I Love my Martin . . .

I only have a DX1 and a Backpacker. There's no need to talk about the Backpacker, it doesn't sound much like a guitar. It was a rescue I got cheap and fixed up. What a surprise, eh?

The DX1 sounds very good for the money! I was disappointed at first when I saw the minimal bracing inside. Didn't look very Martin-like. But it has the booming Martin sound. Damn good for a formica body. It hasn't made it out of the case onto the wall yet. The humidity downstairs is 64% today, a little too high.

I've attempted to play other Martin models at Guitar Center but the strings are always dead. I tried a few at the Martin factory and the HD-28V was my favorite. I'd like to try the 000-28EC. Maybe we'll get back there this summer.

I'll never be able to afford/justify any solid wood Martin. Maybe I'll find a used MMV for cheap someday. I've heard they are excellent for the money. I've seen them for as low as $700 used, still way out of my league.

This morning I have been playing my delightful little Dread Jr.  I have come to realize that the scale length is exactly perfect for my hand size.  It shimmers just like a Martin should despite not having the deep bass that comes with a standard dread. But its pretty darn close. 

I certainly can't answer for anyone other than myself but the question doesn't lead to an answer.  The question is akin to asking which of your children you love the most.    

"Love the most" is qualified by which Martin you own or have played or desire.  Just guessing that most Martin fans would not turn down a Custom Shop something something with simply stupendous looks and knock your socks off sound.  You can love that sort of guitar without ever coming within a hundred miles of such an instrument.  

www.amazon.com/Martin-Guitar-Masterpieces-Showcase-Editions/dp/1568527624

My experience with Martin boils down to currently owning several Martins, from small to large and inexpensive to not so inexpensive, due to the simple fact each has something to say for itself, a raison d'etre, when I'm playing that guitar.  

I would expect that to be true for the vast majority of forum members who own multiple guitars for various reasons.  I've also learned that being a Martin doesn't always equate to being "the best" guitar which would lead me to love that guitar the most.  Walking through a large guitar show, playing lots of models from lots of builders, is instructive to learning what Martin is and what it is not.  


I have found tremendous differences between seemingly identical Martins and I can only take on a Martin when I am playing it.  From one D28 to another D28, from month to month and year to year, I find there are (mostly) subtle differences which attract me to that Martin or lead me to pick up another instrument.  

I've often gone into a shop just to spend a bit of time between appointments and found other Martins, and even other brands, which impress me more than the 28 series.  Some lower priced, some higher priced and a few equal in price but voiced to a different ideal.  I do always begin with a 28 since I see that as the quintessential Martin voice and comparisons inevitably begin with the most popular guitar on the market.  

Actually, I don't own a D28.  Every time I've gone into a shop thinking today is the day I buy a D28, I find a another guitar which catches my ear.  The house branded Martins are great values no doubt, but not for everyone.  And not everyday.  

Take on a guitar for what it is - even the Backpacker which has dedicated fans and a longstanding, if decidedly niche, market - and play it for what you find out about that guitar today.  

I would have a very difficult time saying any of my guitars are my favorite because I can still find something new and interesting about any of my guitars on any given day.

The one I love the most is the one I am playing at the moment  .

I too understand the point @janvigne, is making, but also, I think the "spirit" of CaliGull,'s question wasn't meant to be so logical and absolute.  I think the question is, which one do you have a soft spot for or think about the most when you think of a Martin or any of your Martins.

In Jan's post, even though he doesn't own one, it comes across as being the D28 as he said that's sort of the "Martin objective standard" he uses to compare all others to ( paraphrasing here, but again, that's the "spirit" of the point I took away ).

So yes, you love all your children equally, but that's not only right, it's morally right when it comes to children.   We're talking about guitars here though, inanimate objects.  No feelings or permanent spiritual and mental trauma is going to be a consequence of having a soft spot for a certain Martin. 

I'll reiterate, when I think of Martins, the one that I think about most and would want to get at this point in time is the DRS1 and/or the DC-15ME.  There, I said it.  I picked a couple.  Let the psychiatric therapy sessions begin!