Should I buy this guitar, Martin D35?
 

At the risk of having someone beat me to it, I ask this question.

This is a 2011 described in excellent condition. I have been wanting a D35, though the one I loved wasn't this one. But I liked the size, the neck, the tone, the loudness. This is what they sent in answer to my inquiry:

- The action measurements at the 12th fret are 6/64ths on the bass side and 4/64ths on the treble side. Our repair tech and myself agree that the action is just about as perfect as it could be. The guitar really does play VERY well.

- The frets are seated very well. There is some extremely light wear on the frets in the first 3 frets, but nothing out of the ordinary for a 4 yr old guitar. This is definitely a lightly played Martin.

- Comes with a Martin hard shell case with a green interior.

They are asking for 1599. It's in another state so I won't be able to play it first. I could ask the seller how it sounds, but doubt the answer would be useful.
I think the price is good, the pictures look perfect. I don't care so much about the action, because that I know can be dealt with, though those numbers sound fine. Am I right in thinking with those measurements that the neck is probably fine? If the guitar doesn't have the exact sound I want, it shouldn't be hard to turn it over, providing it isn't a dog, but really, what's the chance of that?

What do you all think? Please give me opinions. And the sooner the better! :wink:

Always taking a risk buying unplayed or inspected but on the surface everything sounds OK. A little fret wear on the lower frets & particularly under the treble strings is normal & somewhat unavoidable & probably wouldn't affect playability that much anyway. At least the guitar itself will be well broken in.

That price would be cheap down here but we're a different economy altogether. That may be average or a little above for where you are & possibly negotiable depending on how many others are looking at it.

The action measurements don't necessarily tell you anything about the neck angle. The neck could be off, and the saddle barely peeking out from the slot on the bridge, with those measurements.

That's not to imply there's anything wrong with the neck. If it's 4 years old, left the factory with good geometry, and was kept in a reasonable environment... it's probably fine. If you also knew the string height off the soundboard (at the bridge), you would have a lot better idea about the neck.

Martins sound fine on average. Sure there are a few great ones and a few "meh" ones, but you should know what you're getting for the most part if you have played a few D35's.

I think you'll find that absent any structural or neck/saddle issues, or dead strings, any standard series Martin is going to sound fantastic.

Price is reasonable since it's in a retail store. Generally hard to go wrong with a D-35.

From your description, I'd take it. That's a good price that you will always be able to get back. I love my D-35.

Should I buy this guitar, Martin D35?
 

Seems like a fair price. Most reputable dealers will give a 24 or 48 hour return window in case you aren't satisfied, have you asked about that?

You might be out return shipping but it removes the risk of making a major mistake.

Not anyone's place to tell you what or what not to buy... I would offer the following caveat:

Martins are fairly inconsistent, in many ways... and the tone is a big one of those ways!

You just can't be sure that the guitar is going to sound like you want it to sound... for that reason alone, I'd advise buying something that you can play and really be certain about, before plunking your dollars down...

Hm..even if I can return it if I don't like it?

From what I understand, you would have to pay for the return shipping.

I agree, while I love a good Martin, I had a D35 that was only so so
MY guild D50 blew it away tone wise so I sold it.
Martins are inconsistent , that is very true indeed,.
dave

As opposed to what? You expecting for a seller to pay to have you try the thing? Sounds like a good deal to me.

Thanks for all the input.
 

I'm waffling now though. Before I started the thread I was nearly certain I'd get that guitar. What gives me pause though is what a couple of you have mentioned, that there is not always consistency in the way Martins sound. And I've seen that myself because the brand new D35 I loved was one of three D35s that I played. The other 2 were nice, but they didn't take my breath away. I played Gibson J45, Taylor 210, an HD 28. Only that one D35 made me want it. (Actually the 210 sounded very good to me too.). In fact, an AGF friend was with me that day, and when he heard the Martin he said something like, "Put new strings on that and it'll blow you out the door....You'll never do better than that D35. " Also he mentioned that it didn't sound like a typical D35 which are usually darker in tone because of the 3 piece back, and that coincided perfectly with what the GC manager told me right before my friend came in. That was 3 weeks ago. I doubt it's still there.

So now, what I think is that guitar is a good price and I can return it, and I don't mind paying the shipping, and it would only be one way because it's at a GC. But the chances of it sounding like the one are probably slim. So...I think that used Martin is most likely not my dream guitar. OTOH, it would only cost me shipping to find out...

Denise... first of all, just because you saw that guitar and loved it, three weeks ago, doesn't mean that anyone else loved it like you! I wouldn't give up on THAT one, just yet... call the store, or better yet, GO OVER THERE! I know you'd have to drive down the hill, but hey! It's for THE ONE, you know?

Secondly, I would attribute a D-35's "darker" voice to the bracing that's used in the guitar, NOT the 3 piece back... sorry, but the wood on a guitar's back doesn't do much, if anything, to a guitar's sound... I have played guitars with laminate backs that sounded wonderful, and guitars with lovely 2 piece backs of Brazilian rosewood that didn't sound good at all... there's a LOT more "magic" stuff going on in a guitar than the wood or the way it looks...

All the best of luck in finding YOUR "The One"... may you live happily ever after!

I agree with jseth - go back to the store. I mean, call first and make sure it's still there before you make the drive, but go in person.

If it's there, tell them that you're seriously interested in the guitar but want to hear it with a fresh set of strings on it. Your friend's assessment of it being great-sounding with good strings might be accurate, or it might be wishful thinking. You don't know, and CAN'T really know until the guitar is in your hands with a fresh set of strings on it.

If they tell you, yes, it's here and, yes, we'll restring it for you, and you get there and they haven't restrung it yet because it's a Saturday and they've been swamped, offer to restring it yourself. But listen to it and play it with better strings on it before you buy it.

Don't do this long distance. Do it in person.

Jseth is correct that the reason a D-35 has more bass response than a D-28 is due to the bracing, not the three piece back. D-35's have 1/4" braces under the top, whereas D-28's have 5/16" inch braces. It's a minimal difference, but it's an audible one.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

I'm with jseth too, the D-28 in my sig I'd been hovering around for 2-3 months before I bit the bullet & bought it. There's no way I would have made a purchase unseen/unheard with such conviction.

I tried others in the shop above that pricepoint (a very nice D-35, a very disappointing J-45TV, a HD-28VS) & some below (16 series Martins & an Eastman E10D) yet that 28 called me out, sometimes you just know.

Not consistent? I've never played a Martin of any type that didn't play and sound like a Martin. Even the MIM ones.

And I'm not a believer in 5 guitars and 5 guitars sounding different. I think it's all in people's heads myself. YMMV (just my opinion folks)

That's a good price on that D35 and it's only what? 4 years old? I wouldn't be afraid to buy it. I just bought a HD28 sight unseen, except for pictures and couldn't be happier.

If the price and condition are good.

What's the harm in buying? It's a Martin D-35 priced around what a new D16 or 17 costs.

IF you don't care for it down the road you can easily move it...
Even if you lose a few bucks on resale. You had fun playing and trying.

I do it from time to time when I see a deal... Lose $50-100 bucks. Or sometimes I make a few bucks like in case of Sweetwater Guild blowout in Sept.

At an "asking" price of $1,599, I do not think you have much to lose. If it is terrible, you can return it. If you never fall in love, you can be pretty sure that you can sell it without taking a big hit.

Normally, I would say that buying the one that you loved three weeks ago is a no-brainer. Contrary to what you believe, I think the odds that it is still there are quite high. These are expensive guitars as far as the general guitar buying public is concerned; the AGF forum is not representative. Stores like GC move dozens of sub-$1000 guitars for every relatively high-end guitar they sell.

That being said, the used one is a quite substantial saving over the new price so I can see how it can be tempting.

For what it's worth, all but one of my guitars were bought after extensive guitar safaris during which I played all similar (and not so similar) guitars that I could find within driving distance and I only bought the one that really wow-ed me.