Yes, they've gone mad. For many years, just the fact that a guitar was made by Martin automatically meant the it was a quality instrument. Well, the Martin label no longer carries that connotation. They still make great guitars, but the cheap and funky ones have weakened the power of the Martin name. While Martins still carry the reputation of being the guitar of choice of many great players, they now must also carry the stigma of being made by the folks who make the "Felix the Cat" guitar.

In a market where Taylor has made substantial inroads into what was once almost exclusively Martin territory, Martin's reputation was the one thing that Taylor couldn't duplicate. So, Martin has done Taylor a big favor and come out with all these substandard guitars and shot their own mystique in the foot. Bob Taylor's probably pleased every time Chris Martin and crew come out with some new bit of weirdness.

Bruce (Who has 3 Martins & 0 Taylors)