Martin Guitar

I am thinking about ordering this guitar, the only thing is that I really hate to buy a guitar without playing it first. They don't have this model at my local guitar shop ( all of their Martins are $1500 and up ). What do you all think? It's a Martin so it must be a decent guitar right?

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin-DSM-Solid-Top-Dreadnought-Mahogany-Spruce-Acoustic-Guitar-103121000-i1171363.gc

never played one, but it has an average of 5 stars so it must be pretty good

I hit up guitar center a while back checking out some guitars. I'm not sure if i played this one or not but they had one (think it was a working man's or something) and it was a POS. It had a big split in the grain and played awful, and sounded worse.

That may have just been a bad one though. I would not get a guitar unless you play it first or they will give you 30 days same as cash if you think it's junk. especially with something at that dollar amount. The martins do have a chunky neck that may take some getting used to.

I have a sigma which is martin wannabe's like eipiphone wanna be Gibson. It has great woods and sound better than many high dollar acoustics. (i may have just got lucky)

My brother had played alverez's for years and swears by them and they have a much thinner neck. I played it and fumbled around like it was my first time on the guitar. the scale was smaller or something too.

I like Martins, but I've only ever played $1500 - $2000 Martins.

Alvarezs are also pretty good, but their necks are kind of strange in my opinion, atleast the one that I have. Instead of being round or flat, it's kind of triangular. I'm not sure if they're all like this though, I haven't really played enough.

Another really good acoustic guitar maker is Seagull. I played one at guitar center for about the same price as the Martin you're looking at and instantly fell in love. My next acoustic guitar will be a Seagull.

Ovations are also really good, but they're the electric guitarists acoustic guitar. Not to say their acoustic sound isn't good, but they're meant to be plugged into an amplifier. I still think it's strange that they use composites for the back of the guitar. They use the same composite materials used in helicopter blades, which are supposed to reduce natural reverberations, so putting them in a guitar doesn't make sense to me. But then again, that's why they make the guitars and I don't! :P

I just bought a Martin a month ago and i like it ALOT! But you gotta play it, there is no substitute for holding it in your hands and checking EVERYTHING like action, tone, and feel of the neck. I don't find anything strange about the neck on mine and i wouldn't classify it as chunky so there may be slight differences in neck thickness dependent on model. Mine is a HD-28. I drove 80 miles to guitar center and sat in the room for over an hour plaing ALL the models until i decided on this one. I'm very happy with my choice.
LP, you just GOTTA sit down and play them. please don't buy online (maybe more so with an acoustic).
I found the Martins in the price range you are looking at to have a nice rich sound on the low notes without sacrificing brightness at the high end. I think in the end you'll be very happy with martin. One on the models i tried, when i went to do a bend on the low E string (6) the string went right over the side of the neck so i put that one down, and that's why you just have to sit down and play them. Plus, some of the body styles may be less comfortable for you depending on how you hold and play your acoustic guitars. PM me if you want to know more.
Phip

I played a Martin a few years back and it felt really comfortable. Beautiful sound too. The only other acoustic I've played that came anywhere close was a Taylor.

Taylors and Martins are amazing pieces of wood.

that they are man I fuckin dig the Martin a buddy has

Try some Larrivee models. I did, and I can't really play any other model of guitar below the $1500 mark, without saying: "My guitar sounds better"

I have an OM-03 model. The 000 series of Martin is pretty good, and will put you around $980. Try some Sam Ash stores if there are any by you, they have a wide selection of Takamine, Martin, and Larrivee. Those i would suggest are the 3 best companies at the $800-$1200 mark.

Then again, I look for a balanced guitar for fingerstyle. If you are going to be playing just chords and strumming... you may want to look for a large jumbo or dreadnought guitar that really has a booming bass.

Has anyone tried Laguna guitars? I just purchased one, and their really decent, around the 500 dollar mark. It has the feel of a lower grade martin at a cheaper price.

My acoustic is a Martin DX-1. It a lower price range (400-500) guitar, but plays beautifully. If you end up ordering it online, pay attention to the weather when you have it shipped to avoid have your untouched guitar warp or crack. My Martin was put on backorder and didn't get shipped until the first week in December. When I opened it, she was frozen.