Bought a great Martin yesterday,,,really happy

[shallbe]

Three weeks ago, I went into Guitar Center, where I have never bought a guitar, to check out acoustics. I started playing a GC model in the store, an HD MMV. Solid rosewood back and sides, solid spruce top, herringbone binding, ebony board and bridge, gold tuners.

I kept going back to the store each week and playing it. Could the guitar really be that good? Why was it only $1499? It blew away an HD28 and 35 that cost twice the money. It felt it was better made than the HD28 as well. It bested all the Taylors in the store, regardless of price. I even borrowed some friends nice acoustics to A/B with it (Lowden, older Martins, Taylors, Breedloves). I made a lot of trips, hoping it would still be there. It bested or was equal to all of them, in volume, resonance and playability. Great neck carve too.

I got it for $1499 with case. I took it to our gig last night so the other guys in the band could check it out before we started. They were blown away. It plays so nice, has a rich sound and does that natural reverb thing like an old guitar. And it may be the loudest acoustic guitar I have ever heard.

Even with my tired ears this morning, it sounds amazing.

How/why is this guitar so cheap? The original sale price was $1599, but I got another $100 off.

[otterhound]

Enjoy . It is fun finding a jewel regardless of pedigree .

[shallbe]

Enjoy . It is fun finding a jewel regardless of pedigree .
Agreed. I just don't understand any difference bewteen this guitar and the HD28 except for the volute. My guitar does not have one, but the woods and bracing are the same. And it has an inlaid logo on the headstock and gold tuners. My guitar also just seems to have more attention to detail than the 28 they had in there as well, from the frets to the playability.

[JRDill]

I have the MMV. Great guitars they are! Especially at that price!

[esoteric pete]

wonderful guitars! i hope you play it a long time!

[lkft]

Woah!!! Great score!!! Martins are hard to beat!

But.....

:worthless

[captain_bob]

We want picts!

[GuitslingerTim]

Agreed. I just don't understand any difference bewteen this guitar and the HD28 except for the volute. My guitar does not have one, but the woods and bracing are the same. And it has an inlaid logo on the headstock and gold tuners. My guitar also just seems to have more attention to detail than the 28 they had in there as well, from the frets to the playability.

I bought an MMV when they first came out, it was originally made exclusively for Musicians Friend. The differences between the MMV and an HD28 is substantial, namely in the thickness of the top, the fingerboard wood, and bracing. The MMV is little more than a dressed up D-15. I found the tone of my MMV lacking in complexity in the upper registers, although it had a lot of boom in the low end. I exchanged mine for a Takamine TAN16C, with scalloped bracing and a killer preamp.

[shallbe]

I bought an MMV when they first came out, it was originally made exclusively for Musicians Friend. The differences between the MMV and an HD28 is substantial, namely in the thickness of the top, the fingerboard wood, and bracing. The MMV is little more than a dressed up D-15. I found the tone of my MMV lacking in complexity in the upper registers, although it had a lot of boom in the low end. I exchanged mine for a Takamine TAN16C, with scalloped bracing and a killer preamp.

Mine is called the HD MMV. There is no difference in the woods to a HD28. Ebony board and bridge, spruce top, rosewood back and sides. I had the guitars side by side, and the HDMMV killed the D28 in volume, complexity and resonance. There may be bracing differences, but none of that matters if the guitar sounds better.

I compared this guitar to a vintage D35, a Lowden and a 10 yeard old D41. It sounded and played as good as any of them. I'm truly blown away by this guitar. I'll try to get pics soon.

[frquent flyer]

Ah,your first Martin guitar,what a good experience. May you enjoy it for many years.

[GuitslingerTim]

Mine is called the HD MMV. There is no difference in the woods to a HD28. Ebony board and bridge, spruce top, rosewood back and sides. I had the guitars side by side, and the HDMMV killed the D28 in volume, complexity and resonance. There may be bracing differences, but none of that matters if the guitar sounds better.

I compared this guitar to a vintage D35, a Lowden and a 10 yeard old D41. It sounded and played as good as any of them. I'm truly blown away by this guitar. I'll try to get pics soon.

You're right on one point, and I was mistaken, it does have an ebony fingerboard, as did mine, I just forgot. I looked for an HD MMV online and can't find one, but they do have the MMV for $1400, the same price I paid for mine, and that you paid for yours.

I'm not slamming your guitar, but you could possibly be misleading people into thinking there is no difference between a $1400 MMV, and a $2800 HD35, when there are considerable structural and tonal differences. Like most things, and especially when it comes to acoustic guitars, one seldom gets more than what one pays for.

[shallbe]

You're right on one point, and I was mistaken, it does have an ebony fingerboard, as did mine, I just forgot. I looked for an HD MMV online and can't find one, but they do have the MMV for $1400, the same price I paid for mine, and that you paid for yours.

I'm not slamming your guitar, but you could possibly be misleading people into thinking there is no difference between a $1400 MMV, and a $2800 HD35, when there are considerable structural and tonal differences. Like most things, and especially when it comes to acoustic guitars, one seldom gets more than what one pays for.

I think you can't find it online because it is not made anymore, according to GC. GC could not find one online either. The sale price on this guitar was $1599, but I got $100 off, the same price as the MMV. It was the last one.

The MMV has white binding around the top. This one has herringbone. I'm not trying to mislead anyone. It is just an exceptional guitar, both from a sound, woods and playability standpoint. It sounds as good as our singer's old HD35. I took it to the gig Saturday, where he had his HD35, and after one chord on mine he yelled out "yeah, baby!" This guy has Lowdens, four high end Taylors, and two Martins. He was just as impressed as I am. I see where no corners were cut on this guitar---none. And it was apparent that it sounded better than any other acoustic in the store we tried. I made a lot of trips and a lot of comparisons.

I got more than I paid for. I flirted with getting something expensive, having recently played two Collings and a Santa Cruz. Glad I found this one.

[GuitslingerTim]

I think you can't find it online because it is not made anymore, according to GC. GC could not find one online either. The sale price on this guitar was $1599, but I got $100 off, the same price as the MMV. It was the last one.

The MMV has white binding around the top. This one has herringbone. I'm not trying to mislead anyone. It is just an exceptional guitar, both from a sound, woods and playability standpoint. It sounds as good as our singer's old HD35. I took it to the gig Saturday, where he had his HD35, and after one chord on mine he yelled out "yeah, baby!" This guy has Lowdens, four high end Taylors, and two Martins. He was just as impressed as I am. I see where no corners were cut on this guitar---none. And it was apparent that it sounded better than any other acoustic in the store we tried. I made a lot of trips and a lot of comparisons.

I got more than I paid for. I flirted with getting something expensive, having recently played two Collings and a Santa Cruz. Glad I found this one.

It appears the only difference between the HD-MMV and the MMV is herringbone binding. Curious, I Googled the HD-MMV and came across a thread on the unofficial Martin forum that covers the issues with bracing that I brought up in this thread, and it also has detailed specs on the construction of the HD-MMV in case you're interested.

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/111937/t/HD-MMV-at-GC.html

The bracing used on the MMV is a bit of sore point for me, as I also researched the issue carefully before purchasing one, and based on the description of the bracing provided by Musicians Friend--"patented X-bracing"--I thought the guitar was constructed with scalloped-X bracing, when in fact the bracing is the D1-A type, the same as that used on the D-15 models, so corners were cut, and the price tag reflects as much, as it should.

[otterhound]

I never assess an acoustic by how it is braced . I am interested in how it sounds . I had a D15 that I would have gladly put up against any Spruce and Rosewood X braced anything .
A jewel is a jewel is a jewel . You are lucky to have found one .

[shallbe]

I never assess an acoustic by how it is braced . I am interested in how it sounds . I had a D15 that I would have gladly put up against any Spruce and Rosewood X braced anything .
A jewel is a jewel is a jewel . You are lucky to have found one .

Agree on all points. The bracing is a non-issue when a guitar sounds this loud, dynamic and alive. I feel fortunate I own a solid wood, gloss finish Martin that plays and sounds this nice for what I paid.

[musicofanatic5]

"...thought the guitar was constructed with scalloped-X bracing, when in fact the bracing is the D1-A type"

Huh?! A D-1A is not scalloped X bracing? I thought the D-1A was built like a prewar D-18?

Further confusion: what does MMV stand for? Mileage May Vary??!

[royria]

I LOVE my HD MMV -- so glad there is something about it out here online. A rare treasure indeed. Had my pick of the litter and it was down to it and a $2500 guitar... made it easy as they were so close.

Three weeks ago, I went into Guitar Center, where I have never bought a guitar, to check out acoustics. I started playing a GC model in the store, an HD MMV. Solid rosewood back and sides, solid spruce top, herringbone binding, ebony board and bridge, gold tuners.

I kept going back to the store each week and playing it. Could the guitar really be that good? Why was it only $1499? It blew away an HD28 and 35 that cost twice the money. It felt it was better made than the HD28 as well. It bested all the Taylors in the store, regardless of price. I even borrowed some friends nice acoustics to A/B with it (Lowden, older Martins, Taylors, Breedloves). I made a lot of trips, hoping it would still be there. It bested or was equal to all of them, in volume, resonance and playability. Great neck carve too.

I got it for $1499 with case. I took it to our gig last night so the other guys in the band could check it out before we started. They were blown away. It plays so nice, has a rich sound and does that natural reverb thing like an old guitar. And it may be the loudest acoustic guitar I have ever heard.

Even with my tired ears this morning, it sounds amazing.

How/why is this guitar so cheap? The original sale price was $1599, but I got another $100 off.

[coldfingaz]

Congratulations!

There are some great Martins out there for sure, and I've also found that some of the 15 & 16 series models suit my tastes much more so than higher end options.

There's nothing structurally inferior about non-scalloped bracing. Various bracing options exist to satisfy differing personal preferences.

I suspect your guitar may blow you away even more over the next 10 years or so since bracing is tighter when it's non-scalloped so these guitars tend to take a bit more time to open up than one with scalloped bracing. That's definitely been the case with my 15 series Martin... it's 8 years old now & has sounded a little bit better every year since I bought it new.

Enjoy!

[hustist1]

Huh?! A D-1A is not scalloped X bracing? I thought the D-1A was built like a prewar D-18?

That's the D-18A; a very different guitar on the other end of the price scale. There never was a D-1A, according to the Martin site.

Specs on the HD MMV are here -

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/111937/t/HD-MMV-at-GC.html#.Tkg5WWH5SSo

[musicofanatic5]

That's the D-18A; a very different guitar on the other end of the price scale. There never was a D-1A, according to the Martin site.

Specs on the HD MMV are here -

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/111937/t/HD-MMV-at-GC.html#.Tkg5WWH5SSo

I did not think there was a D1A Martin and incorrectly presumed the rterference was to Collings D1A.

[Shemp]

Congrats. Martin is building some really fine guitars at all price points these days.

[Blue4Now]

I owned a regular MMV a few years ago, and it was fantastic. Their unique bracing is one of the things,I thought, that made them sound so great. I think the their bracing (like the old Martin D1's) allows them to sound more open and broken in right out of the box, as opposed to a stiffer or more heartily braced D28 which will take longer to open up,

[Tiny Montgomery]

IThe MMV is little more than a dressed up D-15. .

Isn't the D-15 all mohogany (sapele for the new ones)?:confused:

[guitararmy]

"...thought the guitar was constructed with scalloped-X bracing, when in fact the bracing is the D1-A type"

Huh?! A D-1A is not scalloped X bracing? I thought the D-1A was built like a prewar D-18?

Further confusion: what does MMV stand for? Mileage May Vary??!
I read that MMV is the Roman numeral for 2005 which may be when Guitar Center /Musician's Friend commissioned the model...
I had the chance to buy one new several years ago from MF for $900 or so and still regret not grabbing it.

[shallbe]

I read that MMV is the Roman numeral for 2005 which may be when Guitar Center /Musician's Friend commissioned the model...
I had the chance to buy one new several years ago from MF for $900 or so and still regret not grabbing it.

Still really loving this HD MMV. I have to play Train's Marry Me at a wedding next month, and learned the song last night. The gutiar just sounds and plays soooo great.