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tarrtime « Great Mid-Level Guitar »
Published on 11/30/12 at 08:30The Martin DM has all the features and characteristics of a mid-level guitar. This guitar has a solid spruce top, mahogany back/sides, and rosewood finger board. You would have to step up to a more expensive guitar if you want more exotic woods.
It did not come with an electric pick-up, so I had an under-saddle pick-up installed at a local shop. I actually prefer this over having a pick-up already installed because then the buyer has more options.
UTILIZATION
This guitar plays very smoothly. The neck is a comfortable size and length. There is not much else to compare on the standard dreadnought size guitars.
SOUNDS
The guitar sounds great in a variety of playing styles. Strumming, finger-picking, and leads all sound good. My opinion is that other guitars in this price range sound great for strumming, but bad for finger-picking/leads or vice versa.
The advantage of buying a guitar in the mid- to high-level price range is that the sound of the guitar improves over the years because the woods age and set-in. I would definitely recommend this guitar for that reason over less expensive guitars.
OVERALL OPINION
If you take good care of this guitar (keep new strings on it, get it set-up a couple times a year), it will sound great for a long time. I purchased this guitar after I had been playing guitar for 5-6 years because I needed to step up to the intermediate level. At the time I remember thinking that I would need to purchase a more expensive guitar after I became a better player. I have been playing guitar for over 15 years, and even studied guitar in college, and I have never felt like this guitar should be replaced with something more expensive. Unless you are a touring/studio professional or have tons of money to spend, this guitar is more than adequate. I definitely give it my recommendation after having it for 10 years.
It did not come with an electric pick-up, so I had an under-saddle pick-up installed at a local shop. I actually prefer this over having a pick-up already installed because then the buyer has more options.
UTILIZATION
This guitar plays very smoothly. The neck is a comfortable size and length. There is not much else to compare on the standard dreadnought size guitars.
SOUNDS
The guitar sounds great in a variety of playing styles. Strumming, finger-picking, and leads all sound good. My opinion is that other guitars in this price range sound great for strumming, but bad for finger-picking/leads or vice versa.
The advantage of buying a guitar in the mid- to high-level price range is that the sound of the guitar improves over the years because the woods age and set-in. I would definitely recommend this guitar for that reason over less expensive guitars.
OVERALL OPINION
If you take good care of this guitar (keep new strings on it, get it set-up a couple times a year), it will sound great for a long time. I purchased this guitar after I had been playing guitar for 5-6 years because I needed to step up to the intermediate level. At the time I remember thinking that I would need to purchase a more expensive guitar after I became a better player. I have been playing guitar for over 15 years, and even studied guitar in college, and I have never felt like this guitar should be replaced with something more expensive. Unless you are a touring/studio professional or have tons of money to spend, this guitar is more than adequate. I definitely give it my recommendation after having it for 10 years.