Martin 000M - worth bothering?

usedtobe

I've seen a Martin 000M - solid spruce top - laminated back and sides (I believe) advertised fairly locally. I know these aren't the full fat, all solid wood Martin's but are they alright? Actually, are they better than alright? I'm tempted to go and find out for myself, but wondered what the general opinion was...?

richardhomer

I haven't played one but I have played various Taylors with laminated backs and sides and was surprised how good they were.

ICBM

Yes, they are better than alright.

I had one of the even cheaper D style ones with the HPL back and sides a while back - it wasn't as good as a D-18, but it was surprisingly close given that it was about a third of the price. I'd probably still have it if I hadn't come across my Gibson.

usedtobe

Cheers. I'll go and have a butchers, tomorrow..

paisleysoul

I've got one. Traded up to it from my 000x. They're lovely, well built guitars.

But buy a long allen key for the truss rod. They like to hide them halfway down the bloody neck!

usedtobe

Been for a look. The strings were pretty high. Playing anywhere up the neck was a bit of a no-no.. Sounded quite nice, though. Hell of a difference, when I got home and played my Tanglewood, which plays better,but doesn't sound so good... hmmmm..

ICBM

Martins do generally come with higher actions - they do that on purpose because they sound better. You can usually get them down lower without affecting the tone too badly though -  if not as low as something like a typical Taylor. But Taylors never have that big warm Martin sound.

I would buy for sound and not playability, because you can have playability improved whereas there's not usually much you can do about sound. You get used to a slightly higher action quite easily too, as long as it's not really high.

paisleysoul

That might be well be adjustable with access to a truss rod the right length. It ends up being about 5 inches up from where they usually would be on an acoustic, so it *could* be a simple fix.

bandmaster188

I've got the dreadnought version DM which I've had since 98. It's been a good solid workhorse that sounds great and plays great. Its taken a few knocks and falls suffering only minor injuries. Definitely worth a look!

bandmaster188

paisleysoul said:

That might be well be adjustable with access to a truss rod the right length. It ends up being about 5 inches up from where they usually would be on an acoustic, so it *could* be a simple fix.

I used the Allen key bit from my socket set on an extension bar. They are tricky to get to without the right tools though!

usedtobe

I passed on the one I saw. The bridge,and therefore the action was crazy high. I'll keep an eye out, and see what the next one is like..  My favourite out of every guitar I've ever played (acoustic or electric) is a Martin that belongs to a friend of mine.  The higher end ones are well out of my range, but these ones are affordable to me. I didn't really fancy shelling out that much money, and then have to start doing work on it, in the hope that it would be 'right' for me.

olafgarten

I found my Sigma was better than the cheaper Martins.

usedtobe

I'm also thinking about Sigma - if I see one, nearby, I'll have a try of those, too..

Gru

I have been considering a Martin 000X1AE and also the OMXAE but the Sigma 000-28v is both cheaper and more woody (looks stunning too). Saying that the Cort L500-O looks wonderful. It's going to be a tough choice.