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Location: Phoenix AZ | Yeah I picked up the CSN tribute. I didn't notice the neck profile, however. Dave |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Colt, I'm pretty certain that they were D35's. Maybe I had the year wrong....
Beautiful slide show. I figured you had the year wrong. The '67 D-35 I've talked about here before is hands down the most impressive guitar I've played or heard. Simply awesome!!!
And you're right; that's a beautiful slideshow. |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by Jeff:
It sounds like you're suggesting the only guitars Martin builds these days that are worthwhile are the Golden Era, Authentic, and Marquis series reissues. If that's what you're saying, then I must soundly dissagree. I own two Standard Series Martins that are, IMHO, the two best sounding acoustic guitars I've ever had the privilege to own. Actually I was using "golden era" as a generic term rather than quoting from their marketing. I think some of their entry and mid-level traditional stuff is pretty damn good for the money. I was refering to their formica/aluminum/reso junk. They are really doing themselves a disservice putting the Martin name on that crap. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Maybe in the UK they didn't watch "Felix" when they were children ...
I have to agree with Paul. The cowboy stuff, betty boob, felix and the formicas are a joke. On the Martin board I wrote that I did not consider them "real" martins. They banned my IP address.
Dave |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Bit touchy are they? |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Fascists.
(. . . but at least they have standards :-/ ) |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Paul, altho I understand what you are trying to say, I believe you are failing to recognize that there is a whole segment of society that could care less about fine guitars. They have no interest in what makes a great guitar. In fact they are oblivious to the benifits reaped from such instruments.
No matter what product, there will be those who know, understand and appreciate the upper end of a product line and those who are satisfied with the lower end, thinking it will get them by for what they need.
The latter is the target for the stuff you wouldn't look at twice. Me either. But it will sell and that is the bottom line for many companies; there is a reason they call it "Market Share" and companies want their share.
I suspect that many of us here did not start out playing guitar on a high end instrument. I know I sure didn't. I started on a $16 swap shop used special. Strings high enough to make a damn fine cheese slicer but I didn't know any better and to my 8 year old eyes oooh it was sooo cool. I no longer have it but fondly recall it is where I started to learn.
Over the years the guitars I've purchased have been progressively better than the one before. Evolution has to start somewhere. If the formica/aluminum/reso junk, allows financialy or its' uniqueness inspires, someone to start playing, then that junk may just be the perfect instrument for them.
We need not agree with someones choice but we should respect it.
Well that was long winded! Sorry.
Dave |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | No Dave, it was quite perfect...they can't all be punchlines. We need a set-up once in a while to fuel the fire.
For her first guitar, I bought my niece a nice little Yamaha 1/2 scale that cost about 3 times as much (in current, not adjusted dollars) as my first guitar and is at least five times the instrument!
You're quite right, of course. But we'd never let something like that get in the way of a good arguement.... |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by colt357:
. If the formica/aluminum/reso junk, allows financialy or its' uniqueness inspires, someone to start playing, then that junk may just be the perfect instrument for them.
That would be cool, the problem is that Martins formica/aluminum or whatever guitars are not good value. You are paying a lot of money for a headstock logo. The fact is there are much better guitars than Martins HPL or whatever for a lot less money. What they are doing is fooling the newbies into thinking they are buying a quality product because it says Martin on the headstock. If the newbies were experienced enough to trust their ears instead of believing the marketing hype they could buy a Crafter or whatever that plays as good and sounds better and invest the money they save in some lessons. |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
I think some of their entry and mid-level traditional stuff is pretty damn good for the money. I was refering to their formica/aluminum/reso junk. They are really doing themselves a disservice putting the Martin name on that crap. I can see your point there Paul. It was however, through that formica/aluminum/reso junk that first introduced me to Martins, after years of owning Chinese and Korean-made garbage guitars [although that's not the case in the here and now].
After acquiring my first DM model from the road series, I never realized that I would end up owning three more, which includes the HD-28 that I value highly.
Unfortunately, the formica/aluminum/reso junk was also too much of a good thing that went sour. These days, entry level Martins are far more affordable to own than a Gibson, and it puts them in the same level as the Asian-made imports. Also, the once "Made in USA" labels had been replaced with "Made in Mexico." |
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Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by colt357:
I suspect that many of us here did not start out playing guitar on a high end instrument. I know I sure didn't. I started on a $16 swap shop used special. Strings high enough to make a damn fine cheese slicer but I didn't know any better and to my 8 year old eyes oooh it was sooo cool. I no longer have it but fondly recall it is where I started to learn. Memories. I thought I had the only one.
Martin does their advertising well.
They focus on the history. Pull a lyric from a hit song and say it was written on a Martin. Which it probably was.
I would love to see Ovation put out some ads featuring the many great artist's who have used Ovation over the years. :cool: |
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Location: Omaha, NE | The problem I have with Martin is that their gestalt is all about preserving an idealized past. I'm not interested in that. I want a guitar company that looks forward. That's one of the reasons I have always been attracted to Ovation. Its also one of the reasons I am attracted to Taylor. Funny how that works. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | What Martin does with HPLs and DM and stuff, is no different than what Ovation does with Celebs. Sell 'em by the truckload and pay to keep the doors of the factory open.
The "value" proposition of these entry level guitars with famous brand names on them probably goes out the window. I suspect a significant number of entry level Martins are purchased for spoiled brats by guilt ridden parent/adults who own very expensive guitars by the same maker. If I had a 7 year old and there was an entry level guitar that said "adamas" on it, I guess I'd buy it no matter how poor a value it was.
Dave |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | I think that a large segment of society refuse to educate themselves when getting into something new.
Altho I don't like to see it, the choices of some bring to mind the old saying, "A fool and his money, are soon parted!" |
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Location: Central Florida | Originally posted by Tupperware:
On the Martin board I wrote that I did not consider them "real" martins. They banned my IP address.
Dave They banned you because of that one comment???? :eek: |
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Location: NJ | Originally posted by Jeff:
Originally posted by Tupperware:
On the Martin board I wrote that I did not consider them "real" martins. They banned my IP address.
Dave They banned you because of that one comment???? :eek: |
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Location: Central Florida | Paul T, thanks for the clarifcation on your initial comment.
I agree that that the novelty guitars and the HPL stuff are not exactly what I'd consider real Martins either (gee, I hope nobody from the UMGF sees this and gets ME banned too!). :cool: |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | OK, slight exaggeration. Actually they banned me for suggesting that Martin should build a guitar with a round plastic back. OK, OK, still joking. I was not banned, and I have NEVER mentioned one sniff about Ovation over there. They are far less open minded. Dave |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | I left the Martin board for two reasons:
1) Some jerk sent me a PM -- the exact words were "well it's a Martin, but it's not a D-28" with regards to the DM [with laminated mahogany back and sides] that I owned at that time.
I gave it a shadow of a doubt, for the reason that the tone of the responses changed when I acquired the HD-28. Suddenly, I felt that I was given some authority to express my opinions ...
2) I got in a somewhat heated argument with a member who was bashing Ovation/Adamas guitars. After defending Ovations, the "dude" went as far as not only taunting non-M guitars, but also the content of the character of individuals who own(ed) them.
That was more than enough for me to leave that board for good. It's been almost a year since leaving it, and I don't miss it one bit. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Ummmm, Gil ... that was YOU ???
Sorry about that. Dave |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Crazy people like you scare some of us, Dave. |
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Location: Hiram, Georgia | I applied to the Martin Country Club, but my application was rejected... |
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Off Topic - Flame me if you must. NAMM Martin Observations
