Back in the early 80's, I was shopping for my forever acoustic guitar. I went to a small shop that specialized in higher end acoustics. I looked at Martin, Gibson, Guild, etc. and saw a brand that I had never heard of, Taylor. I played examples of just about everything they had and I asked the shop owner about the Taylor and what he thought of it. He told me that they were very innovative but we'll see what it sounds like in 20 years. It was very bright sounding and notes were very articulate. I basically left with a 1972 Martin D35 and have never looked back. Taylor has made huge strides and now that I live in San Diego, I really appreciate what they are doing. It is still my opinion that nothing sounds like a Martin.

I purchased my dream guitar in August of this year, a Martin D28 Reimagined, and the setup was really good. Absolutely amazing guitar, and it inspires me to play every day. Love my Martin guitar!!!

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? This video is 5 months old now but my purchase of a Martin has been like pulling angels singing out of the case with every strum or pick session. I have enjoyed this trip on the Martin train. Glad I sucked it up and bought one.

Being a Gordon Lightfoot fan I saw him 8 times. Besides his Gibson 12 string he always played his D 18. Martin made a special run on those a few years back. That was the best sounding acoustic guitar I ever heard in a live stage setting.

@PantheraOnca60

7 ай бұрын

Gordo was the bomb.

In the past couple of years Martin has gotten much better with their factory setups. The action on my OM-28 and CEO-7 were perfect right of the box, as low as it could be without causing any buzzing…better even than some of the Taylor’s I’ve played.

It's not a purchase, it's a marriage!

@palidiciovermingagurainia1760

7 ай бұрын

So my Rouge for 59$ is a tinder date?

@mitchmatthews6713

7 ай бұрын

@@palidiciovermingagurainia1760 It's a Penthouse Magazine. It looks pretty, but you get nothing out of it.

Back in 1977, I played in a local bluegrass band. Banjo player had a Gibson Mastertone. Mandolin player had a F style Gibson. So, naturally. I had to get a Martin. Local music store had a new '77 D35 with the blue Martin hardcase. I ordered from Martin the Gold Grover tuners and the D45 bridge and end pin set. It looked and sounded amazing. I paid in the low to mid $700 range. The store let me make payments at about $100 per month. About a year later, the owner of the store called me wanting to buy it back for several hundred more than I paid. Didn't sell it back. I did sell it many years later, including the original parts I had removed. Got about 3x what I originally paid for it. The Martin was a great instrument. Sometimes I wonder what it would be worth today.

@daviddawson1718

7 ай бұрын

Back in 1977, I was quite busy being born and all that that entails.

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

You will never hear anyone say that they sold their Taylor for more than they paid for it.

My first martin was a HD-28 from 2008, it was okey.. I sold it and got a D-18 post 2012 edition. It has forward shifted bracing, scalloped. Ebony neck and bridge.. love that guitar

I keep my Epiphone Masterbilt DR500 mna close for quick ideas. But it's an entire ritual when I pull out the Martin case. It's like opening the pulp fiction case when it happens.

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

The only thing that sounds better than hearing a Martin guitar case being unmatched is the music from the guitar which is inside!

@mikegamby

7 ай бұрын

I will say that the Masterbilt DR500 is close in sound, but when I pick up the Martin, it's like oh yeah, this is what was missing.

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

@mikegamby I totally understand. I keep a couple of Alvarez guitars handy. One is about a year old and the other is from the 70s. I have two Martins, both Adirondack over mahogany. One is about a 00(CEO 7) and a D-18GE. I often play the 00, which is so beautiful, but whenever I pick up the dreadnought,...the subwoofer kicks in and blows my mind!

Also Martin retain better the market value. Love D18

A Martin is everything an acoustic guitar should be and nothing it shouldn't be. They have been perfecting the form for well over a century.

I just want a CEO 7. Played one at my local shop where they just have three and four-thousand dollar guitars on the wall, no locks, no little plastic things saying “ask for help”! Can’t get it out of my head. Bought a beautiful hand built single luthier acoustic based on a Martin 00 and while it’s amazing it just didn’t evict the 7 from my heart. Uuugh

@MeMuppet444

7 ай бұрын

I have a CEO7, I’m told it’s like the old Gibson from the 1920s. Anyway, it’s so beautiful I was afraid to play it. Now it’s my go to acoustic. I love the neck carve its almost a v shape and gives me better leverage when grabbing chords, oh and they smell amazing with spruce top and lacquer finish.

@KT-fn6me

7 ай бұрын

Do it! Just got a CEO-7 a couple of days ago, needed a short scale guitar. Originally bought a Gibson L-00, but it sounded kind of dead to me, guess I was missing the Martin boom, so I exchanged it for the CEO-7. I couldn’t be happier… I think I actually like it better than my OM-28 which I used to think was my guitar soul mate…

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

I bought one in 2022 from Casino Guitars and I love everything about it! Look for a used one and save it few hundred and get something broken in.

Bought my dream guitar this year - D41 Amber - It hypnotizes people when you play it in public. Such a beautiful instrument visually as well. It is just a privilege to own and play this amazing piece of American craftsmanship. It will be an heirloom for my kids and hopefully for generations of guitar players still to come. Fun vid, as usual. Thanks for all the great content.

I own Guild D50, D55, Taylor 615, Martin M36. For everyday playing the D50 might be my favorite. Love 'em all.

BAXTER!!!!! You are 100% correct..... the Reimagined series has been the most playable Martins ever made. You mark my words... Someday, the Reimagined series will be considered a second golden erra for Martin.

Just adore my 000-15SM 12 fret. Smile the whole time I’m playing. Stays miraculously in tune. And, though made in Nazareth, it didn’t break the bank.

I love my 1997 Martin 00028-EC. The only acoustic I will ever own. My daughter has a 20th Anniversary Martin made in Navojoa Mexico.

Agree. Have 17 Martins. The best!

I had a coworker who was asking for advice for his teen age sons first guitar. I directed him to a used Martin at our local GC. He bought it and the kid has absolutely taken off on guitar. Not sure the same would happen had he bought a "beginner" guitar.

My 1st Martin I had no plans on purchasing it until I played one damn chord … and I knew it was going home with me. I didn’t think I would want it because it was a Nylon Martin - a 00016 -12 nylon. Prior to this one I had never played a Nylon that played easy and sounded as good as this one did … believe it or not now it’s probably my most played guitar and it sounds like an organ or piano, I love it. I just recently saved up enough money to buy a 00028VS -12 fret and it also sounds like an organ or piano and I love it also … there’s just something about a good Martin it’s something you have to experience to understand, it’s hard to explain. Now I’m wanting an all Mahogany Martin next …. It’s like an addiction 🤣but I’m not complaining. “5 reasons to buy a Martin” is that all 5 reasons, I can come up with more. lol

I own a 2009 HD-28, a 2010 D12-28, an OMCPA1 and a newly acquired 2023 00-18. The HD-28 required a lot of saddle material removal to get it playable, but it is amazing. The 00-18 has an action I could probably live with out of the box. I was expecting to take it to my luthier for a set-up, but I’m going to play it for awhile and wait and see. I like the smaller body and short scale on the 00-18. When I placed it beside my older Martins, I couldn’t believe how much the spruce tops had darkened over time. Just beautiful!!

I have a D28 '37 Authentic and it plays like butter... hard to beat a herringbone!

I have owned a total of 5 Martins. Guardian of 3 at present. My favorite is my OMC16e in Ovangkol Burst. I play it a lot more than my dread's which has surprised me. It is smaller and so more comfortable. It also has a lot more balanced tonal range, not scooped out in the midrange like a lot of Martin dread's. It has gotten a lot of positive comments from other players when I take her out to open mics regarding her tone. I have also really come to love the cutaway. Makes it easy (easier?) to play past the 12th fret. It is a very balance instrument. both tonally and physically. Also one of the rare martins with a glossy dark wood top and a sunburst over that and more wood figuring than one would expect in its price range. A lifetime keeper.

I personally connect with Martin sound more than I do Taylor. I love my Martin!

It took me a long time to find the Martin that was for me. A 000 28 Modern Deluxe. It’s a beautiful sounding guitar, amazingly resonant and sounds different from my Taylors in a good way. I would someday like to get a D 18 or a D 28.

@joeldowdy404

7 ай бұрын

Since you have an O0028 get a D18 you will not be disappointed!!

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

​@@joeldowdy404I agree 100%!

Comparing the sound of guitars to motorcycles, Martin is a Harley Davidson and Taylor is a Suzuki. Either will take you somewhere. I love a great, beefy neck! Simplicity is good, but I do have a CEO 7,but that's as wild as I get. I have two with Adirondack over mahogany. I could use a rosewood...got a 000 16 Streetmaster?

@shanewalton8888

7 ай бұрын

Martin is no where near as crappy as a Harley Davidson is.

I own 3 Martin’s right now. All are getting on and they sound wonderful. Just curious if the grammar checker was broken when checking the title of this video. 😮

They definitely sound amazing. Love my Custom Shop HD28. Just be careful about what years you buy if you buy used due to binding issues

Bought a CXE 000 almost by accident. Love this thing. Not that I have anything against Martin, just not the sound I am typically looking for.

There is a 1992 HD-28 in my guitar collection. It’s my go to working rig and it’s played a lot. Always considered the HD-28 to be my Holy Grail.

I love a lot of these other acoustic guitar makers, especially Taylor, and man would I love a Gibson Dove.... but if you gada choose one and only one... The difference between Martin and everyone else... is that Martin gave birth to the acoustic guitar as we know it, and even if someone else can make a better acoustic guitar, it will have started out, based off of some Martin design... every acoustic guitar maker owes a debt of gratitude to Martin... so its hard to not be attracted to their untouchable legacy, which is supremely cool!

I am really happy with the Zager easy play ZAD-900CE/ AURA/ VCS .Mr. Denny Zager and his son Making Magnificent guitar 🎸 I enjoy playing quitars again. 😊

Check out what comes out of their factory in Mexico 🇲🇽. They are great craftsmen

My 000-15 is the best guitar I've owned. Every guitar player should spend time on a Pa made Martin. Best factory tour, too. Check out Six String Brokerage on S Main Street in Nazarath while you are in town.

@bluegryp

7 ай бұрын

I had an amazing 000-15 and sadly sold it to help pay for an OM-42. I regret it to this day. Don’t get me wrong, the 42 is a fantastic guitar but so was that humble 15. It had a unique sound to it that I just loved. I definitely see myself buying another 000-15 at some point down the road. It’s shocking to me that they can make a guitar that good for just over $1000. That is the guitar I would recommend to anyone just starting out. It’s easily the best martin you can buy for the money and it’s one of the best Martins you can buy period.

@lindarlarson6267

7 ай бұрын

I love my 000-15M!

I’ve owned the same Martin for about 20 years, and mine is one of the few models I know of that bucked the trend of yellow top with brown sides and back - it’s a DKX2 model, and I got it shortly after that was a newly introduced model when I was 15. It was on their lower end for sure, but it had its own unique characteristics in its sound that made it stand out to me over other “beginner” acoustics. I got lucky with mine because I’ve played a number of the same one in the last two decades and mine hand over fist sounds way better than any of the others like it I’ve ever played or been around. But it also fits my own weird love for oddball stuff, and I love that about it. The only other Martin I would love to own is a D-18E, but an original with the magnetic pickup - that’s fully influenced by my fandom of Nirvana, being what Kurt played on the MTV Unplugged performance. Either way, I couldn’t agree more with this video. Nice work guys!

#6 the scent of a Martin when you open the case, I am a soundhole sniffer an Martin wins hands down ❤

@rosslynemrys5829

2 ай бұрын

and ...

I own two Martin’s and they are great guitars imo. One is just a simple 000-15SM 12 fret that’s just a comfy playing guitar. My other one is a GPC-28E in Sunburst, fantastic guitar which they stopped making shortly after I purchased mine, don’t know why they stopped…. It’s a canon and I’m glad I made the purchase before production stopped.

The magic that happens the first time you get to play a D45. And the second.🤩

Shawn is glowing

So far I've got a D-15M and a GrandJ16E. I've been playing guitar since 1968 and these are the best sounding and playing guitars I've ever owned. And there are more to buy and play -- Martins are to GAS as heroine is to a junkie, but it's a benign addiction.

I own a DRS2 which I absolutely adore. I believe it’s been replaced by the D10E in the current lineup. As far as dream guitars go I have a goal of a D28 or D35. My local Guitar Center had a D28 that I used to visit and play every weekend until they sold it. I’ve never played a D35, but they are so pretty. Unfortunately high end guitars are pretty rare in my area, but I live a couple of hours from the Martin factory, hopefully I can get there someday, do the factory tour and buy a new pickup a new guitar through their factory delivery program

@chrisyoung7929

6 ай бұрын

My 1st Martin was a DSR2, love that guitar. Now I have a SC-13, OM-28, D-41, love them all. Still reach for the DSR2 as much as any of the others. Doesn't matter, no matter the price range, Martin's are all great guitars

I am very glad to own my 2022 D-28. Absolutely worth every dollar.

I love my HD-28 V but my Collings are amazing

Martin pretty much ruled TV in the 90s.

There is nothing like the Martin sound.

Daaaaaam Gina!

1) it’s a Martin 2) it’s a Martin 3) it’s a Martin 4) it’s a Martin 5) it’s a Martin

Word is the Custom Shop is the way to go. Having played Martins going back 50 years, my advice is play it before you buy it. Across the board, Collings and Bourgeois more consistent quality. Once bought a new HJ-28 for the looks, but unfortunately sounded like a wet cardboard box.

You only need 1 reason, "It's a Martin"!! To me they are the best sounding acoustic guitar ever! They all do their thing, Gibson and Taylor and Martin. Martin has been around the longest and they sound the best!!I I have owned several Taylors and a J45. My Martin D28, OM28 Deluxe, and OOO18 Deluxe play and sound better than any of those others unplugged hands down. If you ever get to play on a vintage Dreadnaught (18 or 28) or OOO or OM (18 or 28) from 1930s to 1970s, holy cow there is nothing that compares sound wise. Playing in a circle of acoustic guitar players, a vintage Martin stands out above all others.

I played a D-28 and a D-18 at the Martin Factory Tour last year and I liked the D-18 more. I have a DX1RAE and it has that Martin tone. That being said, I love my Yamaha LL6 ARE and my FG830. My FG830 plays and sounds better than a D-28 I played at the factory.

I used to be a Martin fan, but my first expensive guitar was an early '70s Gibson Dove, built right before their QC went to hell later on. The next one was a D-35, and I had that for 11 years but sold it, needing money at the time. In the intervening years until 2018, Martin added an adjustable truss rod, allowing them to make thinner necks. Don't like them, nor the ridiculous pricing now. I bought an NOS 2014 Gibson J-29 in 2018, rosewood back and sides but a shorter scale length. I like it more than the D-35, and I bought it at a blow out price. It has a pleasingly fat neck, and lacks the boominess of a rosewood Martin. The Montana factory has excellent QC. For those times when I want to mess with slide, I have a 1974 Guild F-20 parlor guitar tuned to DADF#AD.

It's the ''NIRVANA''.......of guitars, start at the beginning and finish at the......MMMmmm, Top end!!!💕💕🎸🎸...✍🏼

While the most desirable Martins are rather expensive, I’d like to know why Collins guitars are out-Martin-ing Martin? What makes them so much better? Same companies solid body guitars out-Gibson Gibson too.. people are paying the premium above a Martin to get them. I don’t understand the hype?

Being the proud owner of 4 martin dreadnaughts, I can attest to the accuracy of this video.

Martin guitars are great and legendary, pretty much anyone who is anyone in music has played one. The only thing I dont like about it is that bassy sound. I like an acoustic that is well balanced, the martin is useful for some things but it is not a well rounded, well balanced guitar.

You Should Buy the Guitar when you hold it, Look at it, INSPIRES You, whether a Martin, Taylor or Baxter's 65 Dove. Martin Quality is a Standard and that has Value, but you should buy what Feels Best & Plays Best, not everyone can play a Mini or a Dread. A Guitar that might Fit Baxter might look like a toy guitar on Jonathan, Only You know what really makes you Happiest, I always hated when an instrument was So Pristine or Valuable it was Seldom Played or Enjoyed, and right now Used Market has been favorable to consumer more then seller

I have a Martin guitar right now.

Yeah, I think Taylors are better for playability, but a Martin just sounds incredible.

That typo on the thumbnail is killing me… I would love to afford a Martin, but have to pinch my pennies

Admitted Taylor fanboy here, but I would love to add a D28 to my collection one day…..

Sound Sound Sound Sound Sound D-18 Sinker

I need just one reason. HD28.

But does it Djent?

"It's like a very expensive pound puppy" - considering food and veterinary services, a Martin might be the cheaper option... :)

5 reasons to buy a martini

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

1. Gin martinis 2. Vodka martinis 3. Dirty martinis 4. Olives 5. It's 5 o'clock somewhere

I don’t need five reasons. I didn’t need five to get my D-18 Modern Deluxe or my 000-16.

Next, why everyone should own a Loudon?

Pick that beautiful Martin up and spin it around when you're talking about its looks please.

whats with the thumbnail ?

@jarmentor1731

7 ай бұрын

Come on. Doesn’t everyone want to “by” a Martin. 😅

@johnwashburn3793

7 ай бұрын

Whiskey before breakfast?

You haven't played guitar till you try an Esteban. Only $89.00 and IMO sounds as good as any Martin or Gibson. Beautiful.

@G_Demolished

7 ай бұрын

😂

I can think of only 2 good reasons, buy a martin if you hate low action and are a dobro player, in that case theyre great

Buy*

Reason 1, 2, 3, 3 and five. Because Casino sells Martin.

ill get right on it, but im going to need a video "5 ways to cure your disabilities and escape poverty" because all i have is used mitchell money. 😂

Martin's are great, but too expensive. For the dreadnaught style, go to Eastman or Blue Ridge. You'll find near equivalent quality for less than half the price

1 reason not to trust spell check

No 1 reason...it's not a Taylor!

There's no maybe about it!

5 thousand reasons to buy a D41...

Two reasons not to, yamaha a1r and the snobbery of martin owners.

Buy not by

Every other guitar, is a copy of a Martin!

Depends. Martin America? Or Martin OEM overseas made in China, name Martin Stamped on it? Made in America.. Hell yea... Sold. Made in China.. MEH.. Doesn't feel like a martin. Feels like a cheap China guitar with word Martin stamped on it.

@KT-fn6me

7 ай бұрын

Martin imports are made in Mexico, they aren’t bad as long as they are all wood and not hpl

Never played a Martin I liked. Never. I've tried and tried. Sound like they're made out of cardboard.

Save your money and get a Yamaha FG830. They look great, sound fantastic, and are easy to play. No one really cares if your guitar is expensive.

@bluegryp

7 ай бұрын

Yamahas are nice sounding for the money. Definitely not knocking them, but they can’t compete with the sound of a Martin. My suggestion for those on a budget that really want a Martin is the 000-15. You can get one for like $1200 and it is a fantastic little guitar. All solid wood and made in Nazareth. One of the best bargains in guitars.

I’m happy the acoustic side of GAS never bit me. I love/buy high end electric custom shop guitars, but when it comes to acoustics, thankfully I have no desire to get a nice one. My $300 Yamaha sounds great and fills the acoustic role for me.