Martin DM

[Darylb23]

Hi guys, I was hoping to get your opinions on the Martin DM. The reviews seem to be pretty good but the folks who frequent this page seem to be very knowledgable.

 

I was just in a shop that was blowing them out for $525 and considering the purchase but thought I would see what you guys thought.

[sufidancer]

I have a mahogany D15. I am very pleased with it. It has a very nicely balanced sound that is not to boomy. Nice sustain and resonant with overtones. The only thing about it I dont like is that it doesnt have the treble of a spruce top. It isnt as spanky for lack of a better word. I use it for grunge tunes in dropped D and for that it excels. Oh and it smells fantastic when you open the case.

[Darylb23]

Originally posted by sufidancer I have a mahogany D15. I am very pleased with it. It has a very nicely balanced sound that is not to boomy. Nice sustain and resonant with overtones. The only thing about it I dont like is that it doesnt have the treble of a spruce top. It isnt as spanky for lack of a better word. I use it for grunge tunes in dropped D and for that it excels. Oh and it smells fantastic when you open the case.

 

 

I thought this guitar had a spruce top and mahog back and sides.

 

I could be wrong but it did say DM Mahog

[Darylb23]

Anyone with experience with the DM?

[kwakatak]

I'm not sure if I tried the DM or the DX (which is a different beast) but for a low end guitar is sounded pretty good and had that signature Martin bass response.

[pfoster]

yeah, i considered the DM for a while. it's a solid guitar for that range. it was between that and the d15m, but i hesistated and wound up spending all my money on useless crap. oh well...

[t60 fan]

 

Originally posted by ripvan Anyone with experience with the DM?

 

 

 

Yeah, I like it. I have more experience with the DR, which I also like. With a list of $1,099 the less 40% common-bargain-price = about $660, so yeah that's a good deal.

[Darylb23]

 

Originally posted by t60 fan Yeah, I like it. I have more experience with the DR, which I also like. With a list of $1,099 the less 40% common-bargain-price = about $660, so yeah that's a good deal.

 

 

I looked around a little and it surely seems like a good price but it is outside my intended budget. I am starting to think I would only be doing it to have a guitar that had Martin on the headstock.

 

Please keep in mind that I am pretty new to the guitar but .......... I played 6 or 8 guitars in that shop and the Martin certainly didnt stand out other than it was an enticing price for a Martin. The guitar that stood out was a Garrison. It wasnt even the more expensive G series. It was an AG400.

 

I am sure the traditionalist will shun me for liking the Garrison over a Martin no matter how far down the line it is but that guitar just felt great and had a noticable, even to a rookie, sound difference. All of the others, including some Deans, a Simon and Patrick, and Takamines were all about the same. At least to me.

 

I really am tempted but I think I might pass. Thanks for your replies. Sometimes it is useful to just throw these things out there.

[t60 fan]

Nothing wrong with the Garrison, and if you like it, don't let the name overdully influence you. I'm not naive enough to say the name doesn't matter at all, but if you like the "lesser-named" better, go for it. The lower $ is icing on the cake.

 

I have played those Garrisons (both G and AG), and thought they were decent.

 

One thing you MUST consider is the effect of the strings. If one has newer (or coated) strings, that fact will greatly influence the sound, unless you are savy enough to "hear around" that difference. Best thing is to ask the store to string them both up with identical strings to compare apples to apples.

 

FWIW, if you think you'll still own this guitar 10 years from now, I would probably go with the Marty, but that's just me.