Martin D-15 Review and Sound Sample
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Last year I played a Martin D-15 guitar on consignment at a local shop. I was
very impressed with it's sound and feel. The highs "shimmered" as they say and the
lows were big, clear and airy. I did not buy this particular guitar because the saddle was very low and the
price was the same as the street price for a new one. I went home and ordered one online with the 45 day try-out period. When I received the D-15 I opened up the case, picked up the guitar and strummed an open G chord. Perfectly in tune, I was amazed. (turned out to be tuned down a 1/2 step, but still "in tune"). Fast forward one year and this guitar has been a joy to play. I've made quite a few videos that you can watch on youtube. My next cd will feature this D-15 on almost every track. Please check back often for more videos and sound samples. |
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Son Volt's "Out of the Picture" - Martin D-15 |
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After about a week or so I changed the strings from Martin SP PB's to 80/20's and installed some
ebony bridge pins. The sound changed quite a bit and not for the better. The guitar sounded OK at
first but quickly sounded dead, dull, lifeless whatever you want to call it. I'm sure it was the
pins more than the strings. I switched back to PB's (DR's) and put some cheap Tusq pins on her.
Instantly better, just like the first day that I opened the case. The video above was done the day after putting the PB's on with Tusq pins. I had two condensor mics in the room running to my PC. One mic had a little reverb added and the other was dry. The guitar is unplugged and I'm singing through a small PA at low volume. The video is a pretty good representation of the sound of this guitar. It has proven to be hard to put down. Very playable. Very musical, dynamic and with a big full sound. I couldn't be happier with this purchase and plan on buying the 00-15 when funds allow. Jeff |
