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I was looking for a Martin Dread..


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I am in the process of trading my Larrivee for a Martin dread, hopefully D-18 or D-35.. or D-28.. is good too.. however, I got a trade offer for an AJ..

The only reason I am seeking for a Martin dread was to somewhat go after that Neil Young sound...

 

Will I be happy with an AJ? or should I wait till the right deal comes along....?

It seems like.. waiting for the right deal should be the answer.. but I've heard a lot of people on this forum, AGF and UMGF swear by them..

 

Please, could you guys be kind and give me a word of advice?

 

Jeffrey

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Hey Jeff...

 

My AJ plays a bunch of Neil. I do double Drop D or just regular Drop D tunings like him and with the long scale neck on the AJ, it works great! Plus, Martin necks are much different than Gibson necks and since the AJ does a better bass thump than most Martins I have played, it would be an easy and better choice to choose an AJ over a Martin for me. I like the Martin tone, but can never get past the thin neck with the pronounced V shape. The AJ also really shines on fingerstyle stuff which Neil does a fair amount of. One last thing.... in DADGAD, my AJ is also the go to when playing Steven Stills "Tree Top Flyer".... I personally like the tone coming from my AJ better than the Martin Stills is playing on that song.

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If you want that Neil Young sound, you need a Martin rosewood/spruce. Anything in the 28 series and up should get you there. 16 or 18 will not. (Unless it is a Authentic or GE or V). Neil does use a vintage 18 but not for the majority of his stuff. He is known for his D-45 & 28. Neither of those is straight braced. Your best bet will be a HD-28 since it is scalloped in the standard postition (not foward shifted).

 

Now if you want a great sounding Gibson that happens to be one of Gibsons best offerings, then try the AJ. These are the closest Gibsons to the Martin sound, but they still sound like Gibson.

 

If you ever visit the UMGF (Martin Forum), probably at least 90% of the members there will tell you that Neil Young is THE reason they play Martin guitars.

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Neil is my favorite artist too. He is why I play guitar. I find my self getting much closer to his sound than I expected with my J45. It's still not totally there though. I don't know much about AJ's. I would guess you'll never be totally satisfied until you have a Martin dread. However, I don't know if it's his technique or vintage guitars, but his Martins sound much more breathy and open to me than the new Martins at any given store. The AJ may be able to hit that quality of his sound. Head to GC and bust out some Harvest Moon.

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