Members EvilHippy Posted February 8, 2004 Members Share Posted February 8, 2004 New guitar time... i'm ready to upgrade to something else. The old Martin just won't commit at the same level i'm shooting for. I don't like the fretboard on it and it is giving me way too much noise. It is a great guitar and has lots of soul in it and good volume, but it is just so old and it can't commit. I would like some comments and thoughts on guitars to look at... yes, i've probably played the ones you are going to list once or twice. I'm looking for something with good quality, american made is always a plus. Not too expensive... I don't have a whole lot of cash at the moment. I am looking at selling my fender strat and tele, keeping the les paul, selling the Martin D-35. I am looking for a well balanced tone and good bass. A rock/folk/bluegrass strummer flatpicker that can also do well in blues. I don't know about V necks as they tend to bother me. I am open to any suggestions or brands. I don't know if I want a slotted headstock, but you can't be choosy. I've been looking at the Martin SPD-16K2 and a few others... I dunno. Throw something on the pile and i'll see if I can check them out. ~EH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members i_wanna_les_paul Posted February 8, 2004 Members Share Posted February 8, 2004 I like Larrivee...but you've probably played a ton of them already. I just like the feel and tone of them. I also like the upper end Tacomas - specifically the "Little Jumbo" EC-22 I think it is. Good, small bodied, just speaks to me. Man, I wish I could go guitar shopping. Why don't you send that Martin over here and I can see if I can get some Mojo out of it? Dustin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chirpy_72 Posted February 9, 2004 Members Share Posted February 9, 2004 Guild D40 or Martin D18 ... Mahogany dreds, good for both kinds of music, county AND western. Those would be my first choices for a new, American-made versitile guitars that won't break the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members telenate Posted February 9, 2004 Members Share Posted February 9, 2004 I have a Gibson WM-45 and it's a very good sounding, versatile guitar. Loud as most anything I've played, but with a sweet voice. I'm intrigued by Larivees but I haven't tried one yet. Orsino's new one looks really sweet. The Larivee L models look a lot like Gibson J-45s, except they're less expensive. So I'd go for a slope-shoulder dread for versatility. Gibson or Larivee should be in your price range after you sell all that gear. Do you really like the Les Paul more than the Strat or Tele? I know you weren't too keen on the LP before. For me a Tele feels the best, but I haven't spent a lot of time with a Les Paul. I'd be interested to hear how your thinking about the LP has changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members acoustiholic Posted February 9, 2004 Members Share Posted February 9, 2004 Coming from a Martin, you've already set the bar fairly high. I'm suprised you're selling the "Hurricane Guitar", but I've done crazy things too -just ask my wife. You might noy be truly happy unless you spend a few more dollars than you've indicated your willing to spend right now. Orsino and I have both found a piece of Heaven with the Gibson J-150 Super Jumbo. There are others here that have one too, but I'm sorry I can't remember who. I'm 46 and have been buying guitars for 30 years from Sears & Robuck (with the amp built into the case) to Ramirez 1A's from Spain and I personally like the Gibson as the best "overall" acoustic guitar for me. Tom also has a sweet Taylor and a nice Martin, so he's covered al the bases, and I am always changing out guitars like socks, but the Gibson is a permanent fixture. Good luck, that's my 2 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ksargent Posted February 9, 2004 Members Share Posted February 9, 2004 Considering what you are selling, you should be able to get into the lower 2K's - meaning you can also look at Collings and Santa Cruz (both used of course). If you end up having that much money, I would not buy until I did check those two out. I'm as big a Larrivee fan as anyone (I have two) - but SC and Collings are in a whole different league. Ken Originally posted by EvilHippy New guitar time... i'm ready to upgrade to something else. The old Martin just won't commit at the same level i'm shooting for. I don't like the fretboard on it and it is giving me way too much noise. It is a great guitar and has lots of soul in it and good volume, but it is just so old and it can't commit. I would like some comments and thoughts on guitars to look at... yes, i've probably played the ones you are going to list once or twice. I'm looking for something with good quality, american made is always a plus. Not too expensive... I don't have a whole lot of cash at the moment. I am looking at selling my fender strat and tele, keeping the les paul, selling the Martin D-35. I am looking for a well balanced tone and good bass. A rock/folk/bluegrass strummer flatpicker that can also do well in blues. I don't know about V necks as they tend to bother me. I am open to any suggestions or brands. I don't know if I want a slotted headstock, but you can't be choosy. I've been looking at the Martin SPD-16K2 and a few others... I dunno. Throw something on the pile and i'll see if I can check them out.~EH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cams Posted February 9, 2004 Members Share Posted February 9, 2004 I'm another ex Gibson super jumbo owner and urge that you check one out - probably the J-150 although I'm sure the 100 has plenty of bite too. These are great all-rounders but I sold mine as it wasn't quite me. Another thing well worth considering in my opinion, especially since you seem to know your guitars and what you want from them, would be to have one custom made. Talk to a few builders, check out some prices and see if any can offer what you need. I was surprised at the cost of doing this -- in many cases it won't cost you any more than on off-the-shelf model, and you can have it made to fit with any level of appointments that you want. The builders I can recommend from personal experience are in Europe, but still worth a shot IMO - Heiner Dreizehnter in Germany, and Brook in the UK. Lakewood will also do you a custom build for not much more than a shop model. John at Shoreline should be able to help you with Brook or Lakewood. Give it some thought. Cams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 54merk Posted February 9, 2004 Members Share Posted February 9, 2004 Originally posted by EvilHippy New guitar time... i'm ready to upgrade to something else. The old Martin just won't commit at the same level i'm shooting for. I don't like the fretboard on it and it is giving me way too much noise. It is a great guitar and has lots of soul in it and good volume, but it is just so old and it can't commit. I would like some comments and thoughts on guitars to look at... yes, i've probably played the ones you are going to list once or twice. I'm looking for something with good quality, american made is always a plus. Not too expensive... I don't have a whole lot of cash at the moment. I am looking at selling my fender strat and tele, keeping the les paul, selling the Martin D-35. I am looking for a well balanced tone and good bass. A rock/folk/bluegrass strummer flatpicker that can also do well in blues. I don't know about V necks as they tend to bother me. I am open to any suggestions or brands. I don't know if I want a slotted headstock, but you can't be choosy. I've been looking at the Martin SPD-16K2 and a few others... I dunno. Throw something on the pile and i'll see if I can check them out.~EH EH,I sense that you are making a hasty decision on giving up on your Martin. You said the guitar is "too old", and "giving too much noise". A '70's Marting is really not old, however it is at the age when it would require major work, and there are really no inexpensive shortcuts. When you purchased it I was kind of doubtful of how well it would play since it did not have a complete neck reset, but rather a "heat set". This could very well be the source of the playability problems. Too bad because this guitar is a very good strummer and bluegrass guitar. If there is too much bass you can try brighter strings or smaller gauge strings on the low E and A. If there is buzzing then it may very well need a neck reset, and if it does not play perfectly, then you could lose money on your sale. So you could invest in this instrument, or just sell it, risk taking a loss, and look for a much more costly small shop or custom instrument. Why not take it to the best technician within a two hours drive to get an estimate on what it needs? Then make your decision. Try not to be impulsive and hasty, you may regret it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Eddie00016 Posted February 10, 2004 Members Share Posted February 10, 2004 I'd stick with the Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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