Mexican Martins

[Wags]

Yesterday I was at GC checking out guitars for my 42 year old son. He was interested in the Yamaha FG-TA so I had gone in to check them out. I didn't get to hear the effects but I thought it played pretty well. Not for me due to neck width but for him it probably felt great because he's been playing on an old cheap Fender acoustic that I bought him about 30 years ago.

Anyhow, I tried a Taylor in that $600 price range and it was crap, then I tried the Martin X1-DE, and it sorta rang my chimes somewhat. Nice Martin sound, pretty decent feel to it. I told him to try it, but then he found a package deal online on the Yamaha for $50 cheaper - and they throw in a ukulele!

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha/...00000250200.gc

[stormin1155]

I'm a luthier/tech with my own shop. I work on all kinds of guitars, from cheap, cheap to high end. I've worked on quite a few of the Mexican Martins with the HPL sides/backs. If you can get past the fact that they are not all wood, they are solid guitars that play and sound good. In a blind test I'll bet the critics would have a hard time telling them apart from all wood guitars at similar price points. Somehow Martin has made them sound like ….Martins.

[JPH]

Originally Posted by Rosco NZ

I was in a local music shop today and tried a Martin DX1 that was on display. The action was nice and low and to my untrained ear it sounded very smooth and was easy to play. Then I noticed on the inside a label that said made in Mexico.
How good are these guitars, after all they still have the Martin name on them?
The price was very attractive, but I suppose that you get what you pay for.

I have a Martin 000CX1E made in Mexico. I believe it was a GC exclusive when I bought it in 2007. I have gigged with it steadily since then as my main guitar. I've had it re-fretted once. Within the first year of having it, I sent it to Martin in Nazareth, PA to be set up for Custom Light strings (.011-.052) and half step down tuning.

It plays like a dream. The neck feels incredible. It has HPL back and sides and a solid sitka spruce top. Unplugged it doesn't resonate the way an all wood Martin does, but plugged in it sounds great to me. If I recall it cost me around $700 in 2007. I had a Taylor 314ce that cost two and half times the Mexican made Martin. I sold it after three years because it mostly sat at home and the Martin went on all the gigs. Though the Taylor sounded really nice, the Martin is much easier to play than the 314 was and it sounds great too.

I like HPL because I gig a lot in various venues and outside in humid weather during summer. I don't worry about it as much as I would an expensive all wood guitar. Plugged in it sounds good and your audience would never know the difference anyway. As long as you're happy with it that's all you need.

I've been doing live performances with mine for 13 years, it has paid for itself MANY times over.

It's been an Excellent workhorse and very dependable.
If you play it and like it, that's your answer.
Here's a link about HPL.
https://hazeguitars.com/blog/what-yo...te-hpl-guitars

[whvick]

I bought a 000XM years ago for my daughter to take to summer camp. It played ok and I thought a Formica guitar could handle the humidity. Recently the top started to become unglued. My luthier glued it back.
He said that when they do break they shatter. Like others he said shame on Martin for making this guitar.
I think it is a functional guitar. I hope it stays glued. If I were getting a camp guitar I would go carbon fiber.

[TRW1]

Aren't all the lower priced Taylors (GS Mini, 100 series, Baby, etc.) made in Mexico? I don't understand why that would be a big deal to anyone. I vaguely recall a time when guitars made in China were looked down on, and now there are some mighty fine instruments being built over there. I own both a Mexican-built Taylor and Martin, bought them both because they fit what I wanted at the time. It never really occurred to me to check their country of origin before purchasing. Both guitars are played a lot and are holding up just fine.

[cdkrugjr]

I find I prefer the Mexican Martins to the less expensive non-Mexican Martins, breaking my long-held belief that any Martin under $1,500 wasn't worth looking at.

[89bruin]

I’ve owned 3 X-series and my experience has been decidedly mixed. I certainly wouldn’t buy one sight unseen after the issues I had with the 0001xae but my real issue was the dismal warranty service from Martin. It’s unlikely there will ever be another Martin in my future but that has nothing to do with country of origin; issues can emerge with any manufacturer, it’s more important how the company resolves those issues. Martin falls down on that account.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by stormin1155

I'm a luthier/tech with my own shop. I work on all kinds of guitars, from cheap, cheap to high end. I've worked on quite a few of the Mexican Martins with the HPL sides/backs. If you can get past the fact that they are not all wood, they are solid guitars that play and sound good. In a blind test I'll bet the critics would have a hard time telling them apart from all wood guitars at similar price points. Somehow Martin has made them sound like ….Martins.

A few years ago, a friend of mine had someone play a Mexican Martin and Nazareth Martin behind his back (I gather in similar lines) and couldn't tell the difference.

I'm not a luthier but own two Martins: A $3200+ GPC-28E (Nazareth) and a $650-on-sale GPRS1 (Navojoa). I love both of them but sometimes give the edge to the latter, maybe because I play it all the time at gigs and maybe because its sapele is more similar to the mahogany guitars I played for a few decades before my first rosewood, above. The biggest drawback of the GPRS1 is the Kmart pickup. Acoustically it kills. I rejoined my Pittsburgh collaborator last weekend for a little gig and one of the first things she said was how great the guitar sounded.

Let's face it, there's a certain cache' in having a Nazareth Martin, especially among Martin fans, and their higher-end guitars are all built there, and my GPC-28E is worth every penny. But the build quality on my gigging Martin is exceptional and it sounds amazing. I'd focus more on the guitar itself rather than where it's made--the tonewood (or not), the body style, all of that. I've played HPLs and they didn't grab me, but that's me. Mexican Martins rock.

P.S. This is one of the better zombie threads, so all raise a glass to OP Roscoe NZ, who last posted in August 2015.

[JackB1]

Did you change out the stock pickup in that Martin? If you didn't, it's kinda hard to believe that basic Sonitone sounds good. It's probably the worst and quackiest under saddle pickup out there.

Originally Posted by JPH

I have a Martin 000CX1E made in Mexico. I believe it was a GC exclusive when I bought it in 2007. I have gigged with it steadily since then as my main guitar. I've had it re-fretted once. Within the first year of having it, I sent it to Martin in Nazareth, PA to be set up for Custom Light strings (.011-.052) and half step down tuning.

It plays like a dream. The neck feels incredible. It has HPL back and sides and a solid sitka spruce top. Unplugged it doesn't resonate the way an all wood Martin does, but plugged in it sounds great to me. If I recall it cost me around $700 in 2007. I had a Taylor 314ce that cost two and half times the Mexican made Martin. I sold it after three years because it mostly sat at home and the Martin went on all the gigs. Though the Taylor sounded really nice, the Martin is much easier to play than the 314 was and it sounds great too.

I like HPL because I gig a lot in various venues and outside in humid weather during summer. I don't worry about it as much as I would an expensive all wood guitar. Plugged in it sounds good and your audience would never know the difference anyway. As long as you're happy with it that's all you need.

I've been doing live performances with mine for 13 years, it has paid for itself MANY times over.

It's been an Excellent workhorse and very dependable.
If you play it and like it, that's your answer.
Here's a link about HPL.
https://hazeguitars.com/blog/what-yo...te-hpl-guitars

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Did you change out the stock pickup in that Martin? If you didn't, it's kinda hard to believe that basic Sonitone sounds good. It's probably the worst and quackiest under saddle pickup out there.

Oh, I've heard far worse! And some folks are fine with it anyway, rock on. But it's not my cup of tea.

[Les Young]

I had a custom x at one time & it was a real guitar for the money in my opinion.

[Wellington]

Man if there was a Larrivee for the same price, personally there is no question, IMO those two guitars are on totally different fields as far as quality and tone woods etc, larrivee is very high end but the 03 models are priced fair because they aren’t blingy, but if you prefer the sound and feel of that Martin I think that’s more important!
Seagull, Simon & Patrick, Norman, Godin (all the same brand really) all have solid wood options for as much or less than that Martin and are all great imo, but my buddy has that Martin and likes it.

[Old Player]

Over the years I've focused on Electric Jazz, Blues, Pop, and Rock. But, I've always kept a decent acoustic around the studio for spot recording. From Yamaha's in the 70's to a Takamine in the 80's, to Several USA Ovations from the 90's through today.

Recently, I needed to pick up new Acoustic, and I settled on a budget of $600.00 max. Then, I happened to see the Mexican Taylors and Martins at Guitar Center, on Sale. So, I ended up with an all HPL Martin 000 for under $500! First, Martin PLEK's all their Mexican guitars, so the setup was incredibly smooth and easy to dial in comfortable action. Second, it may not be the loudest, or most impressive sounding guitar in person, but those Fishman electronics are GREAT for recording (and/or live, using that internal pickup to feed the house). Overall, it sounds very flat, which lends itself to accepting post EQ/Reverb well. So, it's easy to play, it stays in tune, it records bright and clear, and I didn't break the bank to get it!

Currently Strumming & Picking:
Deluxe Stratocaster CS
Les Paul Studio Plus HP
D'Angelico Single Cutaway, Semi-Acoustic
Fender Precision Bass
Martin Special 000

[Coler]

Had a SC13E made in Mexico. Super guitar.

[FingahPickah]

And now for breaking news. This just in.

Thread started in 2009
Revisited / commented on quite a bit in 2020.

More at Eleven