NGD Sigma 000M-15E from Express Music

Mike58

My lad is rekindling an interest in acoustic guitar ( after going to a Slow Leaves gig recently).
I thought a Sigma 000M-15 would be just the ticket and found a barely used one ( a 000M-15E )  for sale at Express Music Coventry..
They were terrific to deal with and the guitar arrived well packaged and was absolutely mint, not a mark on it.

Beautiful top


The fretboard was a little dry and the frets were slightly tarnished so after a couple of applications of bore oil ( edit: I now know this was a waste of time as it is micarta resin , thanks Thermoionic).
A few passes with fret rubbers and a polish with Peek metal polish brought the frets up beautifully 

All shined up and ready to play

And it’s ready for my lad to enjoy, a very very nice little guitar, a joy to play and incredible value used

DavidR

Great guitar for him to learn more on. What does it sound like?

euan

I really like mine. Saddle needed a fair bit of lowering but after that it was fairly playable. 

thermionic

Nice guitar, but I’m not sure I would apply oil to a Micarta board…

Mike58

thermionic said:

Nice guitar, but I’m not sure I would apply oil to a Micarta board…

Fair point, I did not know bridge and board were micarta, I did notice it didn’t seem to make much difference, so yes probably a waste of time, won’t do that again, thanks.
as for the sound it is just lovely, well balanced and warm, enough bass and a very sweet treble.
if you can find one like this for less than £250 it’s a steal at that price.

Soupman

Solid woods and fishman electrics, good looks and a good price - what's not to like! Nice one! 
 
 

BillDL

I really do like my Sigma guitars and they represent really good value for well made guitars.  Nothing flash about them, unless you go for the top of the range ones inspired by the Martin 41, 45, etc ornamentation level, but well built and finished.  I also like the sound of mahogany bodied acoustics, especially for fingerpicked playing.  That's a nice looking guitar.

Micarta in particular (of the synthetic "wood" type fretboards) does have a tendency to develop a kind of dusty grey look in some areas, and buffing with a tiny bit of oil or wax restores the ebony look and feel again with no adverse effects.  It's not as though you are drizzling on the oil and leaving it sitting there to try and soak in.  You are only doing a Karate Kid process with a minimal amount of oil or waxy stuff (I use lip salve) - wipe on / wipe off.  Companies that use Micarta for knife handles say that although it is waterproof, in that it won't degrade with moisture, it is very slightly porous and oiling or waxing the handles periodically is recommended for appearance and preventing any minimal moisture ingress where the knife is being repeatedly immersed in water for cleaning.  Obviously you keep a guitar well away from water, so oiling would only really be for aesthetic and perhaps feel purposes.  Some "person-made" materials made from heat-pressed resin and wood fibres only (Micarta uses all manner of fibres) do have a slight porosity and feel dry and are sometimes slightly "grained" (probably made with natural micro-ridging to mimic rosewood), but they generally don't begin to look dusty like Micarta.

Mike58

Soupman said:

Solid woods and fishman electrics, good looks and a good price - what's not to like! Nice one! 
 
 

Solid top only, you have to get the S prefixed model for solid back and sided. 

Mike58

BillDL said:

I really do like my Sigma guitars and they represent really good value for well made guitars.  Nothing flash about them, unless you go for the top of the range ones inspired by the Martin 41, 45, etc ornamentation level, but well built and finished.  I also like the sound of mahogany bodied acoustics, especially for fingerpicked playing.  That's a nice looking guitar.

Micarta in particular (of the synthetic "wood" type fretboards) does have a tendency to develop a kind of dusty grey look in some areas, and buffing with a tiny bit of oil or wax restores the ebony look and feel again with no adverse effects.  

Cheers Bill
your comments about the dusty appearance of Micarta was what prompted me to oil it in the first place.
all your info gratefully received.
mike.