One day I said to the staff,
where can
we get an acoustic guitar
that is hand
made, American made, all
high grade
solid wood, with a full and
rich
booming sound, plays
fantastic with a
low and easy action,
hardshell case,
backed by a lifetime
warranty, all in the
$1000. ballpark! They
replied...Ya
right, dream on Brian. Well
after being
a Martin dealer for over 30
years I
suspected the guys up in
the Martin
Custom Shop could help
me out and
sure enough here it is!!
This J-15 with its high gloss
finish and
all mahogany body is an all
American
natural beauty. No bells, no
whistles
just raw Martin acoustic
power. I like it
because with it’s all
mahogany body
and handmade
craftsmanship it feels
and sounds like an old
Martin guitar
but doesn’t have any of the
problems
of an old guitar. The Martin
jumbo
body size adds just the
right amount to
the bass register. Don’t be
scared off
by the name Jumbo. This is
not your
Daddy’s big Gibson style
jumbo.
Martin’s version of the
Jumbo is just a
slightly narrowing of the
upper body
width, taking that and
adding to the
lower body width. It doesn’t
feel all that
different from holding or
playing a
dreadnaught shaped
acoustic. This
Jumbo shape however
adds to the air
chamber of the lower body
and as for
the top it spreads the
bracing out thus
creating that fuller lower
register. The
upper register meanwhile
isn’t
affected. To get an idea of
the sound I
would tell you to go test
drive a Martin
D or J 15 series at the
music place
near you but those guitars
aren’t the
same. They are made in
the factory
and odds are the one you
play in the
store will have dead
strings, the guitar
is dried out and the neck
bowed and
out of adjustment.
As with every guitar I have
sold for
over 30 years I have done
a complete
set-up. I just can’t make
myself sell a
guitar in a box. This guitar
can easily
handle any string tension.
Let me
know by email if you have a
preference for extra light,
light, or
medium strings. Otherwise I
will string
it with D’addario EXP-16
Extended
Play lights. Down the road I
recommend you
experiment with
Phosphor bronze (warmer
tone) and
bright bronze (bright tone)
strings. That
will help you dial in the
exact sound
that is right for you. Hope
this has
been helpful information.
Thanks,
Brian
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