It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:26 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 30 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Go to page Previous  1, 2
Author Message
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 4:33 pm
Offline
Roadie
Roadie

Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:16 pm
Posts: 209
BMW-KTM wrote:
In my mind Martins are way over rated.

Way.

And I mean way.


So, are you implying that Martin is the "Gibson" of acoustic guitars? :wink:

_________________
Most profound blues lyric, from Robert Johnson's Hell Hound On My Trail:

"If today was Christmas Eve, if today was Christmas Eve,
Tomorrow would be Christmas Day..."


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 6:29 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
BMW-KTM wrote:
I played every Martin in the city of Edmonton at least five times each over the course of about 7 weekends back in 2002 when I decided it was finally time to buy that Martin I'd always wanted. Hadda be at least 30 Martins I tried of all price ranges over the seven major stores in town. Alfie's, Giovanni's, Avenue, Axe, Mothers', Lilo's & L&M. I hated every single one of them. Dull. Thudding. Lifeless. It was a salesman in L&M who had been watching me through the glass walls in the acoustic room as I pulled each Martin off the wall and hung it back up in disappoinment who came in and suggested I try a Taylor. He spent some time with me and told me about Bob Taylor who'd worked for Martin and quit because they refused to upgrade their methods and improve their designs. They had 8 Taylors and I liked them all. I walked out with the one I thought was best and put and end to almost 2 months of disappointment. In my mind Martins are way over rated.

Way.

And I mean way.





It's all just a matter of taste. I had the same experience with Taylor. I found the tone overly bright and thin and preferred the rounder bottom end and complex tone of the Martin. I found the Breedlove and Parkwood nice but lacking something that I couldn't put my finger on. The Taylor played well and was beautifully made, but I couldn't past the brightness. They weren't real responsive to my playing style. I don't think any of them are over rated, the Taylor's just didn't work with my ears. They all played well though. I hate to break the news to Bob Taylor, but one tour of the Martin will dispel any rumors of not upgrading construction methods. The plant is truly state of the art that still uses the old way of building hand crafted guitars when necessary. The bracing and materials have all been improved and modified over the years. I've seen it with my own eyes. They use laser and CNC technology where needed and human craftsmanship too. Both Taylor and Martin have legions of followers, I find both to be well crafted instruments. Martin's 180 years in business is nothing to sneeze at and I don't think Bob Taylor leaving hurt their reputation. But it did put yet another nice guitar on the market. Way overrated? Nah.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 6:32 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 8:25 pm
Posts: 1099
Location: A cloud of eider down
It's a matter of finding what suits your taste. Best to follow BMW's lead and go to as many places, and try as many guitars as possible. What works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

_________________
"Where would rock and roll be without feedback?"
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 7:53 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:14 pm
Posts: 2561
As I already mentioned, like them or not, Martins are pretty much the standard by which all others are measured.

One rarely if ever finds a comparison to Washburn, Breedlove, Takamine, etc.

And yes... the Book on Taylors is that they're quality instruments but lack a full spectrum of sound, that they are all Mid, missing both on the High and Low end. From my recent personal experience, another noted difference between Martin and Taylor was that with Martin, their upper-low and medium priced guitars all pretty much offered that Martin Tone, while with Taylor, the equivalent models offered little more than the name on the headstock... you had to approach the price Stratosphere before you get the qualities that Taylor fans rave about. I'd personally rate the Taylors I've played as akin to high-end Breddloves, Blueridges and Seagulls albeit at a higher price.

The Kings of Tone in manufactured acoustics is 1st - Martin and 2nd - Gibson. The possibility exists that some of this may have to do with the length of time they've been around as compared to other brands, but I believe that guitar players as a whole are too aware and demanding to falsely prop up a particular brand.

+4 for playing as many as you can and letting the guitar tell you: "Pick Me...", no matter what name is on the headstock.

As for denegrating one brand over another, that's just silly. We're fortunate to have such a full range of choices today.

What a flavorless World it would be if all we had to choose from were Martin, Gibson and Fender.

cheers!

_________________
Image

'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:22 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Guilds are really, really nice too. Especially the 12 string guitars.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:33 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:14 pm
Posts: 2561
63supro wrote:
Guilds are really, really nice too. Especially the 12 string guitars.


My instructor plays a Guild 6-string and really likes it.

Can't really judge the tone because he treats it like sh*t, leaving it in a cold car overnight, propping it up against the wall, etc.

I suspect that it had much better tone when he got it than it does today. But like I said, he absolutely loves it.

cheers!

_________________
Image

'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 8:53 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
Lightnin MN wrote:
the Book on Taylors is that they're quality instruments but lack a full spectrum of sound, that they are all Mid, missing both on the High and Low end.


No. Sorry. Quite the opposite, really. They have a full spectrum of sound which includes lows, mids and highs with a clarity and note definition that most people are not used to and sometimes have trouble liking.

At any rate, this is digressing from the original intent of the OP. Prolly my bad. Sorry.

I say buy the Larrivee.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 9:43 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:14 pm
Posts: 2561
BMW-KTM wrote:
Lightnin MN wrote:
the Book on Taylors is that they're quality instruments but lack a full spectrum of sound, that they are all Mid, missing both on the High and Low end.


No. Sorry. Quite the opposite, really. They have a full spectrum of sound which includes lows, mids and highs with a clarity and note definition...


Not from my recent experience, or from reviews I've read.

I had no preconception about Taylors, Martins, Seagulls, Blueridges, Gibsons when I looked to upgrade my acoustic.

I know that Taylors are high-end and would have had no issue with one until I played several alongside the above-mentioned brands in the same model range, in particular the Taylor 712ce-N.

The Taylors were amongst the best, but not the best... to my ears. The best was the Martin GPC4R Performing Artist, but at the time I couldn't justify the price vs. the Blueridge BR-160CE, so I went with the Blueridge.

In my post GXD, I explained that the Blueridge, much to my disappointment, didn't work out so I went back to the Git Shop to exchange it for the Martin. The Martin had been sold, but they had another new NOS DC-1E which I tried and was hooked.

I looked at the Taylor one more time before going with the Martin and once again, I found the tone lacking, not as full and certainly brighter than I want for my intended style of play.

I guess for Hall & Oats, Cris Cross, etc., it would be fine. But it was just waaay too tinney for good 'ol acoustic Blues.

Am suspecting you will feel differently... sobeit.

cheers!

_________________
Image

'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:59 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Many times on acoustics on the wall the strings are pretty beat too. The more popular and expensive the guitar, the more beat the strings are form people playing them. The other thing to remember is that the top will sound better over time too. They tend to break in kind of like a speaker that sounds better after it's played for a while. The Taylor's I was trying out weren't one dimensional sounding in any way, just too bright to my ears with not enough bottom end. You had to get up pretty high in price to get away from laminates. But to call another guitar over rated or bad because it doesn't suit your ears or playing style doesn't help anyone. It's all just personal choice. I know one thing, I was really disappointed with the build quality of the Epi Masterbuilts. That's what I originally went in for and would up with the Martin. The Epi had tons of problems from sloppy joints and bracing to horrible setup even though I usually give the setup a pass. I usually bring a small inspection mirror with me when I'm shopping for an acoustic. :mrgreen:

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:18 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 2:14 pm
Posts: 2561
63supro wrote:
... I usually bring a small inspection mirror with me when I'm shopping for an acoustic. :mrgreen:


Very wise !

The owner of my git shop uses a Dentist's Mirror when he evaluates used instruments and let me use it when I was there.

cheers!

_________________
Image

'11 FSR Am. Vtg. Ltd. Ed. CAR '57 Stratocaster (SN# LE02639)
'14 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster
'12 Telebration Empress Telecaster
'99 Deluxe Nashville Telecaster
'12 FSR Telecaster HH
'10 Heritage H-535
'99 Martin DC-1E
'13 Lanikai Tenor Ukulele


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:27 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Lightnin MN wrote:
63supro wrote:
... I usually bring a small inspection mirror with me when I'm shopping for an acoustic. :mrgreen:


Very wise !

The owner of my git shop uses a Dentist's Mirror when he evaluates used instruments and let me use it when I was there.

cheers!


I've been buying guitars for over 40 years, you learn stuff. Usually the hard way too. :lol:

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:13 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:05 pm
Posts: 2333
Any allegiance to a particular brand seems pretty silly to me. While I do love what Fenders I own, I also have a 'POS' Samick strat that gets as much or more playing time as any of my other guitars, because regardless of what price point guitar has, it's still a nice playing guitar for practice. You can find a gem from any maker that is a clear cut above even the exact models of the same brand. No two guitars are alike.

A friend of mine was recently asked to play guitar for his sister-in-law's wedding, and her grandfather lent him his personal Gibson acoustic that he bought new in the '50s (albeit barely - he was very protective about lending his prized guitar to anyone). That particular guitar was about the most toneful acoustic I've ever heard; really something special with every note. The neck was great, too.

My advice would be to try anything and everything, from every make, with the hopes of landing a guitar that truly speaks to you.

Lightnin MN wrote:
And yes... the Book on Taylors is that they're quality instruments but lack a full spectrum of sound, that they are all Mid, missing both on the High and Low end.

I couldn't disagree more, particularly that there is a "Book" on any make. To generalize that all Taylor guitars are lacking seems pretty close-minded to me. Everyones ear is different, and that's why they go with what instruments they have; even why they change instruments as their ear changes.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 11:57 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 5:28 pm
Posts: 851
Location: So far out there, it's unbelievable!
Well, ahem...

Because I just bought a new guitar I thought I'd chime in. Been passively looking for about 2 years. (I love that part!) Went looking for something Martin-like, mainly because of the big, beautiful sound that I remember from playing a few D18s many years ago. Tried Martins, Taylors, and finally had a Larrivee put in my hands. It came out the winner for my dreadnaught, big sound, finger picking and strumming taste.

THEN I went to a new boutique guitar store recently opened near me and played some of the most amazing guitars ever including a carbon fibre one that sounded great. (Tonewood discussion to follow!) I played Lowdens, Tinkers, more Larrivees and wobbled out of the store loving the Tinker, (locally hand made - $2600) and...
the Larrivee! Used - like new, $1100.

I go back a couple of weeks later, drooling ever so slightly. They say hey, you might want to give this a go. It's an Eastman. I said, "What is an Eastman?" They explained it is a very old Chinese company specializing in handcrafted high quality instruments.

So I play it and it is stunning! Great BIG sound. Articulate! Wow! I had to try the Larrivee again. Loved it again. But no more that the Eastman. Used - better than new condition with upgraded Grovers - $750 :D :D

I know, I know. Here it is!

Image

It just feels great to play and I love the BIG sound!

Phew! WAY more than my 2 cents! :oops:

Peace
Gridlok


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 12:00 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
I couldn't agree more. I own so many mutts I should open a kennel. Every instrument has its place with someone.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Martin vs Larrivée?
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 3:30 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
Toronado wrote:
Everyones ear is different, and that's why they go with what instruments they have; even why they change instruments as their ear changes.


This is key.

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 30 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Go to page Previous  1, 2

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: