some of you might recall i was on a casual search for the acoustic that really "clicked" with me. i played a ton of them from all different brands and price-points. i can honestly say there are a LOT of really nice acoustic guitars being made today from a lot of different manufacturers. many are even reasonably priced.
in the end, here's what spoke to me (in a major way). a 2004 Martin D-18VS ("VS" = Vintage Slotted).
i really thought i'd pick up an OM style because that's what i had been gravitating towards in the stores for comfort, but after about 10 minutes of putting this guitar through it's paces i started to get that feeling. after about 90 minutes, i stopped to look at my watch not realizing an hour and a half had passed. Nice!
the most sonically balanced acoustic i played out of over 130 this past year. the low-end thumps without being overbearing. the high end is nice and strong without sounding brittle or shrill. but the mid-range is where this thing wins big; strong but mellow when finger-picked and big and bold when flat picked hard or strummed.
this guitar has a great broken-in feel to it that doesn't feel stiff or tight. the neck is nice and chunky with a slight V shape that my hand gets on with very well. the spruce top is gorgeous, and the mahogany back/sides and tortoise binding add to what i think is a very classy acoustic. i also dig the look and function of the slotted headstock.
Hopefully you can dig it. enjoy!
Looks like a killer instrument!! So tell me GD, in your experience playing so many guitars in the past year did you find that guitars with mahogany back & sides typically fell closer to your tonal wheelhouse than say rosewood? I have almost always preferred the open woodiness to mahogany, and assumed that rosewood would appeal to somebody else with different tone criteria.
Happy NGD!! (@ Y @)
Originally Posted by wedgehed II
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