Check out Martin MC-16GTE
Paul M. Sanders
I'm starting up a solo acoustic gig and have been looking for a guitar
to take out in public so as not to trash any of my more beloved axes. I
WAS setting up my Taylor 514C with K&K for this, but for a couple of
reasons I've decided to back off of that. 1) I don't want someone
walking off with my old Taylor while I'm taking a leak in a break, and
2) I wanted to simplify my outboard requirements for this gig since I'm
doing it every week. I want to streamline my setup/teardown as much as
possible.
I ended up picking up a Martin MC-16GTE. This axe seems like a pretty
much ideal choice (for me anyway) for this type of gig. I've not seen
much talk about this on the newsgroups, so I thought I'd elaborate for
those who haven't been in touch with this line yet:
First, they have several body sizes in this line. The MC is a 0000 body.
A little larger than the OM, but the same depth. I seem to get good
volume, but the comfort of the shallower body is there. Seems ideal for
my combination of strumming, lead, and fingerstyle.
This guitar is solid sprice top, solid mahogany back and sides. It's
available in rosewood too.
I love that it's a gloss top, but satin back, sides and neck. That's
ideal for this IMO as it looks slick under lights, but doesn't show
scratches from your shirt buttons (unless you flip it over and play it
like a drum!)
Sure, it's got the evil Micrata fretboard, but this is a giging out axe
here, not the coveted lifetime guitar that we romance as we would a new
girlfriend.
To top it all off, it's got a Fishman Prefix Pro stereo blender system.
I notice Taylor makes you go over the $2000 mark to get the dual source
system on their guitars. This is one of the few at this price point that
I've seen with the dual source. I got this one at Guitar Center, and if
you beat up the sales guy you can get it for $999. I'd say that's a
pretty good value for a high quality giging axe.
I don't think many folks would walk up and say "hey dude, awesome
Ibanez" either :)
Just thought I'd share.
Paul
--
Some people drink from the fountain of kowledge...
Others just garble.
Sherm
wrote:
>I'm starting up a solo acoustic gig and . . . ended up picking up a
>Martin MC-16GTE.
Congrats on the purchase and good luck with the solo act. This is new
ground for you? Played in bands previously? I made that move
recently too. Good luck and when's the first gig?
Sherm
Paul M. Sanders
Actually I've had minimal experience playing OUT in any form. I did a
few acoustic duo things a while back and I've been in a neighborhood
band that played parties. I got my career going before I really got into
playing music, so I'm a late starter.
I've been standing in with a guy covering some solo stuff (but not my
gig) and hosting music nights here in my neighborhood. I'm confident I
can pull it off, but it IS totally new territory for me!
Paul
>
> Sherm
Gary Hall
I see that you got the MC-16GTE for only 59% of list. It must be that
time of the year at GC. Before Christmas, I made an offer of $900 (60%
list) for a Martin OMC-15E. The salesman went to talk to the manager
and came back to tell me that $995 was as low as they'd go.
Last Wednesday morning I happened to be in the area again, so I
dropped into the North Olmstead, OH GC for some quiet time with the
same guitar - just to see if it REALLY played as well as it had seemed
the month before. I wasn't seriously looking to buy a guitar this
time, thanks to the recent loss of a weekly gig and an expensive car
repair. When the salesman approached and started talking me up,
though, I made the same $900 offer - thinking that he'd just say no
and leave me alone with the object of my obsession. Surprise, surprise
- I now have a new Martin and a decision to make as to what guitars
and/or gear in my collection will be on ebay next week.
At any rate, if anyone else out there is being haunted by a particular
guitar that they've stumbled across at GC, now is probably the best
time of the year to make a low offer. Conversely, now is not the time
to be bluffing a low offer in an attempt to dismiss the salesperson.
(I'll probably never try that trick again, whatever time of the year
it is. Luckily for me, the Martin is still living up to my initial
perceptions of it. I have no buyer's remorse yet, just stupidity
remorse for buying under the wrong circumstances.)
Gary Hall
"Paul M. Sanders" <p...@sgi.com> wrote in message news:<3E242F16...@sgi.com>...
Mark Sladden
I've not seen or played one of these so can't comment on the Guitar but
Micarta is not 'evil' :-)
My gigging Guitar is a Martin DX1 (unfinished solid spruce top) with Micarta
fretboard. It has been a great instrument for gigging. I'm surprised
Martin are making a $1000 guitar with Micarta partly because it is bound to
upset the purists but also it seems like $1000 should/could get you into
Ebony. Larrivve uses Ebony exclusively (at least last time I looked) even on
their sub $1000 instruments.
Anyway, I hope the Micarta grows on you.
Regards Mark
foldedpath
news:Uu1V9.37$Lf6....@paloalto-snr1.gtei.net...
Threre's ebony, and then there's "real" ebony.
Twenty years ago, you could buy a $1,000-$1,500 guitar with an ebony
fingerboard that was so tight-grained that it looked like glass. It
looked like the surface of a clarinet. It looked like piano keys on
a fine, old-world instrument.
I have a mid 80's Guild with a fingerboard like that. It's smooth as
glass.
I have a $4,500 custom order Santa Cruz built in 1999 with an ebony
fingerboard where the grain is clearly visible. It's not something I
can feel under my fingers, but it's definitely not as good as what
Guild was able to get back in the mid 80's.
All the ebony fingerboard guitars I've bought in the last several
years are like that. Yeah, it's ebony, but it's porous and grainy.
It's not what ebony used to mean in a fingerboard.
When I look at "ebony" fingerboards on guitars under $1,000 now, it
doesn't even look like the same wood, except for the color. And the
color is dyed anyway. Even the tightest-train ebony is usually dyed
to a uniform black color.
Ebony just isn't what it used to be. Either the old-growth resource
is being depleted (which wouldn't surprise me), or it's all those
damned clarinet players grabbing up the good stuff.
In that context, maybe Micarta is a good thing. New growth, porous
ebony isn't a real big step up from an east indian rosewood
fingerboard these days. Maybe it's better to save the "real" ebony
for the higher-end instruments, and use Micarta (or whatever) for
anything under $3,000.
And we need to kill all the clarinet players.
Mike Barrs
No Busking
> partly because it is bound to upset the purists but also it seems
> like $1000 should/could get you into Ebony. Larrivve uses
> Ebony exclusively (at least last time I looked) even on
> their sub $1000 instruments.
Martin has several instruments above $1000 that are using micarta these
days - I don't think it's a big deal, but then, I'm not a "purist". I
suspect anyone who DOES have purist tendencies is going to look at the
standard and vintage Martins anyway.
I recently played an OMC-16WE (OM cutaway, walnut back and sides), and
didn't know that the fingerboard was micarta. I loved the instrument.
After I checked the specs and found out about the fingerboard, I went back
and played it again...still loved it. The fingerboard looks and feels
terrific - a lot better than rosewood, IMO. The price tag on the guitar was
about $1350 or so.
I'm wondering...are there any long-term issues associated with a Micarta
fingerboard? I'm assuming that it will be at least as resilient to
wear-and-tear as Ebony. What about refrets?
Cheers,
Mike
ple...@nospam.us
>I'm wondering...are there any long-term issues associated with a Micarta
>fingerboard? I'm assuming that it will be at least as resilient to
>wear-and-tear as Ebony. What about refrets?
The long-term issue with Micarta is that it might be more stable than
ebony. The only tech I've talked to about refrets said, "No problem."
My guess is that it is an esthetic thing. That said, I have to say
that I don't like Micarta, for no other reason than it is plastic.
Old prejudices run deep. Tony Rairden at FQMS has glossy style 16
guitars with ebony fretboards. This is very tempting because the
MC-16GTE is otherwise a very desirable guitar.
Al Sato
--
Reply to al_guitar "at" clifftopmusic "dot" com
foldedpath
news:T%1V9.83693$VA5.12...@news1.news.adelphia.net...
> I'm wondering...are there any long-term issues
> associated with a Micarta fingerboard? I'm
> assuming that it will be at least as resilient to
> wear-and-tear as Ebony. What about refrets?
According to the last year or two of posts here, refretting on
Micarta isn't a problem.
But for anything else... who knows?
We know how the popular tonewoods hold up in 200 year old guitars
and related instruments. Micarta hasn't been around long enough to
establish a track record.
I do wonder about differential expansion rates between a synthetic,
glued-on fingerboard and the wooden neck behind it, when the
humidity is cycling back and forth each year in cold weather
climates. As a former amateur woodworker, that makes me a little
nervous. But (AFAIK) we haven't heard any reports of damage yet,
related to Micarta or other synthetic fingerboards.
I don't think Martin would be using it, if they thought this was
going to result in thousands of dollars in warranty work a few years
from now. They must have done some accelerated aging tests, to feel
confident in using this material.
Mike Barrs
foldedpath
You may have seen an older guitar that's uncomfortable to play,
because the frets stick out at the edge of the fingerboard. That
happens when the neck wood (both fingerboard and underlying wood)
shrinks laterally over time, but the frets don't.
It's an easy fix; just file down the fret ends.
Micarta won't shrink like that over time, because it's a synthetic
material. It should stay the same width, along with the frets.
You'll never get that "rip saw" feeling along the edge of the neck.
But what's going to happen to the mahogany neck underneath? You
could end up with a separation or ridge line that you feel under
your hand, between the micarta fingerboard and the neck underneath.
That might be something you could fix, but it's going to be a bigger
job than just filing down a few fret ends sticking out.
Mike Barrs
Gary Hall
Could you tell us more about your impressions of the OMC-16WE? How
does it compare, tone-wise and volume-wise, to the rosewood/spruce
guitars (of similar size) that you've tried?
I've been wanting to try out that model, but there just haven't been
any around, here in Ohio. I suspect that I'd find it very playable
(for my taste), since it has the same neck as the OMC-15E.
Thanks,
Gary Hall
"No Busking" <nobu...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<T%1V9.83693$VA5.12...@news1.news.adelphia.net>...
No Busking
> does it compare, tone-wise and volume-wise, to the rosewood/spruce
> guitars (of similar size) that you've tried?
I've played the same OMC-16WE several times...I'd put the tone somewhere
between mahogany and rosewood...it's a little drier (fewer rich overtones)
than a typical Martin rosewood OM, but not so much so as mahogany. I prefer
a slightly drier tone - guitars with big, ringy overtones sound great by
themselves, but don't always cut through the mix real well in a lot of the
ensemble work that I do. This particular guitar is a nice compromise in
that regard.
Volume-wise, it's plenty loud. I wouldn't put it in the category of
"cannon", since I reserve that title for some exceptional instruments like
Dorgan's Assault Goodall, but the volume on the Martin is entirely
serviceable...again, I believe that the nature of the tone signature would
helpful in cutting through an ensemble mix.
The tone is well balanced between treble and bass, as good OM's tend to be.
I've played some fingerstyle blues stuff on it...it sounded great, if a
little "pretty" (the boxy, funky tone from the 00-15 is the perfect blues
sound for me). I played a little contemporary fingerstyle, and it was very
nice. It also held up well under some pretty vigorous strumming.
All in all, I wouldn't rate it as one of the greatest instruments I've ever
played, but I DO think it's a great value for money, and would make a
terrific gigging guitar.
Lumpy recently bought one and is using it to gig...when he gets back from
NAMM, it would be worth asking how the "extended road test" is going.
I've tried to make this a balanced and helpful review, but just to make my
opinion clear...I'm lusting after the OMC-16WE in my local music shop.
There are some other plans for our household finances at the moment, but
when I'm looking for another instrument, it will be one of the frontrunners.
- Mike Pugh
Gary Hall
Thanks, Mike. Your comments are very thorough and helpful.
Gary Hall
Todd Wieder
> Hi Paul,
>
> I see that you got the MC-16GTE for only 59% of list. It must be that
> time of the year at GC. Before Christmas, I made an offer of $900 (60%
> list) for a Martin OMC-15E. The salesman went to talk to the manager
> and came back to tell me that $995 was as low as they'd go.
>
> Last Wednesday morning I happened to be in the area again, so I
> dropped into the North Olmstead, OH GC for some quiet time with the
> same guitar - just to see if it REALLY played as well as it had seemed
> the month before. I wasn't seriously looking to buy a guitar this
> time, thanks to the recent loss of a weekly gig and an expensive car
> repair. When the salesman approached and started talking me up,
> though, I made the same $900 offer - thinking that he'd just say no
> and leave me alone with the object of my obsession. Surprise, surprise
> - I now have a new Martin and a decision to make as to what guitars
> and/or gear in my collection will be on ebay next week.
>
> At any rate, if anyone else out there is being haunted by a particular
> guitar that they've stumbled across at GC, now is probably the best
> time of the year to make a low offer. Conversely, now is not the time
> to be bluffing a low offer in an attempt to dismiss the salesperson.
> (I'll probably never try that trick again, whatever time of the year
> it is. Luckily for me, the Martin is still living up to my initial
> perceptions of it. I have no buyer's remorse yet, just stupidity
> remorse for buying under the wrong circumstances.)
>
> Gary Hall
>
how long it will take you to wear a hole in it?
If I learned anything from you, it's that no one will take you
seriously if you play a shiny guitar. Either that, or that flannel
never really goes out of style. Hard to remember which these days.
'nuf of that - where are you playing these days?
-tw
Gary Hall
buying a new guitar:
> Gary - what are you doing buying a new guitar? Do you have any idea
> how long it will take you to wear a hole in it?
>
> If I learned anything from you, it's that no one will take you
> seriously if you play a shiny guitar. Either that, or that flannel
> never really goes out of style. Hard to remember which these days.
>
> 'nuf of that - where are you playing these days?
>
> -tw
Hi Todd,
I'm glad that you could join us. Folks here were beginning to think
that Sherm is the only guy from Ohio with a smart-ass sense of humor.
Don't worry about the Martin OMC-15E ruining my "reputation". It's
butt-ugly. Looks like mud on a stick. (Matches my flannel shirts
perfectly.)
On the other hand, my inlay-happy Larrivee C-10 embarrasses the heck
out of me. I feel like I need to offer a disclaimer every time that I
gig with it. "Really folks, I got this cheap at an inventory sale and
it developed a bridge crack before I could resell on ebay." The darn
thing is obstinate, too. It took me a couple of years to start wearing
thru the finish around the soundhole.
I'm still hosting the Barking Spider Songwriters' Night that you and
Evan attended last year. We started our fourth year this month. The
slowing economy (knock on wood) hasn't hurt us yet. Sixteen acts last
month.
I'm also still doing the monthly Spider solo gigs. It's not like the
old days, though. I no longer get the crowds of fun-loving folks who
come in to dictate which silly sing-a-long I should play next. I got
bored with the Rocky Horror Show-like atmosphere and went "artiste" a
couple of years ago. I started "sneaking in" more songs that are close
to my heart. My bank account has suffered accordingly. (I'm hoping
that it's just an Ohio thing, and that it hasn't just gotten bad
everywhere since I left New England in the 80s. Interestingly, I met
an excellent singer-songwriter last night {at my Columbus open mic}
who'd just moved to Columbus from St. Louis. He seemed really
surprised at the lack of paying gigs, for original acts, around
Columbus.)
Aside from the Spider gigs, I'm not doing anything around Cleveland
these days. That may change this year, as I recently lost the Monday
night hosting job which I'd been doing for two years in Columbus.
Getting back into the Cleveland coffeehouse scene is one of the
low-paying options that I'm considering while selling off guitars and
gear on ebay. (If it wasn't for family responsibilities, I'd be headed
back to Boston with the beatup Martin - trying to recreate the good
old days in a very different world.)
It's good to hear from you, Todd. I hope that life is treating you and
Mary well. Please come by to play us some tunes at one of our monthly
songwriters' nights. Original songs are encouraged, but no longer
required, if that has put you off. (It's good to be king and be able
to change the rules as experience dictates.)
Later,
Gary