Members Ole Man Blues Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 I purchased a used D-35 a few days ago, 93 model, and I'm really liking the tone for fingerstyle. I had heard the D-35 was a booming loud guitar strictly for Bluegrass that needs that cutting through sound. I find it quite the opposite. It's warm and rich and has great overtones and sustaining notes that keep you coming back and picking it up again and again. I've owned a D-1, D-16GT, and (a 73 D-35 which sounded dead in comparison to this '93 I have now). Anyone else have this experience with D-35 or has it been just a "cannon for ya"? Thanks......... OMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 the 70s were notoriously bad years for Martin. this should be a better guitar for you.I never owned a D35 but I spent many hours on a friend's. I thought it was pretty versatile. I actually learned to fingerpick on that guitar. It's a beautiful thing, that's for sure.I believe the reason it has that reputation is because the dreds have so much real estate devoted to the top that it takes a fair amount of effort to set that top in motion and get a response from it.Enjoy it, man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t60 fan Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 Never had the pleasure, but I would hazard a guess that the 1/4" bracing and the seasoning that 13 years would offer would make it a most responsive dread... Sounds like one to enjoy. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BrainChild Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 I own quite a few Martins and my 73 D35 is one of my favorites for just picking by itself. 35's have a nice bass and they vibrate your body better making them feel really good to the one playing. From a listeners placement I don't notice as much difference. I don't see many using a 35 for bluegrass as they 28 is the mainstay there since it has more mid in it, making it better for leads in a band situation. I never considered the D35 a great fingerstyle guitar but I like to play it that way sometimes. Some people find the strings a bit close for fingerstyle. To suggest the 70's were all bad is not accurate. As with any guitar there are good and not so good. A lot has to do with care and playing, etc. as much as materials and initial build. I have payed at least 25 D35's from various years and I wouldn't trade my 73 for any of them. My buddy has a 90 D35 that sounds virtually identical when we have done blind comparisons using identical strings and picks, but he won't sell it to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 Originally posted by BrainChild To suggest the 70's were all bad is not accurate. As with any guitar there are good and not so good. A lot has to do with care and playing, etc. as much as materials and initial build. I have payed at least 25 D35's from various years and I wouldn't trade my 73 for any of them. My buddy has a 90 D35 that sounds virtually identical when we have done blind comparisons using identical strings and picks, but he won't sell it to me! It's not really my opinion. there are VOLUMES written about the dark years for Martin of the 1970s. I'm glad you got a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 54merk Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 It is widely accepted that the 70's Martins were their low point, and much of the reason was from the switch to a heavier rosewood bridge plate. This resulted in a stiffer (overbuilt), less responsive top, and of course, the top is the single most important piece of wood for the sound of a guitar. That said, I have one of those "crappy" Martins, a '75 D35 and it is truly a wonderful guitar, so one should not assume that all the 70's Martins were bad. Mine is very loud, well balanced (for a Dread), and not at all boomy. It can be played quite forcefully and the strings will ring loud and clear. I had the neck reset and new frets and it plays as easily as a Taylor, even with Medium strings. It is a great Bluegrass guitar, and is my first choice among my guitars for any flatpicking songs. IMHO the 28's and 35's do sound very much alike, although some do believe that the differences in the size of the braces and the three piece back are significant for the sound. When it was all I had I thought it was a great fingerstyle guitar but now that I have another guitar for that purpose I realize that the narrow 1 11/16" neck is a bit thin for that purpose and there is too much bass (or too little treble) although fingerpicks do help. It's still a great sounding guitar for any purpose, but flatpicking is really it's strength. That's my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ole Man Blues Posted April 18, 2006 Author Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 The D-35 I have I put mediums on it, tuned it down 1/2 step and lowered the action and it plays and sounds really sweet. I prefer using a capo for everything. I fingerpick pretty hard so I did not lose much volume with the lower action. I've been looking for an acoustic guitar that I can keep till I'm gone and pass it on to my grandson. This is the one..........boy is he gonna be happy. I hope it will bring his life much joy and let the music it produces carry him through the hard times..........Godspeed my little one........ OMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted April 18, 2006 Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 gotta love it, OMB; gotta love it.Don't be giving it to him any time soon though, you hear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ole Man Blues Posted April 18, 2006 Author Members Share Posted April 18, 2006 Originally posted by Queequeg gotta love it, OMB; gotta love it. Don't be giving it to him any time soon though, you hear? I'd like to play it few days first....... OMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Drupoet Posted June 23, 2016 Members Share Posted June 23, 2016 I own a 1970 Martin D-35 (I'm the original owner) when I brought it back to Martin in the early 90's , the intonation was off , they put on a new bridge & also fixed some loose frets . One person at Martin ( in upper management ) played my guitar & said it was one of the best he has ever heard from any year. He told me that they (Martin) feel 1 out of 10 guitars is awesome & the other 9 are really good. I got the ONE out of ten. When I tried out D-35's back in 1970 my rock band had just broken up & I was known well enough to ask to try out every D-35 the store had brand new in the back & out on the floor. The store helped me out & I must have tried 8 guitars , finally buying the one I have now. I have played a Gibson 1952 SJ , and a 1954 Country Western both great guitars but a lot different then the Martin. In my opinion 70 Martins can be great.....you just have to take your time to find the right one. By the way my opinion is shared by musician friends that have played my D-35 Martin. Martin did make some awesome guitars in the 70's ...you just have to find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FretFiend. Posted June 23, 2016 Members Share Posted June 23, 2016 This thread is ten freaking years old! By God, I think you've set a new record for raising old zombie threads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted June 23, 2016 Members Share Posted June 23, 2016 Congratulations on finding one of the good ones. However, you'll probably get a better response if you start a new thread. I see from your profile you've posted twice in three years. Please let us hear more from you and more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted June 23, 2016 Members Share Posted June 23, 2016 Yep. Old thread. But, s'long as we're talking 70's martin D35, lemme say my new '73 blew wads and I ended up giving the POS away with full disclosure after 2 trips back from Martin for bad repairs on a bad guitar. Very sad but it was just a guitar and Martin got a pant-load of bad press for their 70's mistakes. I like to think I'm Martin's Anti-Chris(t). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tbry Posted June 24, 2016 Members Share Posted June 24, 2016 I wonder if the guy played it more than a few days...I got sucked right in on this one. 2006... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members valentsgrif Posted June 25, 2016 Members Share Posted June 25, 2016 Woops, didn't notice the zero before the 6. Anyway, I'm fascinated by this guitar even though I'm a Gibson fan boy. I've heard many an amazing 35 in the last few years such that its on my radar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted June 25, 2016 Members Share Posted June 25, 2016 2006 ROCKS!!! :thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted July 2, 2016 Members Share Posted July 2, 2016 Gah! Zombies! What has become of Harmony Central? Now it Scattered Cacophany. For the longest time I've lusted for a HD-35. Ten years now. Too long. Can't even form sentences. Why? Money. Scornful wife. No time to play. Clingy kids. Whatever. I thought maybe a GC MMV would be an alternative but still too much $$$. I settled for a D-16GT which is a completely different beast from either. I settled. Inevitably what I feared would happen did. KABONG! Couple hundred $$$ damage and a big hit to trade in value. Watching the sales and trades in several places I've seen selling prices and demand for what I got drop and asking prices for both the MMV and the HD-35 rise - while also becoming rare. I've come to the decision that life is short and if you worry about what other people think of you then you're never going to change your mind. Also, we accumulate a lot of crap. If you can get money for it I say sell it and put it toward what you've wanted all along. If you can't then throw it out and at least make room for something else. Life's too short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted July 2, 2016 Members Share Posted July 2, 2016 Gah! Zombies! What has become of Harmony Central? Now it Scattered Cacophany. For the longest time I've lusted for a HD-35. Ten years now. Too long. Can't even form sentences. Why? Money. Scornful wife. No time to play. Clingy kids. Whatever. I thought maybe a GC MMV would be an alternative but still too much $$$. I settled for a D-16GT which is a completely different beast from either. I settled. Inevitably what I feared would happen did. KABONG! Couple hundred $$$ damage and a big hit to trade in value. Watching the sales and trades in several places I've seen selling prices and demand for what I got drop and asking prices for both the MMV and the HD-35 rise - while also becoming rare. I've come to the decision that life is short and if you worry about what other people think of you then you're never going to change your mind. Also, we accumulate a lot of crap. If you can get money for it I say sell it and put it toward what you've wanted all along. If you can't then throw it out and at least make room for something else. Life's too short. Neil, did you know that all I play is a Yamaha CG110CE? It's a 1996 model classical, no longer available from Yamaha, I got in trade another guitar in 2005 (Martin DM). I didn't play it for years, though. I messed around with it a few times but was focused on steel strings. That classical saw various steel string Larrivees, Martins, Guilds, a Walden and Noman, Breedlove and a Goodall pass through my hands. Then, while I still had the Goodall, I began adapting to the CG110CE classical, bought another Yamaha nylon string, converted a Martin 00CXAE into a nylon string, and have since returned to the CG110CE exclusively. NIB it was under $700.00 from Yamaha in 1996 and I've seen them list right at $100.00. My point is I'm not settling. I've learned that its the hands not the brands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.