Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 03:48 PM

The best onstage guitar sound I have heard in a long long time was at a concert by Richard Shindell last Sunday. Perfect balance and separation between bass and treble, and the model he was playing was a new all-mahogany Martin (inc. mahogany soundboard).

I didn't ask him the model number, but it was under $1000 new. He said he had given up on expensive guitars, as they never sounded any better on stage than the economy models.

Murray

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: SharonA
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 03:34 PM

I have a D-35 as well, so.... what Ebbie said. I also like to have other people play it so I can "get out from behind it", so to speak, and enjoy the projection of sound. I like a guitar with a strong bass end, so it suits me. The M-38 is a bit more comfortable for this BBW to hold, so somewhere along the line I'm sure I'll acquire one of that model, too.

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 03:14 PM

We can roll around the boomy thing in it's various forms all week, but the conclusion is still the same and most of that has been said by RiB and JP. No question that the D's in general are boomy and depending on specifics of woods and bracings (as well as year) they can be overpowering, especially solo background, finger OR flatpicked. JP gets to the heart of it as, outside of bracings/woods etc., the real key is often found in the more balanced sound created by other sizes with the 0000 (or M) being generally considered to have the finest balance.

Shape plays such a role in sound that I suppose we rend to automatically take it in to the equation and talk about other things, but if there is one thing that contributes most, all other things being as equal as possible, it's shape. When Larrivee built about a zillion models, it was generally recognized that the best balance and sound was from the LS-09, a fine fingerpicker, with outstanding balance.....a kind of slope shouldered 000 size (hard to describe).

I dunno' Wes......too boomy? Sometimes, but it beats hell out of the alternatives sometimes ...*thud**plink*.....(:<))

Spaw

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: Ebbie
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:49 PM

My D35 is fairly boomy, I think, so I'm careful with it. I pay special attention to how it is miked. The nice thing is that it has a sweet tone even when played softly, so for me, it has it all. Good balance, good resonance, great tone, responsive... Sometimes I worry a little as to whether it's too loud and I have someone else play it to check- and LOVE it.

The first owner of my guitar told me that for the first year or so, his band didn't have a bass so they used this guitar as a bass. And I too sometimes do a bass line when an upright isn't around that holds up well, I think.

I have an old Conn that is well balanced but it doesn't have the bass I so love in my 35.

Eb

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: Justa Picker
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:28 PM

It's no big secret that I too am a die-hard Martin lover...BUT...it really depends on the style of play as to whether bass boominess is a pro or a con. Also, rosewood/spruce Martins with scalloped braces will bring out more of the bass. I would think if you were using it for rhythm you'd want that extra fullness in the sound. For flatpicking you'd probably want something with more bite in the mids and highs (i.e. D-18) and for fingerpicking something with a fairly balanced sound but enough bottom end to have presence without being overpowering. I have found in my travels that the HD-35 is probably the boomiest bassy sounding Martin. The HDs have a little more scalloping, and as primarily a fingerpicker, I found the bass to overwhelming compared to the mids and highs. I.m.o. they don't make good fingerpicking and especially recording guitars. I have found the HD-28's to be great all around instruments, as well as the D-40s series, and older, straight braced D-28s. But for fingerpicking and balance, I'd recommend the M-38, the OO and OOO 18s and 28s - especially the BRW ones.

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: Genie
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:24 PM

One of the things I love about my old 00018 is that its sound is balanced, high to low. That model, at any rate, is not at all to "boomy."
Genie

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: GUEST,Roger in Baltimore
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:21 PM

It would be unfair to say that "Martin's are boomy". However, Martin made their name in the bluegrass world (and somewhat in the folk world) with their Dreadnought models, particularly the D-28. This guitar was designed to be able to be heard in a band with multiple instruments. I think it is fair to say the D-28 is particularly strong on the bass end. That is not to say that they can't be played sweetly.

As a sometime performer and an owner of a D-28, I can tell you that played into a poorly placed microphone a D-28's bottom is way too strong. I believe most sound techs will tell you that they roll off some bass frequencies when miking a D-28.

Martin makes a wide range of guitars and there are smaller guitars that are more well-balanced than the D-28. So not all Martin guitars are boomy.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: ChanteyMatt
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:19 PM

My Martin is "boomier" and louder than my Larivee. I decided to make the best of it and now I keep the Martin tuned to DADGAD. Wow, does it ever resonate!

Subject: RE: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 02:17 PM

I know someone who has 3 of the same model Martin guitar (D28 I think) and she commented that one of hers was much bassier than the other 2 so there must be variations even within Martins...

The Martins I love the sound of do have what I would call a heavy bass but I wouldn't say too much - more like a perfect bass sound. I would guess though that if I can identify the bass sound as a feature I particularly like, it is quite possible for someone else to identify it as a feature they dislike - horses for courses I would guess.

Jon

Subject: Martin Guitars - Too 'Boomy' ??
From: Wesley S
Date: 29 Jan 02 - 01:54 PM

I'll admit from the start that I'm a Martin lover. I think they make great guitars. But I've always wondered about the complaint that I've heard from time to time that Martins were too "boomy" - that they had too much bottom end. I've always wondered how a guitar could have too much bottom end. If there is one I havn't heard it.

How about you? Ever find a Martin that had an overpowering bottom ? I've heard a lot of instruments that I thought sounded wimpy but never one that had too much tone. I'm not trying to give folks a chance to flame or boast that "my guitar is better than your guitar" but I'd love to hear from some of you that really think that it's possible to have too much tone on a guitar.