Is Martin for you?

[E-minor7]

3 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

What's That Man Movin' Cross The Stage?
It Looks A Lot Like The One Used By Jimmy Page

I was there - saw that rock show from the second row when launched in 76. 

                                                                                                                    And bought the record just after release in London the summer before. . 

[Sgt. Pepper]

4 minutes ago, E-minor7 said:

I was there - saw that rock show from the second row when launched in 76. 

                                                                                                                    And bought the record just after release in London the summer before. . 

I saw Paul about 6 years ago. In '76, I was 10 and three years later I would go to my first Rock Show.

[zombywoof]

Three Sovereigns in a row dating from the  late-1950s to late-1960s.

[ksdaddy]

My go-to acoustic for the past 3+ years has been a 2015 HD-28. I still have my Gibsons but the tone of this 28 is just more pleasing to my ear.  I would expect nothing different from anyone else. Go to the supermarket and see how many flavors of salad dressing they are.

Hand me a Gibson J-60 and it might win me over.  Not saying otherwise. Might be the rosewood and ebony that's doing it for me.

I don't think it's a matter of me choosing Martin over Gibson. This particular guitar just won me over. All the years I spent bashing Martins because of their stiff, high action and vanilla cosmetics....it's not easy to admit that the "other guy" is a better fit. At least this particular one.

At the 2007 Homecoming I did spend a great deal of time with a 1952 D-18 graciously loaned to me by a fellow forumite. I love being a pariah wherever I go.

[rbpicker]

2 hours ago, kidblast said:

I think he had an out of wallet experience....

 

Now THAT’S what I can tell my wife.   Yeah, that’s it...out of wallet experience.

rb

[E-minor7]

58 minutes ago, zombywoof said:

Three Sovereigns in a row dating from the  late-1950s to late-1960s.

Great trio - and all ladder braced ?

Time to hear one - let's go to Woodstock

This is the edited version, but it sounds best (I think)

[zombywoof]

8 minutes ago, E-minor7 said:

Great trio - and all ladder braced ?

Time to hear one - let's go to Woodstock

This is the edited version, but it sounds best (I think)

The brownburst has been converted to an X brace.  

Edited April 7, 2021 by zombywoof

[Jinder]

1 hour ago, E-minor7 said:

Thx - good to know.
This guy really dig his ~

 

The great Phil Beer, formerly of The Albion Band and now of Show of Hands...a folk legend!

I’ve had a few good chats about gear with Phil when we’ve shared festival bills etc, his David Oddy OOO/OM guitars are exquisite. He has great live tone and I expected him to use multi-source pickup systems, but it’s all done with a Rare Earth humbucker. Superb player!

[E-minor7]

1 minute ago, Jinder said:

The great Phil Beer, formerly of The Albion Band and now of Show of Hands...a folk legend!

I’ve had a few good chats about gear with Phil when we’ve shared festival bills etc, his David Oddy OOO/OM guitars are exquisite. He has great live tone and I expected him to use multi-source pickup systems, but it’s all done with a Rare Earth humbucker. Superb player!

Aha, , , I could sense he carried some torch, , , not least when first stopping himself from goin' further into the Help!-tune. . 

[Larsongs]

I love my old Martin D-35, Martin D12-16GTE, Epiphone Inspired by Texan & Gibson Masterbilt J-160E... Wonderful Guitars al!!!

I have 6 & 12 String USA Guilds on my list as well.....

The only other I’ve found equally impressive are Collings...

[blindboygrunt]

I have a J45 which I always tell myself is hands down my favourite guitar 

but when I want to play most times I lift the D28 

🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[GuitarsAnn]

Never owned a Gibson acoustic. I had a 1963 SG jr., own a 2011 50th anniversary SG 12, and have a 2021 Les Paul Access Bengal Burst on the way from the Custom Shop. I do own a Martin D12-28 and a D45V. Love them both. Also own a Yairi DY95 of 1974 vintage and an older Yairi 12 string. I like it when I hear a good Gibson acoustic being played. Not sure if it's sound augmentation, but usually not thrilled when I play them. The sound to me is just too heavy.  Not Angelic like my Martins.

[fortyearspickn]

GA,  Several folks here who've never or almost never have had a Gibson Acoustic.  Would be sort of silly to expect it.  Art, music, is so very subjective and  'open'  -  meant to find genres, themes and stories that mean something to the 'performer'  and not necessarily all people who might listen.   "The Critics".   So -  your take on Gibsons sounding heavy is as insightful as those here who have at time found Taylors to be too 'bright'.    While no two guitars are exactly the same - no two ears are either !     Thanks for your observation. 

[SteveFord]

It's not the ears, it's the note decay as a previous poster mentioned.

Every Gibson I've tried has a fast note decay where the upper end Martins tend to sustain for days.  You can hit a harmonic, go get lunch and it'll still be ringing when you come back.  

Gibsons have their own sound and are certainly handsome instruments.  Priced a bit too high, I'd say, although Martin prices have gone through the roof.

 

[Dave F]

24 minutes ago, SteveFord said:

Gibsons ......Priced a bit too high, I'd say, although Martin prices have gone through the roof.

 

Have you looked a Taylor’s or the boutique guitars? Everyone is priced high. 

[slimt]

6 hours ago, Dave F said:

Have you looked a Taylor’s or the boutique guitars? Everyone is priced high. 

Yup ,  All the Guitar makers have high prices.    Its a competitive market.   They all have good products.  Its just a point of who will be around in the future from there prices being more than there items are worth.. 

From the 90s to now. Prices have more than doubled   . Understandable considering  competitive wages for qualified craftsmans ,materials, modernizing shops to be safe inside and  out. Equipment Im sure isnt cheap.     
 

Now it will come down to consistant quality.  For the money spent. 

[Al Zimmerman]

I prefer the ebony fretboards to the rosewood ones (+1 for Martin) and the short scale to the long ones (+1 for Gibson).

 

[Larry Mal]

My first good acoustic was a Martin D-1, and I will always have that one. It's living in Nashville tuning now. 

When I started up with getting acoustics again, I got a Martin 00-17s, it had some quality control issues with it. I later got an 000-18, before the reimagined series, and it was underwhelming to me. I traded it for a J-45. 

I had also arranged to get a Dove in trade and a J-35, so I was finally starting to realize how great Gibsons were. 

When I wanted to break away from the Gibson sound, I read about the J-60, and realized that it was basically a Martin D-28 but didn't command the price tag. So now that's my rosewood dreadnaught and I don't see much need for the D-28. Not sure it would be any better, really. 

Later on when I wanted a full sized mahogany dread, I looked into a Guild D-40. I found one of those with an Adirondack top and immediately figured it would be about as good as the Martin D-18 it is supposed to compete with. 

I put that to test recently, someone offered me a trade for a D-18 and I went to the store and played one for a while to see if it would offer anything the D-40 didn't. 

Not much, is what I concluded. 

But I still like Martin, and I would like one of the OM models. 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Larry Mal

[Brucebubs]

Put my 2 Martin guitars on consignment in a Melbourne guitar store last month.

Both fine guitars but I just wasn't playing them much.

The Martin JDP II sold in 24 hours.

The Martin Grand J12-40E Special took a couple more days.

Both sold for a little more than I originally paid for them new.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Brucebubs

[Sgt. Pepper]

9 minutes ago, Brucebubs said:

Put my 2 Martin guitars on consignment in a Melbourne guitar store last month.

Both fine guitars but I just wasn't playing them much.

The Martin JDP II sold in 24 hours.

The Martin Grand J12-40E Special took a couple more days.

Both sold for a little more than I originally paid for them new.

Those are nice. That is what I do. If I don’t play em they go. I’ve sold a D-35, D-28, D-18, and traded my D-41 for a HD-28V and cash.

Edited April 11, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper

[tpbiii]

At the beginning of the pandemic I had an equal number of vintage Martins and Gibsons -- 50 each.  This year I bought 3 old instruments -- 28 000-18, 38 RB-00 and 40 J-55 RW.  So gibsons are now ahead by 1.

[Sgt. Pepper]

10 hours ago, tpbiii said:

At the beginning of the pandemic I had an equal number of vintage Martins and Gibsons -- 50 each.  This year I bought 3 old instruments -- 28 000-18, 38 RB-00 and 40 J-55 RW.  So gibsons are now ahead by 1.

We’ll if we’re keeping score Martin is in the lead at my house 7 - 0.

[bobouz]

Martin trails a wee bit at my house by a score of 17 to 2.

[Sgt. Pepper]

On 4/10/2021 at 7:02 AM, Al Zimmerman said:

I prefer the ebony fretboards to the rosewood ones (+1 for Martin) and the short scale to the long ones (+1 for Gibson).

 

I'm sure you are aware Martin doesn't only make long scale acoustic guitars and Gibson doesn't only make short scale acoustic guitars.

Gibson does some ebony on acoustics. I think about 7 models, but they are all from the Acoustic Custom Shop.

Edited April 12, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper

[TomG76]

Although I have been in love with the look, neck size, scale length, history, and general vibe of a Gibson Jumbo for years, I wasn't able to afford one until lockdown (and no travel costs or social life) last year left me more flush than normal.

I had done a LOT of research to find a cheaper alternative in the meantime. (And that took in potential alternatives that were not cheaper.) Other brands can compare on most of the qualities in the paragraph above, but I could never find anything that had the right tone and note decay.

Then when I did finally have the money,  I nearly bought a Martin HD28V. They're great. And Yamaha do inexpensive guitars with a lovely tone. Epiphones bear some tonal resemblance to Gibsons, as well as inevitably looking like them. 

But only a Gibson is (good enough and) a Gibson. 

Honestly I'm surprised I can hear the difference. In the past I wished I couldn't. But it really, really is A Thing.

There is a warmth and fullness to a Gibson that is unique. It may not be everyone's favourite tone, but it's mine.

(I'm also increasingly convinced that only a Stratocaster sounds like a Stratocaster - if you're talking clean, glassy tones - but I may be wrong about that.)

Edited April 16, 2021 by TomG76
Typo.