Guitar advice

[multiham]

Looking for some advice on acoustic guitars for my 13 year old daughter. About 2 years ago, she told me she wanted to learn to play the guitar. Thinking it was just a fad, bought her a used Fender electric for less than $100. She has played that guitar at least 3 to 4 times each week. Now she is asking for an acoustic guitar. Not knowing anything about these, I took her to a local guitar store and let her try a bunch of acoustic guitars without focusing on brand or price. She kept coming back to a Martin guitar as the size (OO), sound, and look were her favorite. I have since learned from online research that Martin is really well thought of and is a top brand.

The model she liked is one of their most inexpensive guitars at $500. Couple of questions for anyone with some experience as I know nothing about guitars.

1. Is this like our systems where I'm going to wish I had bought a little higher in their product line to stop the urge to upgrade to get a better sound.?

2. Any thoughts on Martin's?

Thank you!

[Antonmb]

Martin is a great brand, I think the oldest American guitar maker, and they make some wonderful instruments. They make a wide spectrum of models, from entry level to some top models in the high 5 figures. It's hard to comment on the specific model you're looking at, but if you know the full model number you can probably search for reviews online.

If she really likes it, a $500 Martin is a good starting point for a 13-year-old. If she sticks with it, she'll surely end up upgrading, but until she develops a little and gets to know what she likes and doesn't like in an instrument I wouldn't throw much more money at it. Eventually she'll decide she likes a different style of neck or body, or tone, or size or shape, and then you can upgrade to something that accommodates her developing skill and style. In the meantime, make sure it has a decent tone, a neck and overall size that accommodate smaller hands, and listen to the advice of a good dealer or teacher.

[jdandy]

Steve.......Martin makes wonderful guitars. I have owned several, the last one a D13 from their Custom Shop, $2600, and that is cheap by Martin Custom standards. I am not surprised your daughter likes the tone and quality of the Martin. I consider $500 for a Martin guitar a bargain when considering how quickly you can get into the thousands.

Taylor and Guild also make remarkable acoustic guitars, several at attractive entry level prices. $500 is generally the price point to begin shopping so that you aren't wanting to move up in six months. As far as the desire to move up into higher and higher quality instruments, it is very much like audio. The sky is the limit. At one point I had eight guitars. Here are some of the guitars that have graced my collection. I am now down to three guitars, the Taylor 814ce and Guild D55 acoustic guitars, and the Fender American Stratocaster in solid ash with maple neck.


Martin D13 Custom








Taylor 814ce





Fender American Stratocaster, Taylor 810





Guild D55, Gibson Les Paul Custom

[multiham]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

Martin is a great brand, I think the oldest American guitar maker, and they make some wonderful instruments. They make a wide spectrum of models, from entry level to some top models in the high 5 figures. It's hard to comment on the specific model you're looking at, but if you know the full model number you can probably search for reviews online.

If she really likes it, a $500 Martin is a good starting point for a 13-year-old. If she sticks with it, she'll surely end up upgrading, but until she develops a little and gets to know what she likes and doesn't like in an instrument I wouldn't throw much more money at it. Eventually she'll decide she likes a different style of neck or body, or tone, or size or shape, and then you can upgrade to something that accommodates her developing skill and style. In the meantime, make sure it has a decent tone, a neck and overall size that accommodate smaller hands, and listen to the advice of a good dealer or teacher.

Thank you for the reply! Seems like the one she was looking at may be the right choice for her. I do have the model number and have visited some forums and read reviews.

I have trouble trusting the reviews as some people say it is the greatest guitar you can buy for $500 and others say it is a piece of trash. What I love about AA is that after being on the site for a few years, I know which individuals tend to have similar tastes in equipment and sound to me. I don't know that on these guitar sites so it is so hard to know who to listen to. In this case, I'm going to listen to my daughter since she knows what she likes and both you and Dan said Martin makes a great guitar! If I learned anything from this site, you guys know quality when you see it!!

[Yamaki]

CF Martin, Sr. began his career creating guitars in 1830 and the company continues manufacturing high quality musical instruments to this day.

I've only owned two Martin guitars, have played several others and it is always a pleasure to have one in my hands.

As far as your question regarding whether or not to spend $500 on an "inexpensive" model, I would offer this - An inexpensive Martin will last longer, sound better and provide more hours of player enjoyment than other offerings in a similar configuration at an even more expensive price. Certainly, as Dan pointed out, you can purchase much more expensive models but even Martin's entry level guitars are head and shoulders above their competition at this price point.

I currently own three guitars, a Martin D-15M, a Yamaki F-115 (an acoustic hand crafted in 1972 in Japan) and an Ovation Elite TX. I enjoy them all but find that I tend to reach for the Martin first.

It appears to me that your daughter already has a personal commitment to playing based on her practice intervals. I say she's ready for a Martin!

[multiham]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Steve.......Martin makes wonderful guitars. I have owned several, the last one a D13 from their Custom Shop, $2600, and that is cheap by Martin Custom standards. I am not surprised your daughter likes the tone and quality of the Martin. I consider $500 for a Martin guitar a bargain when considering how quickly you can get into the thousands.

Taylor and Guild also make remarkable acoustic guitars, several at attractive entry level prices. $500 is generally the price point to begin shopping so that you aren't wanting to move up in six months. As far as the desire to move up into higher and higher quality instruments, it is very much like audio. The sky is the limit. At one point I had eight guitars. Here are some of the guitars that have graced my collection. I am now down to three guitars, the Taylor 814ce and Guild D55 acoustic guitars, and the Fender American Stratocaster in solid ash with maple neck.


Martin D13 Custom








Taylor 814ce





Fender American Stratocaster, Taylor 810





Guild D55, Gibson Les Paul Custom

Dan - beautiful guitars you have had over the years. Thank you for the reply! Knowing your love of music, the simple fact that you had a Martin at one time tells me what I need to know about their quality. I will let my daughter pick the guitar based on her requirements, but it is great knowing that if it is a Martin, it should be a quality guitar. Learned that the more expensive Martin models are made in Nazareth PA which is 1 hour from my house. Might have to go up there for their tours.

I'm also thinking about picking up an acoustic for me to learn on. Think it would be a good bonding moment for both of us to play. There seems to be less and less of these moments as she gets into her teens...

[multiham]

Originally Posted by Yamaki

CF Martin, Sr. began his career creating guitars in 1830 and the company continues manufacturing high quality musical instruments to this day.

I've only owned two Martin guitars, have played several others and it is always a pleasure to have one in my hands.

As far as your question regarding whether or not to spend $500 on an "inexpensive" model, I would offer this - An inexpensive Martin will last longer, sound better and provide more hours of player enjoyment than other offerings in a similar configuration at an even more expensive price. Certainly, as Dan pointed out, you can purchase much more expensive models but even Martin's entry level guitars are head and shoulders above their competition at this price point.

I currently own three guitars, a Martin D-15M, a Yamaki F-115 (an acoustic hand crafted in 1972 in Japan) and an Ovation Elite TX. I enjoy them all but find that I tend to reach for the Martin first.

It appears to me that your daughter already has a personal commitment to playing based on her practice intervals. I say she's ready for a Martin!

Michael - Thank you for the reply. Love the look of your guitars. The Ovation Elite TX has a very different look than the Martin or the Yamaki. I love the fact that there are so many different options, looks, and feel to these guitars. Thank you for the information on Martin and it is good to know that they are well thought of. In my book, any company that has been around close to 200 years, knows what they are doing!

[Audiophilehi]

Originally Posted by Yamaki

CF Martin, Sr. began his career creating guitars in 1830 and the company continues manufacturing high quality musical instruments to this day.

I've only owned two Martin guitars, have played several others and it is always a pleasure to have one in my hands.

As far as your question regarding whether or not to spend $500 on an "inexpensive" model, I would offer this - An inexpensive Martin will last longer, sound better and provide more hours of player enjoyment than other offerings in a similar configuration at an even more expensive price. Certainly, as Dan pointed out, you can purchase much more expensive models but even Martin's entry level guitars are head and shoulders above their competition at this price point.

I currently own three guitars, a Martin D-15M, a Yamaki F-115 (an acoustic hand crafted in 1972 in Japan) and an Ovation Elite TX. I enjoy them all but find that I tend to reach for the Martin first.

It appears to me that your daughter already has a personal commitment to playing based on her practice intervals. I say she's ready for a Martin!

Worst move I ever made was selling my Martin D-15M. Great tones out of that guitar. I will eventually get another.