Martin Guitars Standard Series D-45

Sonic Evaluation

Here's a testament to this guitar's power to inspire: I've had an unfinished riff I've been kicking around for about a month, and within three minutes of sitting down with this guitar, I found what I was looking for and figured out where I wanted it to go. While my sick riffage may not set the world on fire, this guitar sure can! Though it's no slouch in the volume department and it can handle vigorous strumming with aplomb, it's capacity to kill banjos isn't what makes it special.

For this serial, it's all about responsiveness, richness, and clarity. It's one of those guitars that's so dynamic that it allows you change the color of the sound significantly depending on your technique, giving you as many shades of acoustic glory as you'll ever need. The attack is percussive and articulate, and after the initial strike you get some truly gorgeous note bloom. Speaking of which, this guitar presents the ears with a jaw-dropping complex bouquet of overtones that creates an inescapable lush, three-dimensional sound. Astonishingly, it's also extremely clear! Sometimes, when you play an acoustic that sounds this rich, complex chords can sound muddy. The opposite is true here, as big complex voicings seem to bring out the best of this guitar as the overtones overlap and mix in a stunningly beautiful way.

You don't necessarily think "fingerstyle" when you see a Martin dread, but everyone who played this serial remarked that it was awesome for that application. Obviously, it's a killer flatpickin' fiddle, too--it just rewards a slightly lighter touch. Anyone seeking a D-45 with tone to match its elegant style will love this serial as much as I did!

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