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drathbun

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I know this is Martin content but my Gibson SJ-200 Golden Age is my go-to guitar of choice and it has a bearing on this new Martin I am getting early next week.

 

I sold my Martin 000-17sm today and will trade away my Taylor 814ce when the new Martin 000-28vs comes in Monday or Tuesday. And all of this is the fault of my 2012 Gibson SJ-200 Golden Age. You see, when I had a J200 Standard, a Taylor 814ce and a Martin 000-17sm, I basically had all I needed in acoustic guitars (along with my Taylor 12 string). Then along came this absolutely stunning, looking and sounding, SJ-200 Golden Age that just blows the doors off every other guitar.

 

I have been without it for seven weeks while it is having a brace repaired. In the meantime, I've been missing it. Yes, the Taylor 814ce is an amazing guitar. But it is like a Swiss Army knife; it is good at fingerstyle and a good strummer. But I go to my Martin 000-17sm for my fingerstyle needs and, for the last seven weeks, the Taylor just doesn't cut it. In my mind's ear, I hear the Gibson and I pine away for it.

 

So I decided that the Taylor was way too much guitar ($4899 Cdn new) to be hanging on the wall unplayed. Plus, the Martin 000-17sm, although a lovely 12 fret guitar, is not quite as big a sound as I'd like and a little too midrangy with the mahogany b/s. I ordered a new Martin 000-28vs which will replace the 000-17sm and I'm selling both it and the Taylor to help pay for the new one.

 

It is all the Gibson's fault. I should have it back about the same time the new Martin comes in. God I've missed her! But now she will have a new partner. I will post photos and sound bites when I get the new instrument in my hands.

 

martin-00028vs-2014-full-front.jpg

 

 

At the risk of being too off season when Christmas is still 9.5 months away, here is a video of my playing the SJ200. Amazing guitar!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx0JftGjq2o

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Doug... congrats...

 

Your video rocks. What warmth AND chime in your Gibson. MerryChristmas 2017 9 months early...

 

Thanks TS. The Gibson is THE best guitar of any guitar I've ever played or owned, bar none. And the Martin isn't a Christmas present, it is an early birthday present. ;)

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Merry March Christmas.

 

The 000-28VS is quite the anomaly. Much like the Epiphone AJ500RC 12 fret, but you'd kind of expect that much volume to come out of a long-scale cedar topped guitar like the Epi. With the little Martin, it gives such voice to the individual notes, it's almost a shame to throw them together into a chord.

 

Very unlikely to have any unwelcome surprises anywhere on that one- such beautiful build quality. Looking forward to hearing your impressions once it's home.

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Good God Drath, that SJ200 sounds IMMENSE!! I've played many and owned a couple of choice ones but I've never heard one with quite so much of...EVERYTHING. It sounds like it's got an inbuilt optical compressor and aural exciter processing the sound...I mean that in a very complimentary way! Absolutely gigantic.

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A 000-28vs is one that got away. I tried one a few years ago and fell immediately in love but hesitated because of the price. When I finally decided to go back for her she was gone. Still think about her. One day I'll get one.

 

Looks like you have quite a pair. Enjoy them.... [thumbup]

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Thanks again for all the kind words. Here is an update on the 000-28vs. The guitar in question is the only one in a Long & McQuade in Canada. It was in the Vancouver shop. I had my local L&M call Vancouver and check on its condition. They said it was fine but forgot to actually send it out. After five or six days, someone in Vancouver must have noticed the transfer had not happened, grabbed the guitar, put it in the case and sent it to the distribution centre in Delta. In Delta, some bright person actually examined the instrument and noticed a nice crack on the back. They called Calgary and asked if the customer still wanted it. At $5000 Cdn. my answer was f**k no!

 

I had Calgary L&M call Martin in Nazareth to see how quickly they could have one in Calgary. A real person answered the phone and was very helpful and I should have my brand new Martin in my hands around the first of April. So it will be a few more weeks, but I'm sure it will be worth waiting for!

 

Here is the crack they considered "fine" in Vancouver:

 

Transfer%20from%20Vancouver%20LW21-182196.jpg

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Thanks again for all the kind words. Here is an update on the 000-28vs. The guitar in question is the only one in a Long & McQuade in Canada. It was in the Vancouver shop. I had my local L&M call Vancouver and check on its condition. They said it was fine but forgot to actually send it out. After five or six days, someone in Vancouver must have noticed the transfer had not happened, grabbed the guitar, put it in the case and sent it to the distribution centre in Delta. In Delta, some bright person actually examined the instrument and noticed a nice crack on the back. They called Calgary and asked if the customer still wanted it. At $5000 Cdn. my answer was f**k no!

 

I had Calgary L&M call Martin in Nazareth to see how quickly they could have one in Calgary. A real person answered the phone and was very helpful and I should have my brand new Martin in my hands around the first of April. So it will be a few more weeks, but I'm sure it will be worth waiting for!

 

 

 

You made the right call.

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Drath, that's a bad crack in a bad place. Obviously dropped from on high, it would affect the integrity of the back and sides. Good on Delta for catching it - they would have gotten a claim for the entire cost of the guitar when it was opened by L&M on the receiving end. Maybe the damage was the reason it wasn't sent originally.

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That is a crack, running across the grain? Very unusual- it looks like an/the impact pushed the top out from the binding, as well.

 

Glad you avoided further stress in getting a 000. Looking forward to seeing it's replacement when it's home with you.

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Just to be clear, L&M was transferring the guitar to Calgary for me. If it had arrived and then we had seen the crack, L&M would have either fixed the guitar at no cost, ordered a new one from Martin for me, or returned my deposit 100% and sent the guitar back to Vancouver. L&M Calgary (58th Ave) is totally taking care of me in this matter. My frustration was with the Vancouver store which didn't seem to care to inspect the instrument or even send it out right away. This is not typical L&M behaviour in other L&M stores I have visited or in which I have worked. Vancouver is another story.

 

Yes, the crack looks exactly like an impact across the grain. It bubbled the nitro where it impacted and you can see an echo of the second bounce right beside it. And you are right, 62burst, it does look like the binding moved during the impact. It is L&M Vancouver's issue now, not mine.

 

I'm hoping that I will get my SJ200 Golden Age back in the next couple days. It has been in the shop for eight weeks (that's how backed up my guru luthier magic man Jim Mozell is at the moment). Hopefully having my holy grail guitar back in my hands will help me get through the next month of waiting for the 000-28vs.

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  • 1 month later...

The Martin has finally arrived! I'm thrilled with this guitar.

 

This is the first time I have ever purchased a guitar sight un-played. I have never had a 000-28vs in my hands until today. Everything I know about this guitar, theoretically, should make it a magnificent instrument for fingerstyle playing. Of course, you never know until you get it out of the box. So I was a little anxious when I pulled it out of the box at the store. However, the first couple of notes I knew I had something special.

 

I know this is Gibson territory, but this is my guitar forum of choice and my SJ200 is still the finest guitar I have ever, ever played and I want you guys and gals to see it and hear it here. I traded both my Martin 000-17sm and my Taylor 814ce for this guitar.

 

Now I have both my Golden Age SJ200 and my new Martin. All the recordings I have had on hold since January are now back on the front burner!

 

Here are some photos right out of the box. I will soon post a YouTube video of the unboxing that my wife shot at Long & McQuade this afternoon.

 

I should put some specs in here:


  •  
  • Sitka spruce top
  • East Indian Rosewood b/s
  • Mahogany neck with rosewood faceplate
  • Ebony fretboard and pyramid bridge
  • Bone nut and saddle
  • 12 fret
  • Slotted headstock with open gear butterbean tuners
  • 25.4" scale
  • 1 13/16" nut
  • 2 5/15" at the saddle
  • 16" radius at the saddle
  • Scalloped bracing
  • Neck volute
  • Aged toner
  • Gloss nitro body
  • Satin neck

 

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