onewilyfool Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I have traded recently for a 2013 Martin D-18, and have played a D-18GE (aid top), and a D-28VS….and I swear, that martin Guitars are being voiced differently than I remember in the past!!! The ones I played are woodier and have much fuller mids than the older versions. Bass response is more even with the other strings, and not so Martinesque BOOMY….in other words….more like a Gibson than old timey Martins….lol….at least this thought occurred to me…any of you have that experience with newer (2012 and up) Martins? Also, the new "low oval performing artist" necks are eerily like a Taylor neck…almost identical in feel….lol…what is happening over there in Nazareth, PA? Well, I think it is a compliment to imitate the sound of another company, it just seems soooo Un-martin-like, to do anything non-traditional-Martin….lol….I guess things change!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I have traded recently for a 2013 Martin D-18, and have played a D-18GE (aid top), and a D-28VS….and I swear, that martin Guitars are being voiced differently than I remember in the past!!! The ones I played are woodier and have much fuller mids than the older versions. Bass response is more even with the other strings, and not so Martinesque BOOMY….in other words….more like a Gibson than old timey Martins….lol….at least this thought occurred to me…any of you have that experience with newer (2012 and up) Martins? Also, the new "low oval performing artist" necks are eerily like a Taylor neck…almost identical in feel….lol…what is happening over there in Nazareth, PA? Well, I think it is a compliment to imitate the sound of another company, it just seems soooo Un-martin-like, to do anything non-traditional-Martin….lol….I guess things change!!! Great topic, Wiley. That was the reason my last purchase was a 2013 HD-28. Like you, when I played it I was expecting the "classic" Martin tone. What a surprise! Not at all like the old Martins. More of a "Gibson" tone. After some adjustments and set-up to my personal liking, one of my go-to guitars! BTW, I LOVE that ebony fretboard!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I would rather think that Martin is going back to a sound their guitars once had. Like Gibson, design changes over the years such as different bridge plates and moving from scallop to non-scallop bracing changed the guitars voices. I can't speak to Martin but by 1969 Gibsons had become so homogenous that there was no difference between a J45 and a Hummingbird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Good to hear! I once owned 5 fine Martins, got rid of them all...too boomy, basey, and boring. Only Gibson had the balance I wanted. Maybe Martin is waking up. Not everyone wants a boom box! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 Let me say this to clarify, they do not sound as GOOD as the Gibson sound, but it is interesting that they seem to be moving in that direction, or as others have pointed out, back to the original Martin sound…I'm happy they chose this route! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Let me say this to clarify, they do not sound as GOOD as the Gibson sound, but it is interesting that they seem to be moving in that direction, or as others have pointed out, back to the original Martin sound…I'm happy they chose this route! I agree, Gibson sounds better to me all the way around. I tried VERY HARD for 10 long years to love my Martin HD-28. I just never warmed up to it because it seemed so dark, and deep, which was fine...but it lacked mids...and the base seemed to wash out any sweet highs that were available. So it was buy bye to the HD-28 and Hello to Gibson and Epiphone...because Taylor seemed the reverse of Martin...Just too many highs. If the new Martins sound more like Gibsons, they will do well! haha..let's hope Gibson doesn't revert to copying Martin and start making mumbly base guitars instead of balanced one!...but I don't Gibson will be that foolish. Gibson has a good thing going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 ...let's hope Gibson doesn't revert to copying Martin and start making mumbly base guitars instead of balanced one!...but I don't Gibson will be that foolish. Gibson has a good thing going! Foolish - where do you think the Epi Frontier and Gibson Hummingbird came from. A Martin dread was dropped on Gibson's chief engineer's desk and he was told to make a Gibson version of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Foolish - where do you think the Epi Frontier and Gibson Hummingbird came from. A Martin dread was dropped on Gibson's chief engineer's desk and he was told to make a Gibson version of it. Hardly a reasonable issue to nit pick about. In the end what Gibson built was nothing like a Martin. Nothing could be more different from a Martin than a Gibson Hummingbird. We're talking balance, particularly of the mids. Martin specializes in base and does it well, while supplying a bit less balance of mids and highs. My HD-28 is from another planet compared to the balance and mids of my Gibson Hummingbird. Anyone would tell you that. Two entirely different guitars. How's that for "foolishness?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 A Martin dread was dropped on Gibson's chief engineer's desk and he was told to make a Gibson version of it. Yeah, so speaks the myth and I kind of like it. A shame no one present at the meeting ever described what happened in detail - and how that short scale hog square got wings. That said, it must be claimed that either the challenged acoustic designer made a failure or was bright, brave and talented enough to deliver Gibson an ace of their own. The unique and instantly embraced Hummingbird. For as GuitarLight states - A Bird definitely isn't a Mart. dread. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarrr Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 The 2012 Martin D18 was designed to compete with the Collings D1, play them side/side and you'll know. CFM is not asleep at the wheel any longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I have traded recently for a 2013 Martin D-18, and have played a D-18GE (aid top), and a D-28VS….and I swear, that martin Guitars are being voiced differently than I remember in the past!!! The ones I played are woodier and have much fuller mids than the older versions. Bass response is more even with the other strings, and not so Martinesque BOOMY……any of you have that experience with newer (2012 and up) Martins? Also, the new "low oval performing artist" necks are eerily like a Taylor neck…almost identical in feel… I compared a new series OM21 to an OM28v recently. The 28v is classic Martin: scooped mids, huge sound/susatain even with a light touch. Way too much for my kind of picking. The 21 is more balanced and contained. Nothing like a Gibson, tho. More note to note clarity and chisled articulation. A Gibson is about chords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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