Martin D-15E Review - Mahogany Heaven

[@lhvent]

They have been making other solid body guitars in the Road Series for a while now.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

At the time, I didn’t realize the road series was MIM. If so, I shall pin this comment.

[@dinkaboutit4228]

laminate tops (and backs) are wood all the way through except for the glue, it's just that under the veneer they use a cheaper wood like sycamore, swamp ash or sapele.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

This is exactly why I think my 1980s-90s Sigma Martin sounds so good.

[@lhvent]

Road Series guitars are made in Mexico, and mostly solid back and sides. There are some models that have a veneer.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

Apparently those are a great deal despite the laminate tops (or whatever Martin calls them). I have nothing against the laminate tops; the sigma in the video has a laminate top with mahogany back/sides and I think it holds up pretty well.

[@dinkaboutit4228]

I think the important comparison to make if you're thinking about buying is not to compare it to other Martins, but how it compares to the Guild D-20, which is the Mahogany guitar people want, but Guild is basically garbage now. But if you ever see a pre '00s Guild D-20 take it for a spin!

[@lhvent]

Looks and sounds quite good. I have an Alvarez AD66SHB that has a solid African mahogany top with laminate back and sides.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

I love the way it looks. That satin finish is nice.

[@joshuataylor672]

Their Road Series!

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

I would love to review one of their Road Series or X Series guitars.

[@sasquatchlife8836]

Good review. You should check out Eastman guitars. Don't get me wrong, I like a good Martin, but Eastman guitars are amazing instruments and better than most martins that dont exceed thousands of dollars. At the D15E price point, Eastmans are just better. All solid, bone nut and saddle. Not just my opinion, lots of ppl on forums agree. And these are coming from Martin snobs. Only guitars ive played that are consistently better are the boutique brands like Bourgeois, Collings, Santa Cruz, etc. I've never spent more than $1300 on my 4 Eastmans, and all of them sound like they ahould cost 3x to 4x as much. They make them in Dread, Slope Shoulder dread, OM, 00, Parlor, and Grand Auditoriom body shapes. I absolutely love all of mine. They also recently partnered with Bourgeois which is one of the best boutique builders on the planet. That says alot.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

Thanks! As far as the Eastmans go, though I haven’t played one, I have heard nothing but praise for them, especially on TGP. Unfortunately, the guitar shop in my area is not a dealer, so they didn’t have any Eastmans. I didn’t go to Guitar Center which I believe has them.

[@JMAX79]

What is the inside of the bag like? Velvety felt or more nylon?

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

Velvety felt. I’ll post a pic on my feed.

[@JMAX79]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars awesome! Thank u. Think I may pick this guitar up in the next couple days.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

@@JMAX79 Really hope you enjoy it!

[@JMAX79]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars I picked it up today. Sounds even better at my house!😁 thanks for all your help.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

So cool! I’m glad you are happy and that I could help out! NGD is awesome, isn’t it?

[@lucidloops84]

That’s a beautiful guitar!

[@douglasboyd8475]

On the website it says the tuners are nickel

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

I believe the tuners themselves are nickel, but the tuning knobs are black and feel synthetic, like a plastic. It does look nice, but feels cheap. No issues with them, though.

[@douglasboyd8475]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars awwww cool

[@LegsON]

TUSQ nut yet sharp?! What a bummer, it's just an plastic injected into a mold, MUST be perfect.

[@92kingsly]

You took the absolute right approach by playing the same thing on the two guitars -- but then you killed it by spending 10 seconds talking between the two. The human ear can't hold a tone that long, so to compare the two you have to jump back and forth in the video. That said, when I do that, the mahogany Martin sounds deeper and less bright than the Sigma -- no surprise. Also, do you mean that the back and sides of the D15 are solid sapele or laminate?

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

I noticed the A/B comparison didn’t quite work out with my yapping. I’ll make an a/b comparison video with no talking next. As far as the back and sides, they are solid sapele, NOT laminate. I contacted Martin directly with the serial number asking as much and they confirmed. Thanks for watching!

[@92kingsly]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars Great, thanks. The best way to do an a/b comparison is to play a few chords or a short phrase using several strings, then immediately play exactly the same thing on the other guitar. And the best way to do that is to record them separately and then edit the clips together -- it's a lot of work, but worth it.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

@@92kingsly thanks. I already made it, but after reading this comment, so hopefully it will work better for you. It’ll be up in a couple days.

[@92kingsly]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars Cool -- look forward to it. Guitars are a very personal taste -- what sounds good to one person sounds bad to the next guy, and you don't get the full effect until you feel it in your hands and it vibrates your whole body. But a proper a/b comparison can highlight the differences between guitar styles. I almost bought an all-mahogany Martin a while back, but opted for a Takamine made of koa instead -- great guitar.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

@@92kingsly I honestly don’t think video or audio comparisons on KZbin fit the bill. To get a good read on a guitar, it needs to be professionally recorded with great equipment, then listened to with headphones or good speakers. But then nothing beats hearing it in the room. On top of that, you don’t really hear the guitar the way other people hear it in front of the guitar. There is a balance there. Even if you’re gigging, all of your time with the guitar is you behind it, so it has to have a good sound from that perspective as well. Think about it, how often are you in the passenger seat of your own vehicle? It has to feel right for you in that same aspect.

[@UncleDanBand64]

Not bad. Still, that is a lot of money.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

It is a lot of money. For me, it comes down to two things, playability & sound. Both subjective, both hit the spot with this guitar for me. Thanks for watching.

[@UncleDanBand64]

@KASKASM You know, I just bought the Enya Go or something like that. The cheapest Guitar I have ever owned and love it. Now I build my Electrics. My Acoustic Electrics not so much. This guitar is at least as good as the Fender Acoustisonic hooked up and better acoustically. Cost 250ish.

[@UncleDanBand64]

@KASKASM OH, my bad.. I have built several solid body acoustic Electrics. They are great in a band setting. Several of the local bands front men play my guitars.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

@@UncleDanBand64 I’d love to hear and see one.

[@UncleDanBand64]

@KASKASM Well, I still have one ae that I haven't sold and my 2 Electrics that I gig with. They ain't nothing special

[@LegsON]

Mexican Martin factory has been producing all-solid guitars for a looong time!

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

I wasn’t too sure how long they’ve been making them all solid wood down south. What other models do they make, because I couldn’t find any info other than the X series? And yeah, they sure did cheap out on that TUSQ nut and saddle…tuners too. I would expect more at that price point. Still I enjoy the guitar very much.

[@LegsON]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars D-12/13/16, a whole lot.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

@@LegsON Thanks!

[@scottschrier459]

⁠16 is an american made series but correct about the D10,12,sc13

[@LegsON]

@@scottschrier459 D-16GT maybe. I'd say D-15 is a US model, but you see it's both US and Mexican.

[@earl3496]

Anybody reading this comment do yourself a favor and get a Furch Blue model for the same price but sounds wayyy better and made in europe...these martins these days are junk.

[@ForTheLoveOfGuitars]

I’ve never heard of those. I’ll look into them. Hoping the have an OM style…

[@earl3496]

@@ForTheLoveOfGuitars they definitely do.

[@brucehawkins6492]

Totally agree with you. I got my Furch Blue Series guitar about 6 weeks ago and it is fantastic. Mine is a Grand Auditorium cutaway model with a Sitka Spruce top and a Black Walnut body. It plays great and sounds wonderful. Wow what a guitar !