Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In with Google

Become a Subscriber!

Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!

Read more...

So, I've never been a review-basher, but this is CRAZY

What's Hot
LooseMooseLooseMoose Frets: 908
I'm looking for a new acoustic in a month or so and interested in one of the HPL Martins.  I was pleased to stumble across a Musicradar review here:  http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/martin-gpcpa5k-567125

It gets 4/5 with the review noting that the top is separating from the sides

WHAT?

A guitar coming apart (because that's what's happening) has to be 1/2 stars - it could play amazingly and sound better than anything else but if it's literally falling apart then it's feck all use to me.

Madness
0reaction image LOL 3reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
«1

Comments

  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    That does seem to be a somewhat 'generous' take on a major structural fault....

    My personal view is that low-end Taylors (which are also made in Mexico) are far better crafted than similarly priced Martins.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • LooseMooseLooseMoose Frets: 908
    The whole review strikes me as a joke really.  They've spent a lot of time trying to reword "Actually, it doesn't sound great" and turning it on it's head to say "If you play it very gently (which you'll have to, given it's falling apart) then it doesn't sound too bad"

    FOR SHAME ;)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 2reaction image Wisdom
  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10337
    I dont think anything ever scores lower than 3 stars on MR does it?

    I would take it all with a generous pinch of salt

    And try a Faith acoustic when you go out and strum some stuff ;-)
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • JCA2550JCA2550 Frets: 431
    That is daft! If a brand new product is defective, it should fail the QC of the reviewer and not be reviewed. I work in the wine trade and, a bit different I know but, if we'd received a faulty sample bottle of a wine that interested us, we'd reject it and ask for more samples from the supplier. The same is true of the next stage in the review chain. When we submit samples to the Press for review we send several in case of variance, if it's faulty, it won't make the papers,TV etc.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FuzzdogFuzzdog Frets: 839
    I love the general 'It's great, just make sure the one you buy isn't falling apart and then treat it like a baby it it may implode' tone of it.
    -- Before you ask, no, I am in no way, shape or form related to Fuzzdog pedals, I was Fuzzdog before Fuzzdog were Fuzzdog.  Unless you want to give me free crap, then I'm related to whatever the hell you like! --
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • SyncSync Frets: 288
    No excuse for rating as a 4, if that was an new unknown or Chinese built brand it may not have scored more than 1-2 stars. Only excuse I can think of is this is a press / journalist demo guitar that has been used and abused and taken some knocks before reaching MR. May as well have reviewed a block of rough sawn wood with Martin stamped on it, then scored it a 5 on its brand name and potential to be a guitar.
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • xSkarloeyxSkarloey Frets: 2962
    Well at least he mentions the fault in the guitar's construction.

    The section on sounds though is complete waffle to my mind.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • How many adverts did Martin have in the mag that month?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    The review itself is quite harsh and sounds mostly honest, but they still give it four stars? That's the bit I don't understand - it's a two-star review.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • DiscoStuDiscoStu Frets: 5382
    'Hand on heart, we're left unmoved'.
    4/5
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • LooseMooseLooseMoose Frets: 908
    I guess the answer is to read between the lines (I'm totally put off that guitar now) and ignore the rating.

    But that begs the question, why do they bother with it?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • usedtobeusedtobe Frets: 3841
    We should all go on their forum and complain!
     so if you fancy a reissue of a guitar they never made in a colour they never used then it probably isn't too overpriced.

    16reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Fwiw, review aside, the X series are generally pretty good. That doesn't excuse 4 stars for a defective one though. :\
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26753
    I think the conclusion here is simple and obvious: anything that gets 5/5 in Guitarist is excellent and should be bought. Anything else is rubbish!
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • It goes to show a real overly assured arrogance on the part of the regular advertiser manufacturer.  If you were going to send one of your products for review would you not make sure it was the best possible example of it you could possibly supply?  If you had any thoughts that it would be an genuinely unbiased review then you would have guys checking it over for even the tiniest flaws before it ever left your possession.
    My muse is not a horse and art is not a race.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    The damning factor is that MR didn't call Martin and have the review sample replaced, or the review pulled.  Is it incompetence? Is it MR's way of at getting back at the distributor?
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Poor journalism, from MR but also we have to know had the guitar come from somewhere else since Martin had it? Either way, MR seem most culpable, as they should not have reviewed a faulty guitar, and should have given Martin time to send a replacement, if they have spoken to Martin, and they could not be bothered why score it so highly?
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBM said:
    The review itself is quite harsh and sounds mostly honest, but they still give it four stars? That's the bit I don't understand - it's a two-star review.
    If that...

    If I was looking at acoustics, it would put me off the brand at that kinda price point.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    That's just stupid. 

    It's falling to pieces, doesn't sound very good, and looks cheap. Four stars is a joke.

    I remember a very similar LP Jr review where the review was two pages of 'You might do better to play a poundland tennis racket" and ended with 4 stars. It actually stopped me buying Guitarist.

    It's not the 1970's any more. Most guitars over about £200 are really bloody good so something at the thick end of a grand should get hammered if it isn't perfect. I'll bet you wouldn't find that kind of crap on a Yamaha costing half that much.

    It's exactly the same situation the games magazines found themselves where journalists were getting fired for giving big name games less that 70% reviews. 

    If pressure from advertisers means they can't award honest ratings they need to drop the star system.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 3reaction image Wisdom
  • I appreciate that musicradar doesn't want to build a bad relationship with a brand by giving them bad reviews, but there are a few that I've read that were really reaching to not give a bad review. I'm sure guitar buyer was a little better in that regard, but my memory might be playing tricks on me... when something was faulty or poor they highlighted it and scored accordingly. Not bought or read it for about 6 years mind...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.