Posted: 11/21/2025 12:15:25 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Mach][Edited]
|
I am old and have always wanted an easy to play good sounding Martin acoustic. I only have so many years left and am thinking about getting one before it is too late. I haven't played one yet, but they are in stock at Guitar Center so I will play one there. It is a chunk of change and I don't really like playing a dreadnaught ( it slides off my knee when playing because it is so large ) and would like some electronics. It seems like this shape and size would be perfect. I am not a great guitar player, I play for myself and this would definitely be an extravagance and I am sure my parents looking down upon me would approve of using some of their money for this guitar. When I was 14, they gave me a 1974 Gibson SG Standard as a gift and I have had it ever since. Is there anything I should look out for or be aware of? ETA: I few years ago I bought a used Fender Amercian Strat and I love playing that and do not regret getting it, so this GPC would round out my selection. I am leaning toward new because it isn't that much more than used and the lifetime warranty does not transfer and neck resets are expensive and how it is taken care of is kind of important to acoustics, more so than Stats. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
2 legs move our bodies. 4 legs buck our ass off
Joined:
Nov 2012
Posts:
40802
EE: 0% (0)
ID, USA
|
Just be sure to play it before you buy it. On paper a lot of guitars look good only to disappoint when in hand. I played a new Brazilian Rosewood guitar last weekend. I liked the EIR one at 1/3d the cost better. When you know…. You know. “Life is too short to play crummy guitars”. -John Wayne. |
Pure blood saved by His.
|
My main performing guitar is a GPC-Aura GT. Very Taylor-ish in voicing, very punchy and percussive. The Performing Artist neck profile is very comfortable to play for long periods of time. I don't know anything about the electronics on the one you're looking at; mine has the top of the line system on board. |
|
I don't recall the series number, but a few years ago a music store owner mentioned that Martin guitars of lower series (15, etc.) were made in china. I have an AMI (licensed Martin) OOO-28 in rosewood that is lovely to play and look at (made overseas tho). I don't know if 28s or 35s are in your price range, but an American made Martin would retain its value well. Definitely play it first. |
Gnu User, Clumsy Migratory Off-topic Herd Ungulate
|
The 16 series are kind of a catch-all. They discontinued the Performing Artist series so the PA1-PA4 had to land somewhere and looks like the lower end units are the 13 (Road) series and the 16s are where the upper level units went. ETA: What I am saying is this model is US made, the SC13 is kinda sorta the offshore version of this. |
| My custom Martin is based on a 16 series Rosewood cutaway. I think if in an actual model # it was be a DCRGTE (dreadnaught cutaway rosewood GT electronic). Its a fantastic guitar i have played for 20+ years. Mine has custom tuners, nut, fretboard work, saddle, and electronics. |
"Some people have issues. Sounds like he signed up for an entire subscription." ~Brohawk
Proud member of Team Ranstad.
Arfcom St Jude Mafia 3 years
Arfcom callsign: trenchfoot
Proud member of Team Ranstad.
Arfcom St Jude Mafia 3 years
Arfcom callsign: trenchfoot
|
Originally Posted By WhatsGnu: I don't recall the series number, but a few years ago a music store owner mentioned that Martin guitars of lower series (15, etc.) were made in china. I have an AMI (licensed Martin) OOO-28 in rosewood that is lovely to play and look at (made overseas tho). I don't know if 28s or 35s are in your price range, but an American made Martin would retain its value well. Definitely play it first. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By BTccw: Just be sure to play it before you buy it. On paper a lot of guitars look good only to disappoint when in hand. I played a new Brazilian Rosewood guitar last weekend. I liked the EIR one at 1/3d the cost better. When you know . You know. "Life is too short to play crummy guitars". -John Wayne. I doubt I would know. i will play it first though. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By cgrant26: Do yourself a favor and never play a Guild D55.  Originally Posted By cgrant26: Originally Posted By Mach: The nicest acoustic i have played is a Yamaha FG700. I doubt I would know. i will play it first though. Do yourself a favor and never play a Guild D55. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By cgrant26: Do yourself a favor and never play a Guild D55. Originally Posted By cgrant26: Originally Posted By Mach: The nicest acoustic i have played is a Yamaha FG700. I doubt I would know. i will play it first though. Do yourself a favor and never play a Guild D55. I've had an FG700S for five years and a 100 series Taylor for one or two years. Just a few weeks ago I bought a Yamaha FG3, which is an amazing guitar, but then a week later, I pulled a J45 off the shelf at GC and now I get the "this is the one" sentiment I hear from guitar players. I didn't buy it and the other one they had sounded just as good, so if the time comes, I'm confident I will be able to find one like that. I played a Martin D-18, D-28 and a 500 series Taylor and all were amazing, but that J45 was just it, for me. Seriously, spend a few hours trying as many acoustic guitars as you can. In today's market, 0% financing makes buying a really good guitar painless. Literally, for the price of one lunch per week, I could own that J45. |
Pour over coffee is best coffee.
|
Originally Posted By cgrant26: Still though, those Yamahas are damn nice for the money. I just picked up an FGX800C about a month ago. Hell of a guitar for ~$400. From what I've read and seen, the FG800 series has some significant upgrades that make it sound quite a bit better than the FG700 series. My FG700S is too dark and muted sounding for my tastes when strumming but it sounds amazing when flat picking single strings. After having played some really nice, classic acoustics, I'm now an evangelist for trying as many as possible. I had always read and heard about the huge difference a really good guitar makes, but I had to experience it for myself to understand it. |
Pour over coffee is best coffee.
|
Originally Posted By cgrant26: Still though, those Yamahas are damn nice for the money. I just picked up an FGX800C about a month ago. Hell of a guitar for ~$400. Originally Posted By cgrant26: Originally Posted By Mach: I wish Still though, those Yamahas are damn nice for the money. I just picked up an FGX800C about a month ago. Hell of a guitar for ~$400. Should up answering a Facebook Marketplace add. Ended up being an expensive house by the beach. Guy hands me the guitar and says it is his wife's. There is a broken tuner. We both are like damn, now what. I look at the listing, the pic shows the broken tuner, but I didn't notice. He tells me just take off the price the amount I think it will cost to fix it. I tell him I don't need another project, I just want a guitar to play, not fix. We look at out phones to see about getting the part. He gives up and says it's like breakfast serial. I say yeah and try to walk away. He says look. Just take it. I say I don't want a project. He says just take it for free, I am not going to fix it and and I can't throw it out, it is my wife's. You take it and either fix it or toss it, but drive at least a few blocks away before you toss it. I am going to give my wive the $85 and tell her you bought it, just take it I don't give a shit whether you fix it or throw it in the trash, but it is useless to me. I can't throw it out, I am not going to spend the time to fix it. But you can throw it, so just put it in your truck so she sees you walking away with it and I will give her the $85 and we are both happy. So I took it for free and didn't look at it for 3 months. Bought a set of tuners and restrung it and noticed it had been set up professionally and had nice low action. It is a little light on the bass, but the high end is clear and articulate, so that is the one I play. I rarely play the FG700 because the action is higher. I set it up myself and lowered the action, but didn't want to over lower it. I determined I am not a dreadnaught guy, I prefer a smaller guitar so I started looking for one. The FG700 I paid $100 for. They are both nice guitars and have a spruce top and Nato laminate back and sides. They are nice guitars for the money. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By Downeast_Pete: I had the GPC-16E mahogany version. It was a great guitar but after a couple years I traded it towards an 000-18 which I don't regret. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By corwin1968: I do a lot of reading and video watching and it's rare to see a negative comment on Yamaha acoustics and most comments are extremely positive. From what I've read and seen, the FG800 series has some significant upgrades that make it sound quite a bit better than the FG700 series. My FG700S is too dark and muted sounding for my tastes when strumming but it sounds amazing when flat picking single strings. After having played some really nice, classic acoustics, I'm now an evangelist for trying as many as possible. I had always read and heard about the huge difference a really good guitar makes, but I had to experience it for myself to understand it. Originally Posted By corwin1968: Originally Posted By cgrant26: Still though, those Yamahas are damn nice for the money. I just picked up an FGX800C about a month ago. Hell of a guitar for ~$400. From what I've read and seen, the FG800 series has some significant upgrades that make it sound quite a bit better than the FG700 series. My FG700S is too dark and muted sounding for my tastes when strumming but it sounds amazing when flat picking single strings. After having played some really nice, classic acoustics, I'm now an evangelist for trying as many as possible. I had always read and heard about the huge difference a really good guitar makes, but I had to experience it for myself to understand it. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By Mach: I agree with the muted and flat sounding, especially with barr chords, which is why I recently started using a capo when I discovered a bunch of the songs I like to play, the recording are using a capo and the tone is different than the barr chords. Originally Posted By Mach: Originally Posted By corwin1968: Originally Posted By cgrant26: Still though, those Yamahas are damn nice for the money. I just picked up an FGX800C about a month ago. Hell of a guitar for ~$400. From what I've read and seen, the FG800 series has some significant upgrades that make it sound quite a bit better than the FG700 series. My FG700S is too dark and muted sounding for my tastes when strumming but it sounds amazing when flat picking single strings. After having played some really nice, classic acoustics, I'm now an evangelist for trying as many as possible. I had always read and heard about the huge difference a really good guitar makes, but I had to experience it for myself to understand it. I agree on the barr chord sound. To me, they sound darker and restricted, while capo chords have a lively, chimey sound that I like. I can play barr chords, except for the first fret. My body proportions are such that holding an acoustic on my right leg results in the neck being at a 45 degree angle to the front of me and holding it on my left leg results in the first fret being just too far away to barr. I'm expecting a guitar player footrest on Monday, to see if I can correct that. My playing position is closer to that of a classical guitar player, than the position in which most people play guitar. |
Pour over coffee is best coffee.
|
Just understand that a 000-18 or other mahogany back and sides guitar will be much woodier and less articulate sounding than rosewood in the same shape. I can't think of anyone I know that likes both flavors excepting session guys that need both. Personally I would never own an acoustic with mahogany anywhere other than the neck but that is nothing but personal taste. I was actually going to buy an OM-28 when I found my GPC and I really like the balance of the GP better. The Jumbo (J40/J41/J45) and Grand Performance Martins are about the best balanced strumming and fingerpicking guitars I've played or heard played. Something about the narrow waist and thicccc lower bout.   If I buy another acoustic it will be a J40 or J41 in sunburst, same as Dave King plays. |
|
My first Martin is this newly acquired D-18….I always wanted one so now is the time Attached File |
There were these two fellars standin' on a bridge, a-goin' to the bathroom. One fellar said, "The water's cold" and the other fellar said, "The water's deep". I believe one fella come from Arkansas. Get it?
| I played every Martin D-28 I could find in the greater Phoenix area when I was looking to purchase. Despite them all being the same model, each one sounded a bit different. All were very nice, but one of them stood out, head and shoulders above the rest of them. |
|
Originally Posted By RickFinsta: I mean you can have my original GPC case since I got one of the crazy ugly but super cool powder blue 70's throwback cases for mine but it is covered in punk rock stickers. Might have an EAG palm on it. ETA: now that I am using the right words, it looks like there are Martin HSCs for the GPC and after market cases available for purchase. I hope to get up to Guitar Center in the next few days to play one. I am just a bit self conscious about spending that much money for a guitar when I am not such a good player, I just play chords. I did it in a local shop when I purchased my strat a few years ago and I know the sales people wont care, they just want you to buy it. I played that strat for 30 minutes and then bought it. I just could not put it down but I brought a headphone modeler and headphones so the whole store didn't have to listen to me. An acoustic will make noise. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By Mach: Martin doesn't even sell a HSC for the GPC. Thanks, I may take you up on that. ETA: now that I am using the right words, it looks like there are Martin HSCs for the GPC and after market cases available for purchase. I hope to get up to Guitar Center in the next few days to play one. I am just a bit self conscious about spending that much money for a guitar when I am not such a good player, I just play chords. I did it in a local shop when I purchased my strat a few years ago and I know the sales people wont care, they just want you to buy it. I played that strat for 30 minutes and then bought it. I just could not put it down but I brought a headphone modeler and headphones so the whole store didn't have to listen to me. An acoustic will make noise. Don't be. It's a tragedy how many potentially great guitarists never got there because they quit out of frustration from trying to learn on a shitty cheap instrument that would have frustrated even a seasoned player. Be glad you're throwing some balance to the other end of that scale. |
The road to Hell is paved with presidential candidates.
2 legs move our bodies. 4 legs buck our ass off
Joined:
Nov 2012
Posts:
40890
EE: 0% (0)
ID, USA
|
Originally Posted By RickFinsta: Just understand that a 000-18 or other mahogany back and sides guitar will be much woodier and less articulate sounding than rosewood in the same shape. I can't think of anyone I know that likes both flavors excepting session guys that need both. Personally I would never own an acoustic with mahogany anywhere other than the neck but that is nothing but personal taste. I was actually going to buy an OM-28 when I found my GPC and I really like the balance of the GP better. The Jumbo (J40/J41/J45) and Grand Performance Martins are about the best balanced strumming and fingerpicking guitars I've played or heard played. Something about the narrow waist and thicccc lower bout. If I buy another acoustic it will be a J40 or J41 in sunburst, same as Dave King plays. Guitars are like golf clubs, rifles, or other tools. The right guitar for the song. When I need a “lighter” tone it’s Mahogany of which there are even degrees of in my world. My Rosewood and African Blackwood guitars are at the darker end of the spectrum. My Basic go-to grab one guitar to do it all is an all myrtlewood guitar from Breedlove. Thing is rock solid consistent and probably still holding its tuning from last week. It’s got some real bass and some nice trebles with its own unique voicing-but it’s a real looker as well. It’s also in the price range you’re looking at Mach. As for being a basic strummer…Cowboy chords kind of player-I’ve bent listening to a guy name Dave Stamey. He’s a cowboy poet/singer but he’s been doing it for 40+ years. His songs are simple…. But he plays them with such precision and excellence that it makes all the difference and it’s inspirational to say the least. |
Pure blood saved by His.
|
Originally Posted By cgrant26: Don't be. It's a tragedy how many potentially great guitarists never got there because they quit out of frustration from trying to learn on a shitty cheap instrument that would have frustrated even a seasoned player. Be glad you're throwing some balance to the other end of that scale. Originally Posted By cgrant26: Originally Posted By Mach: Martin doesn't even sell a HSC for the GPC. Thanks, I may take you up on that. ETA: now that I am using the right words, it looks like there are Martin HSCs for the GPC and after market cases available for purchase. I hope to get up to Guitar Center in the next few days to play one. I am just a bit self conscious about spending that much money for a guitar when I am not such a good player, I just play chords. I did it in a local shop when I purchased my strat a few years ago and I know the sales people wont care, they just want you to buy it. I played that strat for 30 minutes and then bought it. I just could not put it down but I brought a headphone modeler and headphones so the whole store didn't have to listen to me. An acoustic will make noise. Don't be. It's a tragedy how many potentially great guitarists never got there because they quit out of frustration from trying to learn on a shitty cheap instrument that would have frustrated even a seasoned player. Be glad you're throwing some balance to the other end of that scale. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By BTccw: Guitars are like golf clubs, rifles, or other tools. The right guitar for the song. When I need a "lighter" tone it's Mahogany of which there are even degrees of in my world. My Rosewood and African Blackwood guitars are at the darker end of the spectrum. My Basic go-to grab one guitar to do it all is an all myrtlewood guitar from Breedlove. Thing is rock solid consistent and probably still holding its tuning from last week. It's got some real bass and some nice trebles with its own unique voicing-but it's a real looker as well. It's also in the price range you're looking at Mach. As for being a basic strummer Cowboy chords kind of player-I've bent listening to a guy name Dave Stamey. He's a cowboy poet/singer but he's been doing it for 40+ years. His songs are simple . But he plays them with such precision and excellence that it makes all the difference and it's inspirational to say the least. Originally Posted By BTccw: Originally Posted By RickFinsta: Just understand that a 000-18 or other mahogany back and sides guitar will be much woodier and less articulate sounding than rosewood in the same shape. I can't think of anyone I know that likes both flavors excepting session guys that need both. Personally I would never own an acoustic with mahogany anywhere other than the neck but that is nothing but personal taste. I was actually going to buy an OM-28 when I found my GPC and I really like the balance of the GP better. The Jumbo (J40/J41/J45) and Grand Performance Martins are about the best balanced strumming and fingerpicking guitars I've played or heard played. Something about the narrow waist and thicccc lower bout. If I buy another acoustic it will be a J40 or J41 in sunburst, same as Dave King plays. Guitars are like golf clubs, rifles, or other tools. The right guitar for the song. When I need a "lighter" tone it's Mahogany of which there are even degrees of in my world. My Rosewood and African Blackwood guitars are at the darker end of the spectrum. My Basic go-to grab one guitar to do it all is an all myrtlewood guitar from Breedlove. Thing is rock solid consistent and probably still holding its tuning from last week. It's got some real bass and some nice trebles with its own unique voicing-but it's a real looker as well. It's also in the price range you're looking at Mach. As for being a basic strummer Cowboy chords kind of player-I've bent listening to a guy name Dave Stamey. He's a cowboy poet/singer but he's been doing it for 40+ years. His songs are simple . But he plays them with such precision and excellence that it makes all the difference and it's inspirational to say the least. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
Nobody is coming to save us.
.
|
Originally Posted By Mach: The other end of the scale being a guy that will never be very good no matter how great an instrument he plays on? LOL Then at least you can't blame the instrument.
|
The road to Hell is paved with presidential candidates.