2000's. It sounds strong all the way through, low end to high. The Martin's I have played are the same. I have a Washburn I got years ago which sounds great on the high end(I put a brass kit on it), but slightly muddy and not as strong on the low end.

Martin is the standard. Sorta like a 1958 Les Paul Custom. You can't go wrong. I will say Taylor Made is in the same zip code. But ultimately it is down to personal preference.

 

[Gdjjr]

I have a Washburn

Me too- an HG75SEG-0- I got it from Guitar Center but could find absolutely nothing about it on the inter net, so, I did a you tube review of it-