fortyearspickn

Assuming your fingers haven't gotten fatter since you acquired your Martin, there are 4 reasons that might make a person feel fretting a chord, fingerpicking, and/or dancing/shredding on the frets is 'tight'. One is the length of the neck. Long neck gives you more space between the frets, short neck gives you less string tension. A related consideration -is the strings you use (Medium of Light) and the 'set-up' (is string height too high? .A third possible issue is the profile of the neck - is it round like a baseball bat or flat like a board? There are several shapes and thicknesses, but all are within a fairly manageable range - with a profile between a "C" and a "V". The fourth is the width of the fretboard a la how wide the nut is. And, one would hope, the bridge pin spacing reflects that to the centimeter. If possible, while in the shop, pick up and experience the contrast between the spacing of strings on a classical guitar and then on on a mandolin ! Folks play both. Or, you could just search the internet for nut widths on long necks until you find several of the widest to look to play test. I'm guessing the difference in distance between any two strings on the widest acoustic, VS the narrowest nut acoustic - will only be around a millimeter. I plagiarized the following from sixstringacoustic.com "The Most Common Nut Widths on Acoustic Guitars. Acoustic guitarstypically have a nut width between 41mm (1.61") and 47mm (1.85"). The most common or the standard neck width on acoustic guitars is 44mm (1.73" or more commonly referred to as 1 ¾ inches)." I'm thinking tone and general 'feel' of your Martin, compared to the guitar you'd bonded with and gave to your son - might be the issue. 'Sellers Remorse'. As Guth said - enjoy the journey. And, at least half the other customers in the shop don't play as well as you on average. Plus, they're more worried about finding the right guitar than how well you play.

Since we're talking about anachronisms - don't use the term "18 wheels, and a dozen roses".

We can stuff the sound hole with snacks instead of socks !

I agree with what I think Jinder is saying. I've been fortunate to never have bought one, but I've heard many guitars in shops that were too 'bright' for what I think would be a good accompaniment to my voice. You can change your strings to Light, change your plectrum to Light .... But I would not own an acoustic that I had to stand closer to the voice mike or play more gently to be able to hear myself.

Don't think he said he's looking for another beginner guitar. Just doesn't like the Martin. Maybe he bought one that had issues, or was made in Mexico. They're not all stellar, and he's entitled to his opinion. He's been playing for years, and may realize that low end Martins are equivalent to $300 Epiphones. If a guitar doesn't make you want to play more - most agree it makes sense to move it on and get a different one, look for an upgrade. Like a J45 and an H'bird would be. He might, however, need to challenge his guitar teacher after a couple of years of lessons - to get him to a point where he would feel comfortable sitting in a guitar store and not feeling badly about his playing.

I would stick to the standard versions of either model, as opposed to one of the many variations. Mahogany in other words. Makes re-sale easier. Not that you buy a guitar with the objective of selling it! When you read reviews and hear of the wonderful tone, etc. they invariably are talking about 'hog back and sides - although other woods have their attraction. My J45 is koa, and I love it. Koa is a cousin to Mahogany. Rosewood is well thought of too. Used is obviously cheaper, but not without risk. If you get a good one from a reputable dealer with some form of written warranty, you're OK for awhile, but still you don't get the Gibson Warranty. Having been to your fair city, be mindful of the humidity in your home, especially in winter with the dry heat. If you don't keep your guitar in a 'safe space' with a range between 40 and 60% relative humidity, you will be courting disaster - warranties will be useless. Acoustics are much more delicate than Electrics. If you keep it out, you'll tend to play it more. If you hang it on a wall, make sure it's an interior one. Otherwise, you seem to have selected the two iconic models most everyone here (it is a Gibson Forum after all) would agree are superlative. And, it is probable either guitar would get you to practice more. I felt, when I got my first 'good' guitar, I owed it to the guitar to practice. I realized I needed to change my priorities though to free up the time I was wasting on other things. G'luck. Keep us posted!

Z O M B I E THREAD !

Mystery - nice video. J45 sounds great. Your Rhiannon clip is also great, altho not on your maple-gator. Congrats on your recent NGD, and Welcome!

Wowsers! I bet she smells as good as she looks! .... I mean PLAYS as good as she looks..

Refreshingly original thread. I became addicted because the first 'good' guitar I owned - which I had to stretch to buy (a new '64 LG1) - just kept sounding better and better. In retrospect, Mel Bay might have had something to do with it. But, I began to notice guitars on tv and in the movies. The acoustic ones seemed to be J45s most of the time. Whenever I tried another maker's guitar, it just didn't sound right. On the other hand, I never became a 'fan boy' for one make of car. Had Chevies, Fords and Dodges. Loved them all.

Dhanner - as always, great insightful tweaks. Reminds me of one of my English Lit professors: He was always able to take anything I wrote and show how it could be better. He could take a red painted barn and show, with a few strokes, how it could look like the Taj Mahal. Which was what convinced me to change my major. And, like the road not taken ... Good Job Lars. Your vocals are fine. If you sang like Taylor Swift, you still wouldn't come close to her in sales.

"When the student is ready - the teacher will appear." Te Ching. "When the guitarist is ready - the guitar will appear." Me. Congrats!

Outstanding display of musical wizardry ! I know some Christmas Songs. - Jingle Bells. One note at a time. This year, having the Chorus down, I'm going to learn the Verse. I'm going to put this up on my widescreen TV and sound bar and put it on 'repeat' . Thanks !

Funny, it’s legal for iTunes and Amazon to virtually steal artists’ work, while the FBI and Interpol rattle their sabers. iTunes is slowly eliminating the ability to purchase and keep your own library, pushing users to subscribe to their Apple Music product. I guess once you amass data on how much the average person spends buying CDs, you can make a lot more if you put them all in your own massive computer and force them to pay more to listen. “Don’t worry, the music you purchased through iTunes will still be available to you through Apple Music.” Great music Jinder. As always,,

Probably a pre-TV. I'm thinking the folks at Bozeman were ramping up to their ideal of a vintage sound and, after they found it, someone in Marketing said - "Let's call it a True Vintage and charge more!".