 |
Martin Guitars D-15
by chief07john
I bought a Martin D-15 from GAK (Guitars and Keyboards) in Brighton a couple of years ago. I was looking for a new guitar and, for once, had a decent amount of money to spend. I spent a good couple of hours in the shop playing scores of guitars, from Martins to Taylors, and this was the one that really caught both my eye and my ear. I ... really like the dark mahogany finish and it's very similar to John Frusciante's Martin, which is the same model, just not a dreadnought.
I literally adore this guitar, it's my prize possession and probably my favourite thing i've ever bought. The Martin D-15 truly is an amazing guitar, it's beautifully crafted and the sound that comes from it is wonderful.
I'll break down why i love this guitar so much into sections to give you a better idea; it's an acoustic too so there's no pickup, EQ, etc. to review.
MATERIAL AND BODY:
The D-15 is made of Mahogany with a solid top. The choice of wood gives the guitar not only a beautiful finish (that stands out from most guitars, which are made of a lighter wood) but a resonance and tone that is just impossible for cheaper guitars to match. The tuning pegs are all individually stamped with the Martin logo and are extremely resilient; i haven't had to change or repair them once since i bought it.
TONE AND SUSTAIN:
It's extremely difficult to explain the beauty and clarity of the tone of this guitar, you really need to hear it to grasp just how amazing it sounds. When strummed over the sound hole the guitar is very loud and you can clearly hear each individual string, creating a rich and full harmony.
The sustain is amazing, i've just strummed a C chord and put the guitar down and i can still hear the guitar a good 20 seconds later. You'll struggle to find a guitar that can match the D-15's tone without breaking the £1,000 mark.
INTONATION:
The intonation on the D-15 it literally perfect. There's very little more i can say about it to be honest - the difference in intonation when playing an open A chord and an A barre chord is zero. When playing with a capo the guitar's intonation is still perfect, and, at least on my guitar, that has been consistent over the last couple of years.
WEIGHT AND BALANCE:
The Martin D-15 is EXTREMELY light, it still surprises me now just how light the guitar is when you pick it up. Everytime someone comes round to the house and plays this guitar they comment on how light it is. It's so light that it feels fragile, however i can tell you first hand that it is actually extremely robust.
The balance of the guitar is very impressive, you can stand it straight up in the middle of the room completely unsupported and it will just stay there. I sometimes leave it stood up for hours and it never moves. It's incredible.
ACCESSORIES
The guitar comes with a Martin hardcase, which is really tough and will protect your guitar from pretty much anything. The case is lined with beautiful green felt and has a small compartment for strings, your capo, picks, etc. The only downside to the case is that it's extremely heavy and can only be carried with one hand, down by your side. It does the job it's meant to do though and i guess that's all you can ask, especially when the guitar itself is so light!
Overall, I would (and have) recommend this guitar to anyone who was looking to buy a nice guitar. It's a gorgeous piece of craftmanship and in my opinion is the best guitar you can buy under £1,000.
Read the complete review |
 |
Martin Guitars LX1
by Caveat-Emptor
My review of the Martin LX1 Guitar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well we've just rolled into 2010 and I've sadly just put my Christmas tree away and finished the last of my selection boxes. The cars buried under a foot of snow so I'm amusing myself on Dooyoo again!!
But rather than review the collection of socks I had ... for Xmas or complain about the train set I didn't get, I've decided to review the Martin LX1 guitar that I happened upon a few weeks back.
I used to work in guitar shops so I was lucky enough to try out, set and sell (and sometimes buy -lol!) pretty much every guitar I ever wanted to, but somehow the LX1 slipped under my radar...
... until I came across one second hand in a music shop in Birmingham just before Christmas.
Martin Guitars
~~~~~~~~~
Martin are probably the most famous and certainly one of the most respected manufacturers of acoustic guitars in the world. They can certainly lay claim to be the oldest of the large guitar companies - dating all the way back to 1833 would you believe?
I'm unashamedly a fan of Martin guitars though I do hold other brands in high esteem too. Generally speaking, for someone unfamiliar with Martin instruments, they occupy the very upmarket section of the acoustic guitar world.
They're the sort of acoustic guitars that guitarists drool over and promise themselves they'll buy one day when their lotto numbers come up. Actually they're not unbelievably expensive; most can be bought for between 1 and 2 thousand pounds, but that's still a lot of money for most folks -me included...
So imagine my surprise when I saw a Martin guitar for £200 second hand (and they're only around the £320 to £350 mark.
The LX1 Martin Guitar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now don't get me wrong the Martin LX1 is not built to the same spec as the top of the range Martins, and another clue to it's down market status is the fact that it's full title is the LX1 Little Martin ... with emphasis on the 'little' -lol!.
What 'Little' refers to is the scale length - which is a mere 23 inches and is hence what many of us players would class as a 3/4 size instrument.
3/4 size instruments are generally for younger students to learn on, but the LX1 is I suspect designed for an adult sized guitarist who wants a travel guitar.
Travel Guitars
~~~~~~~~~
Over recent years there has been a rise in the popularity of travel guitars - guitars with much smaller scale length and body size/depth. Many a hobby guitarist has wanted a smaller instrument to take away with them on holiday or to work/college to play in the lunch break etc.
Pro players occasionally buy travel guitars too as a convenient instrument to drag round hotel rooms etc, as it saves unpacking your proper instruments from their flight cases.
So while travel guitars are very convenient and very useful instruments, they tend not to be very big on sound (because of their small body) and not very punch sounding (because of the reduced scale length).
Sound/Playability
~~~~~~~~~~~
The LX1 falls firmly intro the travel guitar category although it's not expressly sold as such. The Solid Sitka Spruce Top really helps the tone of te guitar shine through - and I was quite impressed at the projection the LX1 had for such a small guitar.
The small tuners felt well geared and responded smoothly to my altering the pitches to bring the guitar up to standard tuning pitches (EADGBE). Though I think it would actually sound better if I tuned it a half step higher given the shorter scale length (I would have concerns about the bracing coping with the increased tension over time if I did so though).
The sound although clear and precise was (as I would expect from this size body) lacking depth and warmth... By necessity the LX1 uses 10 gauge (extra light) strings - any heavier and the bridge might be in danger of being pulled off eventually, or even worse the guitar might 'belly' over a few years (when the bridge pulls up a little and the bracing fails to the point where the top of the guitar gets distorted). Heavier gauge strings would help the guitars tone but at what cost to the guitar long-term I wonder... Martin usually warn against fitting heavier gauges to these sort of guitars, but as I didn't see the literature I can't be sure about this particular model.
The set up on the guitar wasn't bad at all - being a second hand instrument all the work on the saddle and nut had already been attended too, and the truss rod was set nice and straight with a minimal concave bow, just the way I like it.
The rosewood fretboard seemed a little dried out - but nothing I couldn't fix with a bit of lemon oil and a rag, and the fret edges were finished nicely.
Verdict
~~~~~
The Little Martin LX1 didn't quite win my heart, as I've seen other travel guitars that I liked as much for slightly less money. But still; a genuine Martin guitar for under £350 new (or £200 second hand) it's certainly tempting!
Thanks for reading my review, and a Happy New Year to all (which won't make a lot of sense if you read this review half way through the year -lol!)
Caveat-Emptor x
Read the complete review |
