Martin & Co D-16RGT

I bought this guitar off the net from musicians friend. I had searched all the stores around my house and played just about every guitar there. This was the best sounding one in my price range.I paid 1100 american.

I love the look of this guitar. I especially like the pick guard. It's not just black like some of the others. I also prefer the semi-gloss back and sides, because they don't show scratches as much. The binding around the body and neck is nice too. I prefer it over the black binding. But most of all, is the SOUND! I've heard some people say that it's too bassy, but I think it sounds just fine. The tone and equal balance between the bass and treble are right on. This is truly a well crafted instrument. No flaws anywhere. Bottom line, it is a beautiful guitar, with awesome sound for picking and strumming!


The only thing I wish it had was a wooden fingerboard. However, you don't get your sound from the fingerboard, you get it from the body. It might actually last longer with the micarta fingerboard then the rosewood or ebony. We'll have to see. Bottom line, I can't see where the micarta fingerboard affects the sound or playability at all, because they're both fantastic.

Once again, great american craftsmanship at its best. I had a gibson gospel acoustic, that wasn't built nearly as good as this little Martin.

Bottom line, if you're not rich, and you can't afford a D-45 or a D-28, then this guitar is it. I personally think it sounds closer to a D-35, although it is referred to as the "Little Brother" to the D-28. Solid spruce top, rosewood back and sides, beautiful gloss finish on top! I love this guitar. Most of all, the SOUND IS GREAT, and I personally think it sounds just as good as a D-28 or any other high end Martins. It just doen't have all of the cosmetics that they have. But that shit isn't important anyway...It's the sound!

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

I've looked forward to writing this review for a long time. I have allways dreamed about having a Martin (maybe partly because my name is Martin ), but I could not afford it untill two weeks ago.
I paid 8000 danish kroner (1190 USD) for a 2 month old C.F. Martin D-16 RGT with an L.R. Baggs Ibeam Active pickup installed. Price for a new in Denmark are aprox. 2530 USD (yes I know it's expensive, but we have a serious tax problem in Denamrk ). I had a Washburn D10SCE which I was happy with, untill I started recording. The Washburn piezo pickup sounded like paper, and the bass was none existing.

You can really feel that this is good quality guitar.
Even with the dead strings it had on when I bought, it was LOUD. I restrung it, and it sounded like a dream. A high and clear bass and pretty low action.
It even got better when I started to record. The Ibeam simply sounds fantastic. I used a cheap preamp (Art TUBE MP) and connected it directly to a cheap and crappy soundcard (Maya 44, still WAY better than soundblaster). I recorded some singer/song-writer-style fingerpicking licks and flatpicking licks, and they all sounded great, even with this cheap setup. The Ibeam makes a natural sound with a good reverb from the guitar top. I was really surprised. L.R. Baggs did some test with some really expensive Neumann mikes vs. Ibeam active, and the difference was marginal.
The looks are a bit basic, but it suits my taste perfectly.

The brigde and fingerboard are made of some artificial wood unlike rosewood on the standard series. I can't hear the difference but I guess it means thats my Martin D-16 RGT (mmm..... music to my ears: "MY Martin D-16 RGT") won't hold it's price tag as long as a standard serie (ex. D-18).

The sides and back have some kind of satin finish which looks fragile, but I have damaged it yet. It's great quality all round, and has a good hard gigcase.

Sounds great and even get's better when amplified/recorded with the L.R. Baggs Ibeam active pickup.

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

I'm a big fan of Martin guitars, although I have only owned one. The Martin D-16GT is my choice for a mid-range priced Martin guitar. Mine actually came with the pickup installed, and that's what was one of the more important features to me. When I first bought this guitar, it had an amazing sound to it. It's not as light and twangy as a Taylor, and not too loud like a Larrivee. To me, the Martins are right in the middle with a smooth and rich sound. When you go for the lower end martins, you don't get that rich quality of a sound, so I went with this one. The Martins that go for higher, such as the D-28 is my dream guitar. Sometimes i wish that I saved up more for the D-28, but I am content with the D-16GT. This guitar isn't as good sounding when it comes to finger picking. I recommend this guitar to somebody such as me. Not enough money to spend 2 grand on a fancy Martin, but you still love the Martin sound over most acoustic companies.


UTILIZATION

you will love how easy it is to get that sound you are looking for.

SOUNDS

love the tone and playability of this guitar! I chose it over a Gibson Song maker that was similarly priced and while I liked the Gibson playability, tone, and quality, it really was no match when compared with the Martin D16. Besides great tone and playability, I wanted a solid body guitar that was affordable.


OVERALL OPINION

I love martin. The feel, the booming bass and the playability. I'm glad i bought this guitar. It beats anything in the price range easily. The action is set very low so she plays fast. It blends well with other instruments and is great quality. Thanks Martin for another great guitar! Continue to bring these guitars out and you will always have customers. I recommend this guitar to any acoustic player or lover.