Went to the ManchesterMusic Mill (NH) to test drive some guitars - thoughts in thread

[Methos1979]

Despite being a little less than an hour away from where I live I have never been to the Manchester Music Mill in (where else?) Manchester, NH. I'm not sure why. I've driven farther to both The Music Emporium in Lexington, MA and Northern Lights in Littleton, NH. Granted, both of those stores have a much better selection of MUCH higher-end guitars but the Music Mill has a lot of nice guitars as well. I happened to be going to visit the VA Medical Center (in Manchester) for some testing so I figured I'd finally stop by and play some guitars. Here's how that went:

Nice place, right on the main drag in downtown Manch-Vegas, as it's deridingly referred to by both those that live there and those that do not. The place is not big (they never are) but they pack the heck out of it (they always do) with a lot of gear. The acoustic room is separate from the rest of the store through a door and has several walls filled with guitars, a couple stools to sit and play and a little work area. The guitars were mostly all (pleasantly) in tune, which was great. Also, the strings seemed to be mostly fresh on all but one of the guitars I played.

I'm not in the market having just downsized to my minimum of two gigging guitars - both RainSong carbon fiber - but I wouldn't mind having an all-wood guitar if something popped up that was cool, relatively affordable and sounded great. I'd love to have something old and beat up with lots of mojo and honest wear but still sound great and not be stupid-expensive. There was only one guitar I saw that fit that bill, so that was my first stop.

1.) 1970 Martin D18: Pretty beat up with plenty of finish checking and dings from honest play. A couple well-repaired side cracks and the neck had already been reset at some point. The neck was surprisingly comfortable and enjoyable to play. The sound was pretty good but nothing that made me seriously consider it, especially at the price it was being offered at which was $2,899. The G string had a bind in the nut (I assume) as the string would PING loudly when tuning. I absolutely LOVED the look. It had just the right amount of honest wear and tear but seemed stable enough to go another 50 years with ease. But the underwhelming tone and price was just a bit too far. It did have a K&K installed and a front strap button, two things I consider a plus as any guitar I buy must be able to plug in and be used live if needed/wanted.

2.) Martin D-15M Streetmaster: Easily the worst sounding guitar I played. Price wasn't bad at $1,599 and the look is a headfake at something road-worn but I was definitely underwhelmed by the sound. I mean, REALLY underwhelmed. Maybe it sounds good plugged in? I didn't test it out.

3.) Martin OM21 1933 Ambertone: Great looking guitar since I love the Martin Ambertone finish and the simple appointments work. Sound was decent. Price was $3,199. Nothing I would consider.

4.) Martin Custom Shop Sloped Shoulder Dreadnought - Bearclaw Sitka Spruce Top and Wildgrain Rosewood Back and Sides: Cool looking guitar for sure. Sound was okay, nothing to write home about. Price was $4,500.

5.) Martin 00-15M all mahogany: This was the winner for the day. I can see why these guitars sell so well and are so popular. At the price of $1,499 new, these little tone monsters provide a LOT of guitar for the money. I love all-mahogany guitars for their over-the-top dry sound and the 00-15M did not disappoint. Despite being new, the guitar had that great, dry hog tone. The minimalist appointments and satin finish also work great. It's an extremely lightweight guitar. I'd love to find one that is beat to heck (or add some mojo) and at a great price.

6.) Taylor 717 Grand Pacific Builder's Edition with V-Class Bracing - Wild Honey Burst: Very good sound and cool look. I played mostly because I wanted to try a Taylor with V-Class bracing, plus the 700 series body style. At $3,099 it's a lot of guitar for the money.

7.) Taylor Dread: I didn't look close enough at exactly what this guitar was but it was older, used, a little beat and had a really weird side deformation that looked like it wanted to be a crack but had not 'broken through' yet. It's hard to explain but it certainly did not look good. The price was somewhere just over a grand, maybe $1,199? It's not listed on their website. It had a REALLY thin Taylor-type neck shape, the kind I'm not a big fan of. But this guitar sounded fantastic. Probably the second best sounding guitar I played all day behind the Martin 00-15M.

8.) Gibson 2015 Custom Shop Acoustic J-45 Flamed Maple - Trans Brown: I really wanted to play a J-series Gibson just to get an idea of the feel and sound. I was also interested in the all-maple tone. It's definitely a great guitar and sound really good but it didn't float my boat. The 'Trans Brown' finish was almost a dark red which I also wasn't wild about.

9.) RainSong Black Ice OM Shorty custom: This was an odd duck. I currently own two RainSong guitars (a Black Ice Custom dread and a Vintage Nashville OM Shorty Custom) and I've owned several other models in the past so I'm very familiar with RainSong guitars. What makes this one a custom (I assume) is that it has a K&K pickup from the factory (again, I assume). This made what is usually an already very lightweight guitar and extremely lightweight guitar especially as compared to the Vintage Nashville OM Shorty I own. I had it in the trunk so went out and brought it in to A/B. The weight difference was significant (Baggs Anthem StagePro vs K&K) but the real difference was tonally in the brightness of the Black Ice vs the warmer/darker tone of the Vintage Nashville with its infused wood top. The Black Ice was also quite loud I think in part due to the lack of all that extra material/weight from the Baggs pickup and also without the UST pickup under the saddle.

There was however, an issue. The saddle was very low. I mean, LOW low. It looked like a saddle that had been taken down and down and down again, either to compensate for a neck in need of reset or someone that just likes very low action. But the action was not overly low. I can only surmise that maybe the saddles for the acoustic/electric models are made to assume that a UST pickup will be going under the saddle and someone didn't take that into account. The low E was so low that it was practically flush with the bridge and the high E string definitely had a buzz. So this guitar would need a new saddle for sure. I really would have loved to been able to plug it into one of my amp systems to see how the K&K sounded through them. I used K&K's for years so I'm well aware of how they sound and the challenges of getting great sound without outboard preamp/EQ help. Also, with the super lightweight build I would imagine that feedback would be an issue. It's definitely nice having that onboard EQ and notch of the Baggs StagePro systems on both my RainSongs. But I really did love the bright tone and the extremely light weight. Since it is new the price is $3,099. I thought for half a second about buying it and then selling off my Nashville but after several minutes of A/B'ing and a realistic comparison of the pros and cons of each, I came to my senses and left it in the store.

So, that's about it. I had a great time and it was fun to play a bunch of guitars that were different but not super-high end like the fare I test drive at The Music Emporium or Northern Lights.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Keep an eye on the used section of Guitar Center. I frequently see 15 series for under $1K.

[lowrider]

''2.) Martin D-15M Streetmaster: Easily the worst sounding guitar I played. Price wasn't bad at $1,599 and the look is a headfake at something road-worn but I was definitely underwhelmed by the sound. I mean, REALLY underwhelmed. Maybe it sounds good plugged in? I didn't test it out.''

I've got to agree with you on this one. I'm a big Martin fan, but to be kind, I'd say that it's just not the guitar for me. I've now tried two of them and I just couldn't get them to sound good at all.

[Treenewt]

Methos, the 00-15 is one of the most consistently great guitars I've tried when visiting shops. They are just great, great guitars. I even find them more consistent than the other 15 series sizes, but that might just be that my ears prefer the tone of the 00 in that lineup. Glad you had a day of picking and trying out others!

Also, you sure that Taylor 714 was only $2199? That sounds mighty good given the current pricing structure!

[Tnfiddler]

My first "GOOD" guitar was a 1995 Taylor 810 and it was a FANTASTIC looking and sounding dread! It's actually one I regret selling.

[Br1ck]

I played a 00 15 recently and want one despite having a 00 15 Custom 12 fret already. The 00 15 had more snap. We arent thinking either/or here. I want both.

[rollypolly]

I find it odd that the D-15s you guys have tried sounded bad, especially if the 00-15s sounded good. Must be dead strings or just duds. I'd assume a dread with similar woods to sound even better.

[lowrider]

Originally Posted by rollypolly

I find it odd that the D-15s you guys have tried sounded bad, especially if the 00-15s sounded good. Must be dead strings or just duds. I'd assume a dread with similar woods to sound even better.

My big mistake, I saw streetmaster and I thought it was the 000-16 Streetmaster. I just tried that one for the second time and just can't get along with it. I like all 15 series guitars.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Treenewt

Methos, the 00-15 is one of the most consistently great guitars I've tried when visiting shops. They are just great, great guitars. I even find them more consistent than the other 15 series sizes, but that might just be that my ears prefer the tone of the 00 in that lineup. Glad you had a day of picking and trying out others!

Also, you sure that Taylor 714 was only $2199? That sounds mighty good given the current pricing structure!

Good catch - it was a 717 and the price is $3,099. I also played a Taylor AD27E - Acoustic Electric Guitar - Flame Top - American Dream Maple - that was $2,199 and was also a decent sounding guitar.

[Jimi2]

I love the Music Mill. The Music Emporium is a great shop for high end stuff, but unfortunately many of their guitars are out of reach for me. But I’ve gotten some ridiculously good deals on great guitars at the Music Mill through the years . I was just playing my Martin omc-28e that I picked up there for $1200 new on a Black Friday a few years back. My favorite guitar.

The Music Mill is doing a big Labor Day sale very soon, so it would be a good time to check the place out. I’m not currently looking for anything, so I think I have to be good and stay away!

I haven’t checked out Northern Lights yet, have been meaning to.

[Glennwillow]

Hi Scott,

Sounds like you had a good day. Playing new guitars is always fun.

I hope your tests went well.

- Glenn

[jacot23]

If you want send me that 00-15, my son and I will age it for you for a few years and then send it to you. We won't charge for the labor or anything and I'll even cover shipping.

[Maryc-k]

Think of it this way, buy the 00-15 now, because when the prices go up again in January, and they will, you will be ahead of the game.

Buying used from GC is always a lotto, unless it’s in a GC local to you and you can play it first.

[Troubador]

I got my current new HD-28 from MMM. Great people to do business with.

[drive-south]

I'm overdue for a visit to Manchester. Perhaps next week.

I've got a dozen guitars from them. They always treat me great.