martin or Bedell

[epaul]

Whoops, you never said the cost was equal. If it is, something is really wrong somewhere.

Both can make nice music. Neither will hold you back. It all depends on your budget.

[marvin gardens]

Martin.....I've got a 16GT, great guitar. Martin.

[Cibby]

Originally Posted by abobby

I am getting ready to purchase. It is between 2 models Bedell TB-28-G or
a Martin D16RGT.
Does anyone have any thoughts on which one?
Thanks

I bought the same Bedell you are looking at sent it back bad neck set. I called Bedell something I don't normally do they were very nice. They put me through to a guitar tech which was interesting. They sent me another Bedell TB28G guess what same problem couldn't do a good set up on it neck was not set right..Sent it back got a refund...You will be happy with the Martin D16RGT easy to set up if it needs it,easy to get saddle upgrades if you want and it will sound awesome like about every Martin I've played..cibby

[JJO]

Originally Posted by deja

... First, Bedell is not what it appears to be in my estimation. They don't necessarily misrepresent themselves on their website or in their ads, but if the information you have is based solely from visiting the Bedell website, you could easily get the impression that they've been around since 1964 and that their guitars are American made, neither of which is true. ...

This bugs me about Bedell as well. As you say, it doesn't have any direct bearing on the quality of the product. I've got both cheap and midrange Chinese-made guitars that I love (Recording King and Eastman), so it's not the fact of their being made in China that bugs me, it's the faux-authenticity of the branding and the way it conflicts with the reality of the company.

I haven't had a chance to play a Bedell, so maybe they're great or excellent bargains or unique in some way. But the way the guitars are being marketed just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

[OPATRIOT]

Gday Friend .... I have owned both .. " apples & oranges " .... Martin had That fat martin sound , great Americona sound with bass dominance , fit and finish was great ... Bedell had a rich sound with a good bass but more of a modern flare to it ... sorta like modern worship music type sound ... The day I purchased the Bedell I spent three hours in the acoustic room A&B ing guitars ... Five Martins three Bedells .... No prejudices ..... All the Martins except One - Laurence Juber model - sounded dead , not alive , no richness ..... and two of the the Bedells where dead , not alive , no richness ... Except one ... Was alive in my hands , deep rich sound , a modern sound , fit and finish was great .... so that day she won the contest ... The more guitars I play the more I am convinced that every guitar is different ... some are alive and some are dead ... Martins,Gibson,Bedell etc. ... If it sounds good buy it ....

[epaul]

A Martin with dead strings equals a dead Martin.

A Bedall with fresh strings equals a lively Bedall.

Not saying a particular Bedall might not sound better to someone (or even lots of someones) than a particular Martin.

But, if guitar A has coated strings, and the guitar next to it, guitar B, has uncoated strings, uncoated strings that have been played by a couple hundred different hands, some washed, some not, over the last week (as it is a guitar lots of folks like to take off the wall and handle), guitar A will sound better than guitar B to most ears most of the time, regardless of price or brand.

Bedalls fit a dealer need. One of my local dealers just picked up the line, as he got into a spiff with Saga and either tossed or lost his Blueridge line. The handcrafted by hippies marketing ploy is deceptive and dumb, but, so it goes.

And the way it is going, I expect that my local John Deere dealer will be offering John Deere guitars by this spring, right next to the John Deere motor oil and the John Deere lawn rakes and grease guns. Nothing strums like a Deere.

[chitz]

Every time I get around a d16rgt, people are smiling.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by JJO

This bugs me about Bedell as well. As you say, it doesn't have any direct bearing on the quality of the product. I've got both cheap and midrange Chinese-made guitars that I love (Recording King and Eastman), so it's not the fact of their being made in China that bugs me, it's the faux-authenticity of the branding and the way it conflicts with the reality of the company.

I haven't had a chance to play a Bedell, so maybe they're great or excellent bargains or unique in some way. But the way the guitars are being marketed just kind of rubs me the wrong way.

I think what's real about Bedell Guitars is that Brian Bedell, in 1964, at 14-years-of-age, built his own guitar, and this is the basis of the 1964 beginnings of Bedell Guitars. What he did in the interim 45 years, from 1964 to 2009, when I first saw the new Bedell Guitars ads in magazines, is unknown to me. The guitars are built overseas and should be equated with Blueridge and Recording King rather than U.S.A.-made Martin guitars. I've never played a Bedell guitar but if they sound as good as the better Blueridge models that I've played, then they're probably decent-sounding guitars. If I can, however, get a Larrivee -03 Series, all-solid-wood, Made in Canada guitar, or a Martin, American-made guitar, for a bit more cash, I'd go for the Made in North America-brand guitar.

Regards,

SpruceTop

[deja]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

What he did in the interim 45 years, from 1964 to 2009, when I first saw the new Bedell Guitars ads in magazines, is unknown to me.

Tom Bedell took over his father's fishing tackle business in 1979 - Berkley/Trilene - and recently sold it for $500 million. Here's the first paragraph of an article on Bedell from the trade journal, entrepreneur.com (below). The full article is only available via Google cached link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=us

In 1967, at 17, Tom Bedell loaded a car with samples and headed north to Chicago to unveil the Bedell Guitar Company at the NAMM show. As the youngest exhibitor there (possibly even the youngest of all time), working out of a cramped hotel room exhibit at the Conrad Hilton, he didn't exactly inspire confidence, and the response to his guitars was less than overwhelming. However, recalling the experience today brings a smile to his face, and he reflects, "It was a lot of fun while it lasted." Four decades later, after working as a political consultant and then transforming Pure Fishing Inc. into a $500 million (sales) manufacturer of fishing tackle, his career has come full circle with the revival of the Bedell brand of acoustic guitars. This time around, though, he's marshalling ample financial resources and proven marketing and managerial skills to ensure that his brand makes a more lasting impact. With a distinctive line of acoustics that covers all major price points, backed by a high-impact consumer advertising campaign and an independent-friendly MAP policy, Bedell is confident that his company will quickly "earn its way into the market."

If you're interested in other links featuring this "talented entrepreneur" just put the following words into Google - bedell, guitars, entrepreneur - and you can make your own judgments as to Bedell's authenticity. I will say that it's remarkable what money can buy.

Note: the above quoted 191 word paragraph falls within Fair Use.

[kromekrush]

For what it's worth I have a Martin GPCPA4 Rosewood and a Bedell MBCE-24F-G.

Yes, the Bedell is made in China but I do believe it's a well made guitar. They have been around for long enough that any kinks are well worked out. Also they are QC'd by Breedlove guitars so they have come a long way. I'm lucky enough to make my living in as a session guitarist and it has performed beautifully as both a fingerstyle instrument as a strummer. The Bedell sounds absolutely beautiful with a lot of warmth and wood in the tone. It has solid rosewood back and sides and a solid cedar top with a 1 3/4 inch nut width. I have used it next to players using guitars costing twice as much and it held it's own with no problem. (A few people were actually kind of pissed that they paid what they did for theirs when the Bedell is available now.) I have a K&K pickup in the Bedell and it's a stunner. I absolutely love it!

The Martin is a Martin and sounds like one. Personally I think that's the biggest difference. This guitar has solid rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top with a 1 3/4 inch nut width as well. This guitar sounds lovely as well but once again, it sounds like a Martin and the truth is, only a Martin sounds like a Martin. My only complaint is the lack of finish on the Martin and once again, Martin has decided to use Fishman for the electronics and I really dislike Fishman thus I ripped it out and had a LR Baggs element active put in.

Both of these guitars are within 300 dollars of one another and I believe them both to be well worth the price.

Long of the short of it... The Martin is a very distinct sound so if you want the Martin sound ya gotta go with the Martin guitar. Having said that, please don't be discouraged with the Bedell. I believe they stand up to Martin and Taylor with no problem. (And personally i like the way my Bedell sounds over any taylor I've played.)

If pushed, I'd give up my Martin before I gave up my Bedell. (But I'd still piss, moan and cry about it.) Hope that helps.

[Guitar Hack]

I have played several Bedell guitars they are fine guitars. Are they as good as a Martin? I can't answer that. Will they hold their value like a Martin? Not likely. I had the opportunity to meet Tom Bedell at a local guitar store. Nice guy. I understand that Bedell and Breedlove have now merged. I do like the sound of Bedells. I don't own one because I am building my own guitars.

[lone eskimo]

Reading the title alone made me laugh to myself.. kinda like Mercedes or Kia... Yes, you're gonna find a Bedell model that may sound better to you than a certain Martin model but there's more things under the hood that you may not see at first.. Martin has 175+ years of experience building guitars- including models that revolutionized the guitar making industry. Some of the greatest artists of Rock, Folk, Bluegrass, Pop etc.. have used their guitars. The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Michael Hedges, Jimmy Page, Norman Blake, Neil Young, Elvis, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Coldplay, Willie Nelson, Jim Croce.... Who plays a Bedell?......

Maybe I'm looking at it wrong- perhaps one day Bedell will be the brand everyone wants- kinda like Taylor is now. I don't see it though. Bob Taylor was a young upstart with great creative innovations that created an iconic American company.. Bedell seems more interested in spending money on creating some sort of faux illusion of an American company that's made in China and who's history and backround are murky.

I have a Martin DC-16RGTE that is so good that it's put my old D-28 into semi-retirement.. I come at this with 35 years experience playing live- touring, recording etc...

Best of luck either way!

Mike

[ukejon]

Doesn't matter what her name is, you just gotta go hold her in your arms and see if she sings to you.....

[akafloyd]

Get the Martin

[Kerbie]

That's a no-brainer for me... buy the Martin.

I have a played a Bedell several times and found it to be a nice guitar. But, as others have noted, they are made in China. I don't think you're going to find many Bedells that can be serious competition for Martins. Nothing wrong with them, but they aren't Martins.