Decided to give some high-end Martins a try again...
 

Had some time on my lunch break, and work near a music store that carries some well-maintained Martins and Taylors.

Played a half-dozen Martins in the $2500-$3300 range (Canadian, FYI) including an HD-28, 000-15M, 00-28VS and a couple more whose names escape me because I'm not a Martin guy and the model names aren't all that catchy.

They were all superbly put together, and felt great. Nice necks, nice setups, and quality instruments to be sure. I just don't "get" the Martin tone, at least for my style and ear.

The 000-15M sounded muffled and short-sustained to me, the HD-28 was bassy with what felt like a giant hole in the sonic spectrum where the midrange ought to be, and the 00-28VS, while certainly the nicest-sounding to my ear, seemed very plain in its sonic signature, as though the essence of the note was there, but without the detail or overtones that draw me in to a guitar's tone.

By comparison to my Webbers and Halcyon, these guitars seemed short on sustain and detail, and quiet. I felt like I had to fight the guitars to bring the notes out, instead of them jumping out of the guitar willingly as on my instruments at home.

The experience reaffirmed my belief that handbuilt guitars can offer greater responsiveness and volume. This is not to imply that pricey customs are the only solution; My $999 Halcyon OM could drown out even the HD-28 I played, and the notes jump out with far less effort than even the small 00-28VS. Even my most expensive Webber lined up in price with the Martins I tried today; I just feel I got more for my money.

This is not meant to bash Martins or those who enjoy them. I played factory-built guitars for my entire life until just a few years ago. This forum convinced me to give handbuilt instruments a try, and I'm so glad I did. After a few years of playing them, this was my first venture back into the high-end factory instruments, and I was so shocked by the contrast that I felt compelled to come and post my observation.

And to prove I'm an equal opportunist, the Taylor 514ce, 714ce, and 914ce in the shop fared no better; they felt quiet, stiff in their responsiveness, and had a brittle edge to the treble that irked me the most on the 914ce.

TLDR version: I implore anyone looking in the $1-3k price range to find and try some of the more affordable handbuilt/small-shop guitars (Halcyon, Webber, Kronbauer, etc). You don't have to spend more money, but you may find you get "more" guitar for your money. For my tastes, I know I did.

In all fairness, those are not high-end Martins as your title suggests.

Would you call them mid-range? I'm not a martin guy; I know the 15 series isn't "high-end", but isn't the 28-series around the point where adding price adds bling without necessary improving specs elsewhere?

I guess my point in calling them high-end is that they were in the price range where they start overlapping with handbuilt guitars. I stand corrected.

You may not find one of these in every guitar shop but I`d be surprised if it wasn`t louder than a Halcyon OM. I paid $2500 for mine, love the `mids` that Mahogany projects.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6pLqcsB8ek

:lol: and I don't live in a high end neighborhood :lol:
Harmonics

The list price on a 00-28VS is around $4600. I'd call that pretty high end.

Well I guess it's all in what you want to use your guitar for. When you've been around guitars all your life, there comes a time when you realize you want more out of a guitar, than just to blow the next guy out of the room! There's also an element called "tone." It's much more prized than volume. And you also have to realize, the strings on the guitars in the shops are usually a year old, & been drooled on by many a Guitar Center customer over many lunch breaks.
Steve

I think he mentioned the tone as well.

I think the point is that a hand made guitar may indeed be lighter built and more responsive than a mass built one. I have read that that is because the mass built ones need to LAST so there are not warranty issues down the road.

MBE,
Thank you for your post and review. From my signature you can see that I am biased toward Martins. But what is important in any discussion is how the person feels about the instrument. My likes and/or dislikes will be different from your's or anyone else's.
My only suggestion would be for you to bring one of your guitars with next time so you could hear it in the same room as the guitars you are test driving. One thing we often miss is that the ROOM is just as important as the guitar, its strings and its setup, when comparing.
Thanks

i generally like the Martin "tone" but i find them to be not quite as "resonant" as non-factory builds (generally speaking, of course). as a result, they can sometimes be a tad dull sounding and a little muddy as well. but the 28 and 18 series' both seem to be in their proper place in the guitar world for the price they command (not overly expensive). i'm guessing that 90% of them are good guitars, 5% are dogs, and 5% are special. i've owned four Martins but eventually weeded them out of my collection. they all had nice tone but lacked just a bit in the area of resonance, which is big for me. on the other hand, i have played a few that were superb as well (40 series and customs). i'd like to audition an "authentic" one of these days.

Thanks, that was my take-away point from the experience.

Also, to address the criticism of my time spent with the instruments, it was a full hour in an otherwise empty room. I'd call an hour alternating between a handful of instruments sufficient to get a sense of their tone and responsiveness. Yes, I would have spent more time with a specific guitar if I was considering purchasing it, putting it through every musical test I could think of, but the differences between these guitars and the handbuilt instruments I have played was so stark that it did not require more than an hour to be apparent.

A very valid point. I would be interested in doing a more accurate A/B in the same room.

And of course, tastes are personal. I am primarily a fingerstylist, and do not play many of the styles that are staples of many Martin aficionados, like bluegrass or blues.

MBE,
For what it's worth, I have enjoyed each and every Webber I have had the chance to play and have come close to buying a Webber on several occasions. And for the record I play a wide range of fingerstyle music from blues, jazz, rock, classical and modern fingerstyle (whatever that is).
Cheers

This was very much in line with my observation. "Resonance" would be a nice way to describe what I felt was lacking. That extra facet of the tone that adds depth and a sort of 3-dimensional effect, the way a good tube amp does on an electric.

I would never say that these guitars were bad, bad-sounding, or bad value for the money. I just think that, since they're what you'll find hanging on the rack at most stores, that it can be easy to miss out on the handbuilt guitars in this same price range.

wrong quote