I have decided to invest in a Martin acoustic. I have an early 70s Gibson Hummingbird I bought in the late 80s: been played alot and is now battered, bruised with a three-inch crack on the back. Needs some serious TLC.
In spite of its condition, it's a keeper and my 'baby'. It's also got the Stones connection etc...

Because the Hummingbird is fragile, I've decided to now keep it in safe conditions only(not take it everywhere, not leave it laying around etc) I didn't take as good care of it as I should have and now I want a second guitar for playing, whether it's at home or gigging.
I originally intended on buying an inexpensive Epiphone since it was a second guitar and they sound nice...but upon a few trips to several music stores and realizing that nothing really compares to the real thing, whether its a Gibson or Martin or Fender etc.... I have decided to just dive in, bite my lip and buy a real Martin. By real I mean not the lower end laminate models. I've never used a Martin, and want to experience it as a musician who has been playing since I was 13. Why not right? I've already got my Hummingbird, so this to me is the next frontier as a player.
But what? I saw a used 90s model at local store for about a grand. I went back it was gone. So that's that. The store has a 1974 D18 that's a little too pricey for me. It looked purty, sounded nice but the neck was a little thicker than the older and newer Martins I've tried. I can't afford vintage (30s-60s), and I'm not sure about the quality of the 70s Martins from the research I've done...
I also looked at a brand new model called the Sustainable Wood Series that sells for about a grand and sounds great. I'm not looking for vintage necessarily, but I'd rather have a used just for the warmer, broken-in sound and feel.
But for a grand, is it worth it to just buy a brand new Martin?
I'm a guitar snob, but realistically cannot buy that 1961 Martin. My first guitar was a Sigma(Korean-made by Martin and a cheaper copy of their high end D series)
I want a good Martin that I can afford.
If you managed to get through this ramble, I'd appreciate any advice.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-08 01:30 by stupidguy2.

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stupidguy2
I have decided to invest in a Martin acoustic. I have an early 70s Gibson Hummingbird I bought in the late 80s: been played alot and is now battered, bruised with a three-inch crack on the back. Needs some serious TLC.
In spite of its condition, it's a keeper and my 'baby'. It's also got the Stones connection etc...

Because the Hummingbird is fragile, I've decided to now keep it in safe conditions only(not take it everywhere, not leave it laying around etc) I didn't take as good care of it as I should have and now I want a second guitar for playing, whether it's at home or gigging.
I originally intended on buying an inexpensive Epiphone since it was a second guitar and they sound nice...but upon a few trips to several music stores and realizing that nothing really compares to the real thing, whether its a Gibson or Martin or Fender etc.... I have decided to just dive in, bite my lip and buy a real Martin. By real I mean not the lower end laminate models. I've never used a Martin, and want to experience it as a musician who has been playing since I was 13. Why not right? I've already got my Hummingbird, so this to me is the next frontier as a player.
But what? I saw a used 90s model at local store for about a grand. I went back it was gone. So that's that. The store has a 1974 D18 that's a little too pricey for me. It looked purty, sounded nice but the neck was a little thicker than the older and newer Martins I've tried. I can't afford vintage (30s-60s), and I'm not sure about the quality of the 70s Martins from the research I've done...
I also looked at a brand new model called the Sustainable Wood Series that sells for about a grand and sounds great. I'm not looking for vintage necessarily, but I'd rather have a used just for the warmer, broken-in sound and feel.
But for a grand, is it worth it to just buy a brand new Martin?
I'm a guitar snob, but realistically cannot buy that 1961 Martin. My first guitar was a Sigma(Korean-made by Martin and a cheaper copy of their high end D series)
I want a good Martin that I can afford.
If you managed to get through this ramble, I'd appreciate any advice.

Concerning the Hummingbird: you can take it to a good luthier and have it fixed to such extend that you can take it to a 250 gig world tour, and it'll cost you 300 bucks. The guitar should be played, and not kept safe. It's not a collectable guitar, and if it sounds great play it!

Concerning Martin -it is one of the very few guitar makers that have kept their quality very high throughout the 'dark years' of guitar making. Generally put, there aren't many bad Martin's around, and the vintage ones don't differ very much from the new ones: they are all excellent playing and sounding guitars.

Some are more collectable -like the ones from before '66 when they still had Brazilion rosewood, and from before '70 when they changed the bracing style. But for any player, a good 70's martin is as good as a vintage one or a new one, and don't cost that much money.

Just play a lot of Martin's, and you will find the one you like. Do remember that some Martin's can be very loud (basically all the D-models), and not really fit for home playing if you have neighbours.

Mathijs

Just my 2 cents.

The only way to choose a guitar is on it's own terms.
It doesn't matter whether it's old or new.
Every one is a little different and some will appeal more than other when you play and hear them.

That said, you've already indicated your awareness that newer Martins tend to have more friendly necks and, on the whole, better playability .

[True "vintage" models are probably another animal, with different considerations,]

I terms of overall quality of build in modern production, the very lastest models are probably the best they've ever been and I'd tend to look at new Martin guitars before committing to a second hand one with few yeas on the clock.

On second thoghts...this is all bolloocsks really isn't it !

Just buy the guitar you like the best for a bit more money than you can sensibly afford to spend... and you'll be happy with it for a long time ;^)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-08 16:45 by Spud.

consider a Taylor...or a Yamaha..so many Martins..they cost if not an arm and a leg, at least an elbow and a knee

i went to a guitar trading and collector show recently, was amazed at prices for Martin guitars..reckon they are good investments.

I prefer Gibson acoustics to Martins, but it is an aesthetic choice, not a quality one. Martins are great, but as Mathijs said, I would just have my Hummingbird repaired if I were you. I had a Gibson J-160E re-braced. It was expensive, not as much as a new Martin!

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duke richardson
consider a Taylor...or a Yamaha..so many Martins..they cost if not an arm and a leg, at least an elbow and a knee

i went to a guitar trading and collector show recently, was amazed at prices for Martin guitars..reckon they are good investments.

Yeah, I would also at least try out a Taylor - very nice sounding, but a Martin is a Martin...

If you look around, take your time and know what you're doing, you can find a used Martin at a very good price. Then you basically have a playable bank account that can easily be turned into cash and will increase in value as the price of new Martins increases. Check out the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum. Lots of great info there.

I have owned a 1977 D28 ince 1995 and it is the the best guitar I have ever owned and played. In my opinion. I generally find the older Martins, made before ~ 1980, to have a more depth and dynamics than the newer ones, probably because the older ones have been played in. Mathijs is certainly right in that they are loud, especially the rosewood models such as the D28 but that is how they were designed to be in 1934 so they could be heard above other instruments and project better. If you can, I would buy an older one as they not only typically sound better, they appreciate in value (I bought mine for ~ $1,000 and was was recently appraised at $1,700)

Also consider what sort of music you play. Do you just strum, finger pick and so on? I have found that mahogany bodied guitars like the D18 tend to be more trebly and are well suited for finger picking while the D28 is great for single line picking, strumming and so on. Not to say you can't to it all on either. I play all of that stuff on my D28 and sounds great for all of those styles. One has to just keep looking and playing them until the right one comes along.A friend of mine recently bought a 1971 D28 for ~ $1,400 so deals are out there. You just have to look. Good luck and let us know what you get!

Thanks for the feedback. My budget keeps increasing in that I was originally going to go for the lower end models because of affordability, But I'm realizing that you can't really get "the real thing" for under about 2 grand. I'm really liking the D28 brand new - if I could find one a few years old that would be ideal...but I know a local dealer who will give me a fair deal....
But why not? It's an investment, but worth it. Any thoughts of the new D28s?
*And my Hummingbird is always going to be my pride and joy, but like I said, I want to experience a Martin.

A couple thoughts. Are you in the US? If so, keep a watch on Craigslist. I have bought two Martins there in recent years, a D-18 and an M-36 for a thousand or less. Believe it or not, I saw a couple year old D-28 go for $500 within the past month but it was only up for an hour before it sold. Amazing deal for someone. Tough times and people need cash.

If you are buying new and are in the US, the lifetime warranty is a plus. I bought my first Martin in 1978. Still have it and have used the warranty twice--both times for minor issues. If you are buying new, be sure you want to keep the guitar for many years.

You can't go wrong with a D-28. Legendary guitar. You should be able to get a new one for 40% off list. Also check out the HD-28.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-09 02:27 by rowley.

Isn't the old Gibson J-45 in legendary status as well?

Undercover1

Sure is!

Here's a D-18 $1200 or best offer in NJ.

[jerseyshore.craigslist.org]

I have a 66 D-28 and a 54 Gibson Country Western but my favorite acoustic is a EAN 10C Takamine... In the case of an acoustic close your eyes to the name and buy what suits you.

For those of us with less money.. is the Martin D-1 value?

Mathijs is 1000% correct early 70's Martins are a great value. There's a distinction between pre factory fire and post factory fire/lifetime warranty/adjustable truss rod which is around 1973. I have had a few early 70's D-35's and D-28's they are great but usually more like $2000 playing perfectly. Guitar traders like me know that the best deal in 60's 70's Martins usually involves needing a neck set (neck removal and re-glue) so you have to know your stuff with vintage or older acoustics. 90% of vintage dreadnought style Martins have had or need a neck set. When it comes to modern Martins I'd take a serious look at high end Takamines and Alverez too. For cheaper stuff Blueridge is amazing...[blueridge-guitar.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-09 18:51 by DoomandGloom.

The Recording Kings get high marks as well. [www.premierguitar.com]

Don't laugh.

I have a Vintage V300 that I bought for approx £100 and is the dogs whatsits (after I dressed the frets).

Small bodied, attractive (no stupid Vintage headstock), sweet and LOUD (for some reason).



Honest.

It's fantastic.

It does get mentioned as "the best guitar for under $1000" a lot.

I bought a 1980 HD28 about 10 years ago for $1800 and a trade in for $700. The dealer was asking $2500...I tuned her to open G and immediately fell in love as if struck by a lightening bolt.I could not walk out of the shop without having her...my advice is find a Martin you fall in love with and go for the extra $$$. If you amortize the extra $1000-1500 over the next 10-15 years will cost ya about $100/year for a keeper forever. Every time I pick mine up its like having the most beautiful lover in my arms.
RB..

The new Martins are great sounding guitars with plenty of mileage to go for some hard playing.

Here is a link to some Martin guitars that will be offered for sale:

[whereseric.com]

An excerpt from the article:

About the Martin Eric Clapton “Crossroads” Signature Guitars: Guitar Center, in partnership with Eric Clapton and C.F. Martin Guitar, has commissioned a limited edition of three of the finest and most desirable Martin instruments ever made - hand crafted to Eric Clapton’s personal specification by the C.F. Martin Custom Shop. Based on the legendary 14 fret 000 body style first introduced in 1934, these exquisite guitars are uniquely appointed with “Crossroads” pearl inlays and bear the personal, hand-written signatures of Eric Clapton and Chris Martin on both the Certificate Of Authenticity and sound hole label. Constructed from the finest and rarest tone woods, they are available in three versions: a 000-28EC Madagascar Rosewood (on sale March 2013); a 000-45EC Madagascar Rosewood; and a 000-45EC in Brazilian Rosewood.

Due to the exotic tone-woods and hand-crafted construction quantities are necessarily limited and Guitar Center is the exclusive retailer in the USA. The two 000-45EC models are available via special order effective immediately, with first deliveries starting in March / April 2013.

• Martin 000-28EC “Crossroads” Madagascar Rosewood will retail for US $5,999 msrp - available 21 March
• Martin 000-45EC “Crossroads” Madagascar Rosewood will retail for US $12,999 msrp - available now for ordering
• Martin 000-45EC “Crossroads” Brazilian Rosewood will retail for US $49,999 msrp - available now for ordering

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RockinBud
I bought a 1980 HD28 about 10 years ago for $1800 and a trade in for $700. The dealer was asking $2500...I tuned her to open G and immediately fell in love as if struck by a lightening bolt.I could not walk out of the shop without having her...my advice is find a Martin you fall in love with and go for the extra $$$. If you amortize the extra $1000-1500 over the next 10-15 years will cost ya about $100/year for a keeper forever. Every time I pick mine up its like having the most beautiful lover in my arms.
RB..

I think I'd rather go with a brand new D28 - with the advantage of letting it age and increase in value and warmth etc...not that I care about the collectibility, but I want something that will age gracefully rather than a cheaper model of inferior quality.
Another question: does the natural grain get darker as it ages? They tend to look really pale when new, but those old Martins have that beautiful deeper brown color....
I think I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm going for the new D28...
the 74 Martin D18 I tried didn't blow me away soundwise...whereas the new 28 was just fantastic.

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stupidguy2

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RockinBud
I bought a 1980 HD28 about 10 years ago for $1800 and a trade in for $700. The dealer was asking $2500...I tuned her to open G and immediately fell in love as if struck by a lightening bolt.I could not walk out of the shop without having her...my advice is find a Martin you fall in love with and go for the extra $$$. If you amortize the extra $1000-1500 over the next 10-15 years will cost ya about $100/year for a keeper forever. Every time I pick mine up its like having the most beautiful lover in my arms.
RB..

I think I'd rather go with a brand new D28 - with the advantage of letting it age and increase in value and warmth etc...not that I care about the collectibility, but I want something that will age gracefully rather than a cheaper model of inferior quality.
Another question: does the natural grain get darker as it ages? They tend to look really pale when new, but those old Martins have that beautiful deeper brown color....
I think I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm going for the new D28...
the 74 Martin D18 I tried didn't blow me away soundwise...whereas the new 28 was just fantastic.

Makes sense to buy what you like. A new guitar is always fun plus you get a warranty and Martin stands behind it. The tops get darker but while they are pale they can get blotchy a little sunshine will help it darken evenly. It also makes sense for long term value to stay with a warhorse model like the time tested D-28... There's no way this can be a bad decision, wanna sell the Hummingbird?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-09 23:31 by DoomandGloom.

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DoomandGloom

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stupidguy2

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RockinBud
I bought a 1980 HD28 about 10 years ago for $1800 and a trade in for $700. The dealer was asking $2500...I tuned her to open G and immediately fell in love as if struck by a lightening bolt.I could not walk out of the shop without having her...my advice is find a Martin you fall in love with and go for the extra $$$. If you amortize the extra $1000-1500 over the next 10-15 years will cost ya about $100/year for a keeper forever. Every time I pick mine up its like having the most beautiful lover in my arms.
RB..

I think I'd rather go with a brand new D28 - with the advantage of letting it age and increase in value and warmth etc...not that I care about the collectibility, but I want something that will age gracefully rather than a cheaper model of inferior quality.
Another question: does the natural grain get darker as it ages? They tend to look really pale when new, but those old Martins have that beautiful deeper brown color....
I think I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm going for the new D28...
the 74 Martin D18 I tried didn't blow me away soundwise...whereas the new 28 was just fantastic.

Makes sense to buy what you like. A new guitar is always fun plus you get a warranty and Martin stands behind it. The tops get darker but while they are pale they can get blotchy a little sunshine will help it darken evenly. It also makes sense for long term value to stay with a warhorse model like the time tested D-28... There's no way this can be a bad decision, wanna sell the Hummingbird?

Thanks and no...lol
As far as I know the Hummingbird is not really collectible because of the era of supposedly inferior quality (71-73?) But it's got that great, resonant sound - people would always comment on that booming but warm tone. And you know as a Stones fan, it has that special signfincance. The first song I ever played on it (at the guitar store) was Blood Red Wine....so it's my keeper 'vintage' guitar, which is why I wanted to go new with the Martin.
I figure I can't go wrong....
Plus, the local Martin dealer gave me a very fair price...this guy has a shop where he sells new and used, but in the back he has a room with three locks, chains and bars where he keeps his vintage collection. It's like walking into a temple, the smell of the old wood is just fantastic. When I was there the other day he whispered to me 'Let me show you something' and shut the door...I'm like 'WTF?!' and he opens a case to reveal a 1930-something Martin, in beautiful condition.
Priceless.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-10 01:19 by stupidguy2.

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GravityBoy
Don't laugh.

I have a Vintage V300 that I bought for approx £100 and is the dogs whatsits (after I dressed the frets).

Small bodied, attractive (no stupid Vintage headstock), sweet and LOUD (for some reason).



Honest.

It's fantastic.

It does get mentioned as "the best guitar for under $1000" a lot.

Nice looking guitar. I was tempted by the smaller bodied 00028 (?)for the easier playability and comfort. But the D28 is closer to my first guitar in style and I always loved the feel, look and sound of the dreadnought models....

I've heard good things about blueridge guitars. Replicated pre war martins. Just play a lot of guitars in your price range. New used whatever. Get the one with the best sound!

Go Dawgs!

The Martin HD 28 sounds a bit different to the Martin D 28.

I think they put another kind of bracing pattern.....

I have a Vintage (brand) lemon drop which is a copy of the Peter Green Gary Moore LP.. under $300 and it is a damn fine guitar. I use it live now and then.

I like newer Martins because I am not a fan of the hard V necks on the older ones. I have four martins and my fav is a 00015 non slot. that is a beautiful sounding and playing guitar.

Would love to have a Martin guitar, but money and she who must be obeyed are each a problem.

Regarding the opening comment and its mention of Sigma, I have two Sigma by Martin guitars, both MIJ. One's a DM-5 which I've had work done on over the years such as adding better tuners. The guitar guys who have worked on it said they'd put it up against any of the $1000-$1500 dollar Martins or similar guitars available today. It's got a great sound. I acquired a Sigma by Martin DR-35 about two years. Had it inspected, tweaked, plays like a dream. It has a nice rich tone to it.

I mention the two acoustic guitars I have because you can find Sigmas on e-bay or Craig's List. Depending on the model and where it was made - MIJ being the key - Sigmas are a good buy for an acoustic when you don't want to pay a lot of money for a guitar.

I have a beautiful Martin, it was a difficult decision once I trialled the Taylor, but the Martin won out

Yeah those Martin D-28's are nice. They project pretty well and vintage ones without neck problems are sweet. The problem with a great deal of the ones I've seen are the that they do develop neck problems and the action up the neck and intonation are proportionally off. Just lots of high priced almost unplayable stuff out there.

I know a luthier who makes a damn good living buying old Martins with neck problems, breaking the neck off and resetting them perfectly. When he's done you basically have a vintage broken in Martin that plays perfectly. Just amazing. The process he goes through to get the neck off is pretty scary...drilling little holes and injecting steam into the neck joints for a while then stressing the joint until it gives! The guy has balls of steel to treat those old instruments that way but he very rarely makes mistakes and the finished products are just superb.

One thing I like to do with acoustics is stand out in front of them when someone else is playing them. It's amazing how different they sound from when you're playing them. Of course it's important that it sound good to you while your playing because that's where inspiration comes from but in order to choose between two that sound equal in your hand, the out front test is a great thing. Just a generalization but my Taylors seem to sound better in my lap while the Martins sound better out front.

Finally if you like Martins some of the best I've played are the 12-fret models (body of the guitar joins the neck at the 12th fret). 000 models and the 00-21 New Yorker are some examples. Because the neck is shorter it causes the bridge to be in the middle of the soundboard and it usually gives incredible volume and tone from such a smaller guitar. Often louder and crisper than the 14 fret models. Anybody who's played a few knows what I'm talking about. Besides they are just small enough to fit in most airline overhead compartments.

That's a tough one. I've my trustee Gibson, but have decided I want a real Martin in my lifetime.
I struggled with this question. I'd go with used if it was from someone I trusted and would give me a good deal. Otherwise, a nice Martin D28 for under $3,000 is a steal if you can get that. Others here are better able to determine the quality of certain generations/models...but the bottom line is make sure its the real thing, and not a bastardized version of the real thing.