martin d-15, martin 000-15, martin 000-15s or better alternatives

[christianel]

hi!

i'm looking for a new acoustic guitar basically for recording! i have a nice stanford i use for live shows, but it just doesn't perfectly fit my music style so i'd love to go for a new one.

i'm from vienna/austria and you just hardly get to play any martin and gibson guitars 'round here at all and i think that from what i've read those brands would probably give me what i need.

my budget is not too big... that means that i'd spend 800-1200 dollars for a new guitar and now i'm trying to figure out what to go for! i've just come back from paris and i had the chance to try a martin d-15 there, which was really cool!! but i've read nice things about the 000-15 as well and that's why i wanted to know, if anyone has experiences with those guitars or probably even with the 000-15s (i'm not sure what the big difference to the 000-15 is)!!

thanks a lot for your help!!!!

chris

: chrisandtheothergirls.com

[Alex Wyler]

Tacoma's PM28 Parlour guitar will be a big improvement over anything made by Martin in the same price range. They go for around $1200 and they are a great guitar with boutique handmade quality and parts. Try one and you won't be able to leave the store without it.

[rico52]

The D is a "dreadnaught" size and the 000 is what was considered concert size
when they were given their designations. I am not familiar with these particular Martins. For recording the smaller ones work nicely in general and the D's exhibit more boominess in general. You might look for a used 00 or 000 17 series used. They are all mahogany and are more reasonable. The "New York" is basically a 0 size Martin.They are way cool but very small. You will lose $$$$$$$ if you buy a new guitar and try to sell it. On the other hand you must be aware that an old Martin can sometimes need a neck re set or can have other problems. Do a " Martin"google search on the different models. The Martins I bought new in the early nineties sound awesome with age and they sounded great new.


Good hunting!!!!!!!!!!!

Rico

[MooWahmBah]

I use a recent 00-15 for stage and like the added warmth of the all mahogany sound . It kind of counteracts the shrill quack of those peizo pickups .

I also have a `60 018 and a `70 018 and sometimes the 00-15 works better on a song in the studio too . It doesn`t have the dimension of the spruce tops but that can work great for a different colored strumming thing.
The main benefit to an 0 or 00 or 000 is the shorter scale length that favors delicate
finger picking .
An OM (and I THINK the D model too ) is a full scale and will take a harder strum but won`t respond as well to a softer touch .
A "parlor" guitar will be smaller than an 0 model and might not get you enough bass if your looking for a strum with charachter .

000 biggest short scale/ 00 smaller/0 smaller still but with a slightly deeper body .....seems to give up more bass than the 00 ...of course each inst will do it`d own thing .


The S model is a slotted headstock ...different string angle .MORE importantly the bridge sits further back on the top because the neck joins the body at the 12th fret(not the 14th) . You lose upper acess to the higher frets but gain in tonal depth and response (bass,volume?) because the bridge is located on a wider part of the waist .ANother edit .....the recent model 0015 I have has a full scale ...the older ones had the short scale ...check out the martin site if that`s a concern to you

[ToddF]

Never A/B ed against those other Martins but for the price the D-15 is great. Very smooth sounding acoustic but not overlush or big. Fits into a big mix well and also good on it's own.

I want to own one bad.
Todd

[if6was9]

My partner has an 000-15S and it is a fine instrument. It sounds very sweet and perfectly matches her voice and playing style - even better for her than any of my (more expensive) D or OM style guitars. OTOH, I prefer the sound of D's and OM's for most of my own playing.

So yes, the 000-15S is a high quality instrument and a great value for its price. But only you will know if its sound is what you are looking for.

[squeegybug]

I've owned a few Martins and Tacomas, and many many others. The "15" series all-mahogany Martins can be great. They are all different, like every other guitar ever made.

All the "D" sizes in general can have a pretty strong bass, you might have to work a little more to record it compared to the smaller models. But it can certainly be done.

The "000" series, or even the "OM" (Orchestra Model) can be a nice compromise for both recording and live sound. Typically good string-to-string balance, comfortable size, not too boomy. Good fingerstyle instruments, not always the loudest though if you want it for lead flatpicking.

Martin's designation of "S" in their model numbers means the neck joint is at the 12th fret, rather than the more modern standard 14th fret. The body is extended, and this often produces more bass. Many of those "long bodies" originally also had slotted headstocks, but it's not a requirement. (edit -- I see this was already described above)

I've owned spruce-top 000-S models and liked them a lot. I think that 000-15S would be worth checking on, from those you've listed above. Although the standard 14-fret 000 and the D are certainly good guitars as well.

Steve

[love_tempo]

I liked the D-15 and the 000-15 a lot when I was auditioning guitars, especially the D-15 for it's deep bass thrum. But I tried a similar lakewood 000-15 style guitar and it was much better in tone and build than the Martin for only a little more money.

[Etnier]

Can't find any mahogany guitars at the lakewood site. Are there any?

[christianel]

Originally Posted by Etnier

Can't find any mahogany guitars at the lakewood site. Are there any?

yeah, i was on the site as well and can't find any either! hmmm one more question that just came to my mind: does anyone know which guitar was used on johnny cash's version of ›hurt‹?

[christianel]

Originally Posted by MooWahmBah

I use a recent 00-15 for stage and like the added warmth of the all mahogany sound . It kind of counteracts the shrill quack of those peizo pickups .

I also have a `60 018 and a `70 018 and sometimes the 00-15 works better on a song in the studio too . It doesn`t have the dimension of the spruce tops but that can work great for a different colored strumming thing.
The main benefit to an 0 or 00 or 000 is the shorter scale length that favors delicate
finger picking .
An OM (and I THINK the D model too ) is a full scale and will take a harder strum but won`t respond as well to a softer touch .
A "parlor" guitar will be smaller than an 0 model and might not get you enough bass if your looking for a strum with charachter .

000 biggest short scale/ 00 smaller/0 smaller still but with a slightly deeper body .....seems to give up more bass than the 00 ...of course each inst will do it`d own thing .


The S model is a slotted headstock ...different string angle .MORE importantly the bridge sits further back on the top because the neck joins the body at the 12th fret(not the 14th) . You lose upper acess to the higher frets but gain in tonal depth and response (bass,volume?) because the bridge is located on a wider part of the waist .ANother edit .....the recent model 0015 I have has a full scale ...the older ones had the short scale ...check out the martin site if that`s a concern to you

wow thanks a lot for your amazing answer! it's all gettin a little clearer eventhough it's still hard to really understand what the models i haven't heard will sound like! i think i gotta go to munich and try all of the guitars myself :-)!

[numrologst]

the d-15 is definately a cool guitar. It has a very mellow, dark sound.

I had one for quite a while. I also have a d-35 and hd-28. Both of which are great guitars, more on the well rounded side.

[mrface2112]

i have a D15 that I can't say enough wonderful things about.

it's got a mellow, sweet tone that has plenty of that Martin "heritage" evident, but without the overwhelming "boom" that you often get from one of its spruce/rosewood bretheren.

i really like this guitar for recording--something in its tone makes it sit in a mix a whole lot better than a spruce/rosewood guitar (and i love its recorded sound LEAPS and BOUNDS more than my buddy's HD28V). i think it's b/c the midrange is more pronounced (and in a more pleasing way). it really cuts through a mix without overwhelming it. excellent for solo acoustic pieces too. but if you want that "neil young style WHOMP", it might not be "enough" for you.

play a few until you find one that works for you, but i couldn't be happier with my D15.


cheers,
wade

[Led]

I got a d28 from 59 that my dad's had since then and lets me keep at the studio. It records real nice with new strings but we always end up filtering some bottom out. It's loud, so in a good space you can back off a little and it's still kinda present.