A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a used D-35 in a local shop. The word “used” is a stretch, as this thing has hardly a scratch on it. Virtually no fret wear. I’ve seen many, many guitars hanging on the wall at Guitar Center in worse shape.

Well, I played it for a while – realizing that, yes, I really do love the Martin sound. I was trying to decide whether I really wanted a Martin or a Taylor – Martin all the way.

I went back to the shop about a week later and put it on layaway. Got it for $1600, by the way. Not the best deal ever, but this one seemed to have something special – at least it spoke to me. That was two long weeks ago, and today I brought it home. Another hobby of mine happens to be photography, so here is some eye candy:

And a bit of a mini-review:

Sound: I’m used to my Takamine FD-360sc, which is a very nice high-end Takamine. Both guitars are solid spruce top/rosewood back and sides. The Takamine’s sound is very even and balanced, and a bit on the bright side. When I play these two guitars back-to-back, the Tak just sounds really thin in comparison. The Martin is very warm, and has a beautiful full bottom end that the Takamine just doesn’t have. Very round sound, too. With new strings, it’s bright, but it’s top end still maintains the warm character. Another thing it trumps the Takamine on is punch. If you dig into the Martin, it punches – hard. It fits my playing style very well (mostly strumming with a pick). When I was comparing to the Taylors (a 414ce), the Taylor sound was nice, but it’s very bright and jangly. They’ve got a good bass response, but the overall brightness of the tone wasn’t what I was going for. Again, the warmth of the Martin won me over.

Playability: This one was set up with a bit lower action that most factory Martin set-ups I’ve played. It’s perfect for my style, as it is pretty easy to chord, but I can strum hard and it doesn’t buzz. You could probably lower the action a bit if you wanted to. The neck has a satin finish (rest of the guitar is gloss). It seems to get a bit sticky, so I’ll have to get used to that. The shape of the neck is really nice. Thicker than my Takamine which is good – I like thick necks – this is totally a personal preference thing, though. It’s not quite as comfy in my hands as a Taylor neck, or, say, a vintage Telecaster neck, but it’s nice. Intonation is as good as any acoustic I’ve played – pretty much right on. Another thing, I’m used to acoustic with cut-aways, and I do play up pretty high on the fretboard sometimes. Another thing I’ll have to get used to. 90% of the time it won’t be an issue for me.

Looks/Build: To me it looks like a guitar should – simple and elegant. It’s got a bit of “bling” for a Martin, which isn’t much bling for most manufactures. I like the binding up the neck, and the ornamentation around the sound hole looks classy. The 3-piece back looks awesome, in my opinion. Build quality is as you would expect from a Martin of this caliber – I’m not going to worry about it breaking down on me. Also – I’ve always loved the look of ebony on the fretboard/bridge. One more thing – I tend to break a lot of strings. I think I’d describe my style as “strum hard and sing harder”. Hopefully the saddle on this is well-made, as I’m sure it is. Time will tell.

I used to think it really couldn’t get any better than Taylor’s acoustic stuff.  Specifically, a Taylor 614ce.  Let’s just take a look at one…

Pretty…  It sounds about as good as it looks.  If there’s one thing about a Taylor that sets it apart, it’s the way they play.  One word:  effortlessly.  Here’s what I don’t like about them.  When you really dig in, which I do a lot as a strummer type player, they don’t punch – at least not as much as a…

Martin.  Yep – the original, which is where my “I want THAT guitar” obsession has gone lately.

I played a few the other day at a local dealer.  Two of them struck me as awesome.  The DC-16rgte Aura, and the DC-28e.

DC-16rgte Aura

DC-28e

When you dig into a Martin, it punches.  That’s what I love about them.  Plus, it’s a Martin.  Enough said.  I played both of these models.  I actually liked the DC-16 model a lot (it’s a lot cheaper).  I kind of had a Taylor-sounding vibe to it, while still sounding like a Martin.  Very cool.  The D-28 felt better.  At least I liked the neck more…

So, new I just need to save up $2000-$3000 so I can actually buy one.

Somewhere along the line I picked up a Peavey Classic 30, which was a great amp, and I never should have sold it.  But I did, because I guess I thought I wanted a modelling amp.  So, still keeping with the modelling thing, I bought a Vox AD60VT, which is an early Valvetronix “Blue” series modelling amp.  It sounded way better than the POD stuff, but it was still a modelling amp.

In December 2008, I decided that my electric guitar tone needed to be pure and simple, and that meant a tube amp.  I always used the “Vox AC15″ model on my Valvetronix amp, so that’s what I bought.  Now, Vox makes a couple versions of these.  There is the Custom Classic line, made in China (that’s what I’ve got).  They’ve got a stock model, and one with a Celestion Blue speaker, which costs a lot more.  Then there are the hand-wired made in England versions.  They are expensive.  Mine is the Custom Classic line.  How about some photos.

[flickr-gallery mode="photoset" photoset="72157610968103578"]

I picked up my AC15CC1 used for about $500 used, and it’s got an Emminence Red Fang speaker in it, which is a nice upgrade.  The Red Fang is a clone of the Celestion Blue.

It sounds nice and chimey, just like a Vox should.  Cleans are great, and when you push it, the amp breaks up really nice.  The speaker upgrade smooths it out a lot on the higher frequencies.  Sounds good with single-coil and humbuckers.

One thing I don’t like about the amp is the reverb.  It’s got built-in tremelo (which sounds great) and reverb, but the reverb is pretty nasty.

First, here are some photos:

I love this guitar.  If there were a fire in my house, I’d probably run in after it.  You can see this thing in action in most of my vidoes.

Here are a few spec’s:

Top:  Spruce (solid)
Back/Sides:  Rosewood (solid)
Fretboard:  Rosewood
Electronics:  Takamine AD-1 Digital system

And a bit of a review…

Sound: I love the sound – I would describe it as clear, slightly bright, and very balanced. The bass tones and the treble tones mix perfectly, in my opinion. It’s fairly loud – good projection. It is really a joy to play and hear – one of those acoustics that is inspiring to play.

Playability: The neck is on the thinner side. This is a preference thing, but I’m used to it and like it. It is very comfy. The rosewood board on this thing is awesome. Very tight grain and feels nice and smooth – a bit of a soft feel to it, but not slow. I’ve cleaned it with 000 steel wool and oiled it with lemon oil every 9 months to a year – it’s a great neck. I’ve set it up for the style that I play. The action is low – but not really low. I’m a strummer, so I like the action just a tad higher than some. Intonation is perfect.

Build quality. I just gave this guitar a cleaning and fretboard conditioning the other day – and I once again gave it a thorough inspection. I simply cannot find one flaw in it at all – besides the ones I’ve put in it myself. The wood grain is perfect – none of the sanding marks I can see on my Fender Tele. The double binding is flawless. Joints are perfect. No visible glue. It is an example of great craftsmanship. One thing I’ve always loved about it is the weight. I’ve picked up some guitars that just felt like a bag of bricks. This one is nice and light – not too light. It can feel a bit on the “delicate” side, but not too much so. Just enough that you want to treat it with care.

Electronics. Everybody says that Takamine’s are built to be plugged in. This one is no exception (though it sounds better unplugged, in my opinion). It’s got some fancy electronics on it, allowing you to adjust feedback response, reverb, and the usual tone and volume controls. It’s really easy to dial in a really nice sound. The reverb actually is very useful, giving the guitar a nice full-bodied sound plugged in.

Well, there you have it:  My #1 acoustic.  Until I save up enough for a nice Martin or Taylor, that is…