The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #59035 Message #938606
Posted By: Jim Colbert
23-Apr-03 - 12:55 PM
Thread Name: Martin guitars with synthetic bodies?
Subject: RE: Martin guitars with synthetic bodies?
The mac-spelling here? maccifieris were all plastic and actually sounded decent, so you're right in saying experimentation with alternative materials (even different types of wood, note how there are now more guitars with cherry, ovangkvol, etc) goes way back.
But I do stand by what I've said... other things being equal (like assuming you don't have 2x4s for bracing and that the woods are thin enough to vibrate freely, etc) a guitar made at least partially with composite materials will not improve in tone the way a guitar made with ALL solid woods will. (Note the way I stated that originally, please!) I'm not saying, if you're lucky, that it might not sound better in time- I'm saying it will not have as noticeable an improvement as an all-solid body does. (Look at Ovations as an example. Ever hear one that sounded better with age? They seem to sound exactly the same for their lifetime to my ears- which can be a good thing in itself, if you like the way it sounds.)
Which returns me to, I still say, if it sounds and feels good to you, buy it!
jim (who, by the way, prefers 00 or 000 size guitars.) (-12 or -14 in Taylor vernacular)