Played a used Martin D45. Umm... Dissapointed

[inadu ridge]

Originally Posted by Montesdad

probably why it was for sale again -

This.........

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by inadu ridge

This.........

That's what went through my head. This is a dud and some guy just dumped it.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Ted @ LA Guitar Sales

Always nice to hear someone point out the advantages of being able to play guitars first. Although we do most of our business long distance, many of the guitars we sell would be gone if brick and mortar stores go away.




When I was looking I to a D-45, before I was a Martin dealer, I tried a few at my local GC and also found the standard D-45 lack luster. Luckily they also had a D-45V which is anything but lack luster so I was able to get my D-45 fix and end up with a great guitar as well.

BTW, a used D-45 should be $5500, about 50% of the current retail price, while MAP on new is $8250. Are you sure the one you played was used?

I'm in a similar boat in that I won't own anything to expensive too use capriciously.

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

I do the same. I couldn't afford to replace either my McAlister baritone or my Klepper KJ, but both get gigged out as hard as any other instrument I own.


whm

[6L6]

In 2011 I fulfilled a long time dream and bought this D-45 new:



I tried to make it work for about two years, but to no avail. It just didn't sing, so I moved it on (got back exactly what I paid for it).

In 1997 I bought this then-new D-45V. It is the best sounding/sustaining acoustic I've ever played in my life. It's all about FSSB with my ears. YMMV.

[scuzbucket]

The numbers next to the D don't mean that much in my experience.

Being disappointed is a good thing. It means that you're using your ears rather than your eyes.

[rmyAddison]

A one off of any guitar, any brand, any price, only really makes a statement about that guitar, and player A's "not so much" may thrill player B.

I'm a Martin nut, but I've played plenty I wouldn't buy, and that includes a few from Bourgeois/Collings/Santa Cruz too, nobody makes a great guitar every time.

I've owned a few 42/45's, dread and OM, I personally prefer the D-42 over the D-45 and the D-45V over any 40 series, one of the best dreads I every played was a D-45V years ago, still remember that guitar.

But there are some great 40 series Martins, and IMHO they do not sound like 28's, based on years of living with them together, not brief auditions.

I do agree when spending that kind of money the guitar needs to be "special", not just to one person, to everybody who hears it.

I still have a very high end OM-45, $14K when D-45's were $9K, wonderful guitar, never sell it.....but then if you're a Martin fan, they go and come out with Authentics..........never played a bad one, dread or OM, yet, and some are AMAZING............

[Napman41]

Originally Posted by piper_guitarist

Lesson learned: expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.

And cheap isn't always more economical.

[SongwriterFan]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Which is kind of interesting, because from a musical standpoint I've really liked most of the D-42's I've played,

I passed on a used D-42 last year. Wish I hadn't.

[Yrksman]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

I take my expensive guitars out to gigs, festivals, and for general travel, even the ones that are more expensive than a D-45. An expensive guitar need not live such a sheltered life.

Me too, they are meant to be played, otherwise why bother?

[BadLiver]

Originally Posted by harmonics101

I don't know what it is about Martins and Bling - but for me - the two don't go together. It's like Bo Derek in a Glam Suit ,

H

It's absolutely true. Unless you're Dolly Parton, lose the bling already. It could be argued that these days even having a Martin at all is too precious for an authentic bluesman or 'grasser. An old beater, fine. A modern one with the "chrome-hubcap" logo, not so much.

[BadLiver]

Originally Posted by Napman41

And cheap isn't always more economical.

Cheap can be good though. Great even! I have lately been playing by far the cheapest guitar I've owned in decades, and it's a giant killer. A breedlove deluxe DR-something. Paid $1100 for it and the doggone thing sounds worlds better than my old Collings. It's loud as a Who concert. Plus the strings are nice and far apart which makes it dead simple to play correctly even after cocktails.

[BadLiver]

If I'm not mistaken, a D-45 is exactly the same recipe as an HD-28, but with slightly more select wood, correct? The sound should be essentially identical. The inlays may contribute a placebo effect, but I fail to believe without some objective evidence that a 45 is any better than a 28.

[Brad13122]

I haven't had the chance to play a 45 yet but I'm quickly learning that price and sound don't always go hand in hand. To this point my two favorite martins are the d15m and a d18 amber tone that if I remember correctly was built to be like a 1933. When I went back to get it it was gone. That guitar still haunts my dreams. There is a 45 at my local gc new that I'm gonna get out of the case and play one day.

[JTFoote]

I came very close to buying a standard D-45 a few years back. There was one on the wall at my favorite music store, and I spent quite a bit of time playing it, on three separate occasions. In my mind, at the time, it symbolized everything you could ever want in a great guitar, both in the brand, and the model. It was a top-of-the-line Martin, the kind of guitar I had dreamed of owning since I was a boy. Nothing else could possibly compare to that, could it?

I tried to convince myself to take it home. I really did. It was the most expensive, beautiful guitar I had ever held. But it just didn't grab me, and I didn't understand the reason. I began to think that the problem was me, not the guitar; that I needed to spend a few more years working on becoming a better player in order to really appreciate what the guitar had to offer.

The shop owner, having watched me struggle with the decision on my previous visits, called me into the back, and set a new Guild mini-jumbo in front of me, one he said had just arrived. I was almost instantly incredibly taken with the sound and feel of the guitar; I took it home for a three day audition, and that was all she wrote.

In hindsight, I wish I could have bought both, mostly because the Martin would be worth considerably more today, and the Guild has not appreciated in value nearly as much in the same time frame. But the Guild remains in my family, and my brother, who watched me play it for over twenty years and coveted it all the while, still plays it today. Many people have told both of us, older and newer players, and audience members alike, that it is one of the finest sounding guitars they have ever heard.

Lesson duly noted: it's not about the brand or the price. It's always going to be about the individual guitar. Everything else, even a brand with almost mythic connotations for a player due to the history and longevity of a company, might pale in comparison to the reality what you may discover with a particular guitar in your hands. Or it may exceed those expectations. You really have to approach every guitar with a blank mental slate, and let the guitar itself do the rest.

The Guild cost about a third of the price of the Martin.

Turns out the problem I had with making that decision wasn't about me, after all.

Play 'em, and if you find one that you love, and it sings under your hands, take it home. Otherwise, move along, and don't regret the decision, even if it seems that you must be wrong.

... JT

[DRodgers]

I've never seen or played a D-45, but I played a D-42 one time. Man, that was an awesome guitar!