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Martin 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings
by Randal
I've been playing my guitar on and off for quite a while now, and I can slaughter a good tune every now and then. Sometimes people even claim to recognise the tune that I am playing, which is a nice compliment - I think. But either way, I do take pride in looking after my guitar, and when one of the strings broke a while back (they're ... not very forgiving when they catch on a door handle unfortunately) I was in the market to get a new one. Now looking around on Amazon, whilst I was only looking for one string, I was pleasantly surprised at how cheaply an entire set of strings could be bought for - for as little as £4 - £5. So going on Amazon reviews as a sort of guideline for quality, I went for these Martin 80/20 Bronze Acoustic Guitar Strings for £4.50 delivered, which seemed to be getting a lot of good user reviews on Amazon.
What do you get? Well the string sets come in 3 different grades - Medium, Light and Extra Light, which basically refers to the thickness or gauges of the strings, and hence, how they will sound when played. Being an 'average' guitarist, I went for the Medium brand, with string thicknesses of 0.013", 0.017", 0.026", 0.035", 0.045" and 0.056", where the Light brand are slightly thinner and the Extra Light thinner again.
The Medium is meant to give a slightly deeper sound and are less prone to breaking when played, hence giving a little bit more longevity to the strings, whereas the Light and Extra light are meant to give a crisper, lighter sound. Of interest, the actual advertising for the Medium strings quotes them as being suitable for rock rhythm styles of playing. The strings themselves are high quality with a centre core and the wire wrap around the outside. Now they are referred to as 80/20 because that has to do with the material composition - an alloy of 80% copper and 20% tin which makes up the bronze sting.
Installing them on your guitar is pretty straight forward, as any guitarist will know, although a few months later when I was tuning my guitar, the top E string snapped, which meant I had to buy another packet of these strings. Not sure if it failed prematurely, or whether I was just being a little heavy handed with turning the key, but snapping after only a few months of use was a little disappointing, but easy enough to replace again with the same brand, and has been going strong for nearly a year without reoccurrence.
Thus far, they have shown no further signs of wear or breakage, still giving that warm sound. So for the money, they offered very good value and proved to be a worthwhile investment.
In summary, it was quite surprising to discover how cheap a set of decent guitar strings could be bought for, (which was fortunate for both sets I purchased). OK, the top E string issue may have been my fault, but installing a new one has ensured that my guitar still sounds good with these quality strings. So giving the benefit of the doubt for the top E issue, these strings are worthy of a 4* recommendation.
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Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar Kit
by -michelle-
~A Little Introduction as to why I bought this Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar Kit~
Years ago, I got myself a guitar because I'd decided I wanted to learn how to play. My mum and my sister had been playing for years, they played guitar at the folk mass at church every Sunday. So after buying my own guitar I set about ... learning how to play. I'd bought myself a cheap basic guitar from Argos. That was around twenty years ago. I still have that same guitar but never learned to play any more than three basic chords.
Now, all these years later my son asked me if he could have a go on my ancient, battered looking, old guitar. I didn't have a problem with him wanting to have a go as long as he took care of it. The guitar was totally out of tune and I had no idea how to tune it correctly, but my son insisted he still wanted to have a go. This I thought was going to be a terrible experience for my ears, but I let him go ahead.
Over the next few weeks he messed about with my guitar. Then one day he ran to me excitedly claiming he had managed to tune the guitar and wasted no time strumming the guitar so I could hear for myself. He had indeed managed to tune it which really surprised me. Now to cut a long story short, I know I do go on. Over a short period of time he managed to teach himself several chords, the only help he had was the internet. I have to say he really surprised me with his determination to do this. It was not long after, that he asked if he could have his own guitar. Well after everything he'd learnt and the time and effort he'd put in with my old thing, how could I refuse.
~The Search Was On~
I searched Amazon and came across this Martin Smith Guitar; I instantly loved the beautiful blue colour and decided this was the one for my son. Along with the guitar there were lots of other things included. These consisted of a strap, a spare set of strings, plectrums, a DVD tutor and a year free online lessons. I got all this for £49.98 and free postage. This guitar package is now being sold for £44.98 which I think is an absolute steal.
~Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar~
The guitar is a full size acoustic guitar with all six strings being steel. Ideal for anyone aged 12 or over. I have to say it looks amazing, when I compare it alongside my old guitar, I almost feel sorry for my old one. The Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar has a beautiful slim neck, which along with the fret board is made from Maple wood, the slim neck makes it easier to reach the right strings for the right chords. The tuning pegs are silver and made from metal, much better quality than the plastic ones that can crack; these hold the strings neatly in place and really do look the part, with Martin Smith written in silver letters in a fancy way across the top of the head stock. At the other end of the guitar is the bridge which holds the other end of the strings in place, this looks really neat and compact. Spruce and Agathis are the woods used to make up the body of the guitar. The sound hole is surrounded by a sliver trim with a black plastic scratch board beneath it. Finishing it off is a two tone shiny blue gloss, making it a really lovely looking guitar.
The Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar has been made in such a way that is perfect for the beginner, the strings are easy to hold down and therefore not so much pressure on soft finger tips that are not used to it. Also as I have already mentioned the neck is slim, this is really important because little hands and fingers could struggle with a wide neck. The strings have to be held down quite hard and this guitar makes it easy to do this.
The sound quality is really good, to hear him play now, really is music to my ears. I can't fault the quality of the sound at all.
~The Accessories~
The strap is made from a black webbing material, which is strong enough to hold the guitar comfortably. It was very easy to fit onto the guitar and it can be adjusted to the length required.
The spare strings have already proved very useful, it's a pain but it is a fact, that strings will and do snap, but they are not expensive to replace, I found I can get them for around 85p each, so it's not really a big deal. My son can change the strings himself; this is useful because I wouldn't have a clue. We always make sure he has plenty of spares put away for emergencies.
The plectrums included are fine, nothing to really write home about though, they are white in colour, they do the job but I wouldn't say they were the best, my son finds them a little hard as he prefers a plectrum to be a little more flexible.
The DVD tutor is quite useful, this goes through all the basics in learning how to play, my son can go at his own pace with this and refer to it as and when he wants to. I think he's about half way into it, he really doesn't use it much; he prefers to get help and information off the internet.
The online lessons, he has had a look at these and finds them quite helpful, he has a year of lessons for free and can use them whenever he chooses.
~Looking for Faults~
I really cannot find any faults with this guitar and believe me, with the price being so reasonable I searched very hard to find faults, I was expecting at least something about the guitar to not be up to scratch, but being totally honest, and I have not found anything about this guitar to complain about. I am really impressed and wouldn't hesitate to buy another Martin Smith guitar. It really is great value for money.
~Overall~
In just short of two months, my son has gone from making the most terrible noise on my old guitar to playing "Wild Thing" by the Trogs on his very own Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar. Not one day has passed without him picking up his guitar and playing it, each day he improves more and more, I feel that this guitar has helped him progress so quickly, he says it's a joy to play. I'm beginning to think the guitar is a part of him, it's never too far away from him, it's just great for him and he loves it.
My son has taught himself how to play and although I may be biased it sounds fantastic when he plays. He has been attending guitar lessons at school over the past few weeks and is currently learning to play "The Importance of being idle" by Oasis, this is what he's working on at school. In his spare time he is now teaching himself how to play "Layla" by Eric Clapton, the acoustic version. Right now Eric Clapton is his idol and he strives to play like him. He is doing a fantastic job and his dedication is second to none. I already have his Christmas Present ready for him and I can't wait to hear him play it. I've got him an electric guitar, so he can play "Layla" as it's meant to be played. You will probably be seeing a review for that in the New Year.
I have no regrets whatsoever in buying this Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar Kit for my son, it has even inspired me to want to start learning to play again but above all it has proved to be a very reasonable amount of money, very well spent in my opinion.
If you are looking to learn how to play or for your child to learn then I can highly recommend this Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar, from both mine and my sons experience we'd both say it is the perfect guitar to use if you are a beginner and learning how to play for the first time.
~The main things you need to know~
The Product - Martin Smith W-100 Acoustic Guitar Kit.
The Price - £44.98 with free postage and packing.
The Place to buy - Amazon.
Thank you for reading my review which may also appear on other sites.
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