is it just me when it comes to martin guitars

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  • LewyLewy Frets: 4126

    Well I'll stick with collings as imo there great
    Me too :)

    For me, the appeal of Collings is punch and headroom in a true acoustic ensemble setting. They have a slightly longer scale length than Martin (On D and OM models anyway - 25.5" versus 25.4") and quite stiff sides which may well be why people find them stiff and less responsive than Martins. 

    But most of all I think the difference is in how they deliver bass, You can tickle bass out of a Martin and get a very full sound without much input. But...they run out of headroom a bit quicker. Collings are brighter and more focussed .... the bass is there of you want it but you have to bring it out and the pay off for the effort is the ability to project that bass at a higher volume. Play a rest stroke on the low E of a Collings dread with a decent pick and it will punch through just about anything.

    The brightness and focus also makes them extremely microphone friendly - whereas especially some of the lighter braced Martins can be a touch more challenging to mic up on a gig without feedback.
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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2328
    Same here. I've tried very few good acoustics (and I might change my mind tomorrow) but they just didn't do it for me- perfectly good guitars, but I'd like to like them a bit more to be willing to spend the kind of money you have to spend to get, say, a D28 or whatever.
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  • musicman100musicman100 Frets: 1705
    Obviously it's not just me then which is good to hear.
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  • JCA2550JCA2550 Frets: 431
    There's this whole thing about Martins need to be played-in before they get really good, that I've never bought into! My favourite Martins tend to be small bodied mahogany or mahogany and sapelle 00 and 000s and some OMs (Clapton one is rather special). My real bug-bear is the skinny frets, I just don't get on with these at all, consequently I had my 0015 refretted with taller slightly chunkier fretwire and it's almost become my ideal acoustic.
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    I think any all solid wood or solid top acoustic will sound a lot better once it's been played in a bit and got some age on it.  That's not just a Martin thing.
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273
    There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413
    Sassafras said:
    There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.
    My number 1 acoustic is around 9 years old and that has got steadily better.
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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2328
    Sassafras said:
    There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.
    Is that owning it for 20-30 years, or 20-30 years' playing time?

    'Cos if it's playing time I'm going to have to figure out a way to live to about 800...
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  • SassafrasSassafras Frets: 30273

    Dave_Mc said:
    Sassafras said:
    There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.
    Is that owning it for 20-30 years, or 20-30 years' playing time?

    'Cos if it's playing time I'm going to have to figure out a way to live to about 800...



    Here's wishing you a long life.
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  • Dave_McDave_Mc Frets: 2328
    thanks :))
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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    To be honest I love my HD35. Super lightly braced, wonderful bass and treble, it's a great instrument.

    Before buying I played loads, they were all good, but some sounded better (to me) than others.

    That said, in the shop Martins typically have poor action and can feel a bit laborious to play - they are sold with the intention that you'll get them set up to your liking.

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  • AliGorieAliGorie Frets: 308
    Supremely disappointing brand - which since the '80's seem to be continually caught up in an ever decreasing cycle of 'back to the future'.
    Sure they still sell plenty and they're pricey, Americans love all the tradition stuff that CF IV continually regurgitates in his sales pitch videos.
    I've said here before - I tried out a couple of the 'Authentic' because of all the 'fuss' about them over the pond, eh no. 
    Come to think about it the 'Authentics' and all the other reliance on replicating their own 'Pre war' spec was instigated by Eric Schoenberg along with TJ Thompson and Dana Bourgeois skills back in the '80's - an interesting read and one wonders what would have become of Martin guitars had they not went down the 'Retro' path. Which suggests they ran outa ideas for new product developments in the '40's.
    As a company they just don't seem to have the confidence to innovate, and as the demand for 'modern' sounding guitars continues to evolve one can only assume Martin and traditional American sounding guitars will shrink.
     
    Eric Schoenberg's site -
    http://www.om28.com/custom/history.jsp


    I prefer D Bourgeois work.
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  • BigLicks67BigLicks67 Frets: 766
    To be honest I don't really understand the comparisons with say Collings. A standard D28 will set you back £1900 new and about £1200 used. Whilst a Collings D with rosewood will probably take you north of £3k, so by any estimation the Collings should be better and the mere fact that some of us actually prefer the D28, says a lot about Martin guitars. As for tradition, I don't see anything wrong with that and neither do the other guitar builders as they copy the style and shape of Martin guitars on a regular basis.
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    Sassafras said:
    There used to be a belief that an acoustic doesn't sound at it's best until it's been played for at least 20-30 years, which doesn't really help if you've got a gig that night.
    I think it's 5-7 years
    Some  say guitars deteriorate after 30 years

    I use a Tonerite to simulate aging. It does make a difference
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  • JCA2550JCA2550 Frets: 431
    I don't dispute that almost all well built instruments should improve with playing in, it's just that a great guitar should start out as a great guitar and, get even greater with playing! When I worked at Ivor Mairants in the late 80s, we sold pretty much more Martins in London than anyone else. There were some absolute stunners and some not so stunning guitars, but the Reps from the Dreadnought Guitar Company would always roll out the "yes but it's a Martin, and needs to be played to wake it up. Preferably with a flat pick"
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11790
    JCA2550 said:
    I don't dispute that almost all well built instruments should improve with playing in, it's just that a great guitar should start out as a great guitar and, get even greater with playing! When I worked at Ivor Mairants in the late 80s, we sold pretty much more Martins in London than anyone else. There were some absolute stunners and some not so stunning guitars, but the Reps from the Dreadnought Guitar Company would always roll out the "yes but it's a Martin, and needs to be played to wake it up. Preferably with a flat pick"
    Ivor Mairants use the ToneRite now -  I assume some guitars need more of it
    I understand that cedar-topped guitars need less of a break-in
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  • AliGorieAliGorie Frets: 308
    I’m one of these boring kinda guys in that I think long and hard as to the things I need / want, do the ground work and eventually settle on a purchase.
    I’ve got a guitar or two, one I’ve had for almost thirty years and another about fifteen, I remember how these two guitars were when I bought them and the process of playing them in, one with a cedar top took about two to three years and the other spruce about four to five years. Both guitars continued to get better over the years and the value of having an instrument that you know intimately is not to be underestimated.
    Just something I think gets overlooked by those that feel the pressures of the need for continually changing. 

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