All user reviews for the Martin & Co DM

The 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.

When I purchased the guitar over the Internet, I broke the cardinal rule of guitar buying: play it before you buy it. But all the reviews, including those I found at the Music Gear Review site, said it had a great sound and great playability. And since I live overseas, I didn't have the opportunity to do a lot of comparative in-store shopping. So I plunked down my $550 and several days later it showed up in the mail.

It looks and smells nice,and the included hardshell case is a real bonus. The first and second strings have a nice ringing tone. It stays in tune for long periods of time.

Maybe I just got a lemon, but contrary to all the reviews I read, this guitar is not easy to play nor, except for the first and second strings, does it sound all that great. The action is too high for easy playability, and even when I bear down hard, the third and fourth strings sound deadened, i.e., you get more of a "plunk" than any real sustain, from the third fret all the way up to the twelfth. The fifth string just sounds out of tune sometimes, even when it's properly tuned. Believe it or not, it got considerably easier to play and sounded better when I left the strings on way beyond their normal time. I've since played a much cheaper Takamine and a slightly more expensive Guild, and both sounded great and were much easier to play. When I get back to the States, I'll take it to a luthier for adjustments. Not that I'm thrilled about having to spend a lot of extra money on a guitar that, by all accounts, should have been ready to play, but, hey, them's the breaks.

It appears to be solidly built.

It's not the worst guitar I've ever played, but I think you could spend less money and do better, or spend a little more money and do much better. Please don't make my mistake and just order a guitar over the Internet. Play before you buy.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

4 years ago everything I owned was stolen, and I had no job and $700 left in my bank account. Needless to say, I was devastated and decided to take my remaining $$$ to buy a new guitar. It was pretty silly in retrospect, but I had all this free time and nothing but the clothes on my back. I paid $565 at Guitar Center in Boston, and I literally tried every guitar in the joint. At this price point, there is really no comparison in terms of sound quality. And honestly, that's all I care about in a guitar. I was worried the laminated components would hurt the tone, but it's amazing what a difference the solid spruce top makes in comparison to the other model that is fully laminated.

TONE. PLAYABILITY. That is the bottom line. It plays and sounds better than guitars that cost twice as much. No kidding, it might not be particularly pretty to look at, but I appreciate the bare bones approach they took to make a great sounding guitar at a price reachable by the masses. The neck is great, and the thing stays in tune rock-solid. The tone...it's warm, and has amazing projection. If you slash at the strings this might not be a good guitar for you, but for fingerstyle and a light touch, it makes the most wonderful tones under $1000. This guitar brought my playing to a new level and I'll never replace it short of natural disaster.

Well, I had my guitar for about 4 months, and I discovered a one-inch hairline crack at the base of the neck. I was relieved when Guitar Center made amends and gave me a new one no charge. The funny thing is, I had grown so attached to it in such a short time that I was sad to let the broken one go. My second DM has lasted 4 years now, and the tone is still maturing. It's an ugly duckling, but I don't mind.

It has all the classic Martin touches, but at half the price. The fit and finish are first class. It's obvious somebody was paying attention to the details. The joint, detailing, and construction are rock-solid and mine at least is flawless. It is made with some inferior materials(laminate, plastic in some places), but it's got good quality wood in all the important places.

BUY THIS GUITAR.
YOU'LL NEVER BE SORRY.
(and you'll be the envy of all your friends)

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased this martin because it was affordable. It was $600 new. I saw it in a magazine and decided to look for one. I went to Mars Music days before it closed but they hardly had anything so I had to wait. Finally a few days later I went to Guitar Center, in the Forest fair Mall and found it.

This Martin has a great sound and tone. I think it was a good investiment of money. It seems to smell like pepper, but thats a good thing. It comes whith a hard shell case and looks great.

What i don't like is that I didn't buy it sooner.

Martins are pretty much the best acoustic guitar around but it is still not comparable to a Gibson. It is constructed good but is too new to tell the Quality.

I usually play it at Ron's Place in Blanchester, Ohio. Everyone loves the sound and wishes they had one.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased in 1998 at Midnight Music, Pittsburgh, PA. Paid $565 including hardshell case.


This guitar has a wonderful full loud bright sound to it. The guitar seems to sound and look better as it ages. Stays in tune wonderfully. I compared it to a lot of guitars in the same price range and it was far superior. Another nice thing about Martins is that they carry a lifetime warranty.


I can't really say that there is anything I dislike about the DM.


Spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides, natural finish. Standard Dreadnought Guitar. Nothing fancy. I have had no quality problems. I didn't have to make any adjustments to it when I got it. It was set up perfect. I was little concerned with how thin and light the material seemed but to this date I have had no problems with that. I've taken this guitar everywhere and it has held up beautifully.


This guitar is definitely worth the money I paid.

I absolutely love this guitar. If you are looking for a guitar and your price range is around $600 I'd highly recommend trying out a Martin DM.



this review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Acoustic Outfitters / Stratham, New Hampshire.


I specifically purchased it with overseas travel in mind. I had no desire to risk one of my better acoustics on underpaid baggage handlers and poorly designed luggage carousels.


Purchase Price (w/Martin case) $615




The amount and quality of the sound of this instrument far exceeds what you'd expect for the money. I now use it for serious recording. Martin D-28/D-35 sound and feel, at a quarter the price.



Quasi-satin finish. Looks like something Cousin Herb threw together in his spare time, while 'under the influence'.



Ruggedly braced, but very light overall, which probably accounts for the big, rich voice.



Great value, and forgiveable lack of decent cosmetics given the sound. Still -- it would be nice to see a decent finish.



this review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is a great Acoustic guitar made by one of my favorite guitar manufacturers. I have been getting more into the dreadnought sound recently, as I've been playing by myself and need a more powerful sound when I play. The guitar has a sitka spruce top and a Ovangkal side and back wood, which is a wood that I've never encountered before (at least knowingly). There are 20 frets on an ebony fretboard, which I love on an acoustic. There are no electronics on this guitar, it is simply a purely acoustic guitar.


UTILIZATION

The top frets, unfortunately, are very difficult to reach. I really don't think that most players who are looking for this type of guitar would worry too much about that, though, as the guitar is great for rhythm. That isn't to say that you can't play some sick leads on it, but they don't necessarily need to be really high up on the fretboard to be effective. The great Taylor sound is there immediately, as long as you are a decent player they make you sound great.


SOUNDS

The sound of this guitar is a rich, powerful sound. I really like just strumming really hard, it has an energy and a power to it that can really be intimidating when playing with a softer guitar. I also really like to pick and fingerpick with it, the extra oomph that is has compared to normal acoustics is a striking contrast to a strummed normal acoustic. I have found that if you have a good control of dynamics (which most players don't anymore, sadly), that this guitar has a vast dynamic range that can't really be emphasized enough. One thing I've noticed is that a bright, brittle tone (which I find I need sometimes) is hard to achieve on this instrument, so be conscious enough of that when considering it.


OVERALL OPINION

Overall, this is a guitar that feels really good to play and sounds amazing. The dreadnought sound that Martin and Company are exploring has produced some great results, and this is no exception. In fact, I feel as though this might be the best dreadnought model that I have played yet, and I've certainly played good ones. Highly recommended, assuming you can afford the almost 2 grand price tag. Ebay is probably the way to go on this one.

MODEL of the first class at Martin with a massive table. Matt varnish. Chrome hardware (very average). Frets (neck and table) and ball-tie strings plastoc fairly cheap.
Reduces Dcoration its simplest form (COD rosette dcalcomanie).

UTILIZATION

Here we go ... velvet! A super enjoyable round, which just comes to hand, even for those with small hands like me!
Access in acute not easy (it's not a scoop, there's no cutaway ...).
The weight is amazingly lightweight, which also is not dsagrable, actually.
And Obviously, the sound! Yeah, it is not trs beautiful, but it sounds like a great!

SOUNDS

Martin is n'achte not by chance: in particular, the sound spectrum is trsdsquilibr but a particular, precisely, the Martin's! So yes, sr, the sound matches the style of music I play. In dpart Moreover, j'tais party to buy a D15, while Saddle massif. And then for the blow, the sound does not suit me: just too typical as with severe acute and not crystalline. For someone who wants to Robert Johnson, has to be great.
The DM has a personality but is versatile enough to go from blues to folk, or variation on.
Now Obviously, there is no miracle is not the sound of a D28 or 000. Not the same budget, either ... and the day I will play like Clapton, may be I'll break my piggy bank; o)

OVERALL OPINION

It's been a year since I possde. I was using before a Simon & Patrick (Canadian luthier, solid table), I care, moreover, to get the o I do not dare leave the Martin!
I'm still happy: it is a rgal for at least 4 of 5 senses: sight (the table is beautiful!), The oue (videmment!), touch (very agr able, I insist) ... and smell (ah, the smell of wood when I get out of the tui ...)
A BIG BMOL however (and this is the same as for my Simon & Patrick) finish. The varnish "natural" trs mat, and in fact almost non-existent, not being protected by no means the table, which becomes extremely sensitive to the slightest shock, and even the friction of the hand (with the acidity of sweat, I guess). So, I plan to do trssrieusement varnish by a luthier (but I have not the slightest ide = increasing impacts on the level ... or at the price!)

Well, voila, I pay a dm about 700 euro in music store in Germany, which does the softphone and super simpa trs professionals! France knowing that it really pays martin bcp bcp Chres more, I took the risk of order, and I am not, however, I had to earn 300 euros ... FYI, I ordered it on Friday and Tuesday reu.
the handle is qu'agrable, it seems to caress the skin of PCHE, also is the case with any guitar, the absence of varnish brings something at the touch and Aesthetics. The frets are thin, which allows you to play with a lot of comfort and ease.
It smells like wood, it is not legends, which must come from a perfume because you feel it throughout the pice! and trs is enjoyable ...
The quality of the table is exceptional (the table is by far the most important part for her), we feel that Martin does not care less of our face! the cash is not massive, but hey, it is aesthetically beautiful trs, and more, it's more lightweight, which is actually quite enjoyable.
The DM is not jewelry, but even when a martin, and for that I had bought. And for me it has, for the price I pay, or really no competitor!

UTILIZATION

The handle is enjoyable, that's exactly what I need, Access in acute restreind is necessarily, but hey, no one buys a virtuoso to play Dm! Being given me to sing with me and I rarely need to go look for keys prs of the rose, I will not hold CRITERIA this into account, especially since I hit the sides Truva s trs ugly.
Has cole shape is a dreadnought martin home, it is trslgre and comfortable ...
I do not know if all sound like a Dm, but the sound of mine is divine! he touch the flute I expected, typical of Martin .... The bass sound in earnest, there is the volume ...
and shine!

SOUNDS

Bah, it is perfect since my type of music is my guitar, so I have a hard time another sound ....^_^
more srieusement my REFERENCE are dylan, clapton, robert johnson, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Marc Bolan ... Ben was going alone!
I find the treble a bit dry, I do not know if has is that it is new, I could never pay me to new guitar before it, lol.

OVERALL OPINION

Store, I tried a Taylor, because I thought c'tait its direct competitor. The dreadnought not massive in the 110 I think. Ben, a guitar c'tait trs honorable, but it has not the same character, I'm crazy for Martin, plus it comes with a beautiful solid tui, the dm! That said, I think in France we find the taylor CHRE less than dm (in France too), so a dm, you must order it otherwise it just be a bit expensive .. .
but the ratio quality price in Germany is amazing, for me the choice was obvious.

I will not repeat the features is a dreadnoughts, period. With all the same size box a little smaller than average, making it very comfortable. It is not enough light.

UTILIZATION

For me, the grip is very good. I use this guitar for 10 years and this is by far my favorite.
This is a guitar that knows how to be subtle, but it is to make gouache carefree, she projects perfectly. The thick picks and power games are completely set (about this many guitars do not support ...)

SOUNDS

The highlight of this guitar is the sound martin, with the power without the frills and decoration. To me it sounds as good as more expensive models. This is a "road series", so important sound projection, robustness and simplicity.
Regarding the varnish, I used to take voluntary intruments in lower range (in gibson, fender is the same in power) with a finish but will be much less detailed varnish. Sound comes from other species used, and the varnish only alter the sound (that is my opinion anyway).

OVERALL OPINION

After 10 years of faithful service and abuse, the guitar is just nickel. The varnish has gone from matte to gloss all areas of friction and weakens a little behind the neck, but nothing more.
it is a true and good martin, with all the Essenciel (wood, sounds, power) and no frills (Deco varnish etc ...) and the price is affected.

Everyone's tastes but I love it!

I bought the USA where it was manufactured. There was no model manufactured elsewhere as is the case today. (Mexico). I did it with a Fishman Matrix Natural Sound 2. The preamp is built into the suite of Jack (strap button).
I use a Fishman equalize externally attached to my belt. I did not make a hole in the body (sic) ...
The manufacture is serious about Martin.

UTILIZATION

The guitar is lightweight and very comfortable. There is no solo Cutaway therefore very bottom of the handle ... bof.
But that's not why I took it! =)


SOUNDS

Whatever type of game the sound is very balanced in both lower than in the treble.
She has a very warm sound that I personally prefer the guitar more modern and very fashionable these days as the Taylors. Matter of taste.

I think his strong point is the balance between bass and treble strings.
I play with Elixir nanoweb for some time but I wonder if I'm not going back to classical strings Martin Phosphor type Bronze.Moins duration but its my favorite.

OVERALL OPINION

I have this guitar for 7 years now, Martin is my first but my 9th electro-acoustics.
I'm actually quite madly. I like Martin's.
The price / quality ratio is excellent. Equipped with the Fishman, it is radiant on stage.
I also like the matte finish that allows it to age well unlike some guitar "glossy".
The woods have worked smoothly and it gets better.

The Martin DM acoustic dreadnought guitar is made in the USA and is not an acoustic/electric so it doesn't have any pick ups or knobs. The neck is made out of rosewood, while the top of the body is made out of solid spruce and the sides and back are made of mahogany.

UTILIZATION

The rosewood neck of the Martin DM acoustic guitar feels great on the fingers and is overall an extremely easy guitar to play all around the neck. It is easy to play both rhythm and lead parts, but I mostly play rhythm guitar on the Martin DM. The shape is the classic shape and size that you would think of when you are talking about dreadnought acoustic guitars, while the weight is about average. Getting a good sound from the Martin DM is pretty easy the inherent sound is pretty great.

SOUNDS

The sound of the Martin DM is nothing less than what I would expect from a Martin guitar. It has a full bodied sound that makes it great for all styles of music, but I use it mostly for rock and pop music as that is mostly what I play. It has a pretty good low end presence but the crisp and clean high end response is to me what makes this guitar stand out and be as vibrant as it is.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Martin DM acoustic guitar for about three years and it is probably one of the best acoustic guitars in this price range. It isn't too expensive at all and is actually a great deal for the player looking for long term acoustic guitar that can be used for years to come. Its not only easy to play but has a truly great tone to go along with its smooth fingerboard. This guitar isn't cheap, but it is absolutely worth the asking price as it will last a lifetime if treated right. Overall, a great choice for any acoustic guitar player looking for a great Martin guitar without the enormous price tag.