Martin Guitar CS SC 2022 Unboxing & First Impressions

[@silentdwak]

my dream guitar

[@markjohnson6485]

I like it I had 2 SC13 and one special burst but just got the SC18 E and love it . I am in between on the Kovar strings that is on them from factory. I’m a big Phosphor guy .I know yours is CS but this model is really good .

[@aaronshortmusic]

I returned the custom but I have played the SC-18 and it’s great!!!

[@FormerlyknownasT]

Congratulations Aaron .. Looking forward to this 😎

[@FormerlyknownasT]

Lovely guitar Aaron.. Love the bling bud 😁the inlay on the neck looks amazing ..😎 but I'm with you .. for the price , well at any price that gap should not be there ... and I wouldn't be happy about the top either .. The case is as cool as fuck ..😎 its like you asked someone in the 50's what will a guitar case look like in 2022 😅 The top id get get over .. but the gap I think would be a deal breaker for me .. Looking forward to your full review .. 😎

[@Dub1281]

Truly beautiful. Hope you love it!

[@aaronshortmusic]

Thank you. The more I play it the more I like it! It’s very different to any Martin I have played before!

[@staleyexplores]

Harry is a gorgeous cat! ok back to guitars now.

[@DavidEidelberg]

To check the intonation, you have to check the harmonic and compare it to the fretted note at the 12th fret. The open string and the 12th fret harmonic will always be in tune with each other. Physics.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Yes that’s how I did it. It was very close on the high E. The strobe tuner is really accurate. The other strings were perfect.

[@DavidEidelberg]

@@aaronshortmusic it looked like you compared the harmonic to the open string. I’ll look again later. :-(

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@DavidEidelberg No I just tuned it with the open string and the harmonic. I checked the harmonic against the fretted note.

[@DavidEidelberg]

It does sound really good.

[@RohitSguitar]

Beautiful looking and sounding guitar! Happy new guitar day, Aaron! And I wouldn't worry about that bearclaw, it makes your guitar even more unique :-)

[@johnwashburn3793]

Aaron, I love your style and I envy your ability to buy what you want with such a joyful wondrous nature. I wish I had not just ordered a new Martin but yours are probably sold already. Thanks for this. Always a delight!

[@aaronshortmusic]

Actually I’ll probably have two for sale soon. Give me a shout if you’re interested!

[@alexcorll90]

@@aaronshortmusic Any chance you might be looking to sell the OMJM Custom from Maury?

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@alexcorll90 Maybe. The GPC and HDC will go first though.

[@drzainnas]

Oh Aaron..your cat harry is excited too well done again you always pick the unique ones.👍

[@roseannak7985]

Harry is the best assistant! 😸really awesome guitar 🤩 and the case is cool too! Great video, thanks Aaron 🙂

[@aaronshortmusic]

Thanks Roseanna!

[@Dub1281]

I'm kind of loving that case too

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@Dub1281 It’s cool isn’t it. I wonder if they will sell these???

[@leighk9553]

Aaron it’s very nice of you test out my guitar now send it to me 😂 looks and sounds good can’t wait to hear it on a live stream 👍👍👍👍👍

[@aaronshortmusic]

Thanks. I think I’ll do some comparisons this week!

[@RwithGuitar]

Hi Aaron, I just bought a Martin 000-42 and it is probably the best guitar I have ever played and I have played and owned a lot of high end Martin's but what is odd is that there are some imperfections in the craftsmanship of the guitar. I was very critical but there is a sloppy glue job around the neck for a guitar that with tax is basically 7k. However, it is a players guitar for me and it does play very well. It is incredible so I will keep it because I do not mind the cosmetic glue issues.

[@RwithGuitar]

I have three high end Martin's that are sloppy around the neck like what you mentioned. I do not think you are being too critical. The thing is though they always play so good for me and Im not a collector so I just deal with it.... :(

[@aaronshortmusic]

Thank you for sharing. I feel like prices are going up and the quality is staying the same. It is what it is. I guess anything that is made in bulk is not going to be as precise as things made in small numbers. I just want to make sure I point these things out in videos to be fully transparent. As long as it’s not physical damage or a defect then it’s ok with me.

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@jjk9632 I have not experienced it before.

[@RwithGuitar]

@@aaronshortmusic I have returned the 000-42 because it also had a minor chip on the bridge and I got a d-42 modern deluxe.

[@paulhendershott667]

I tried this guitar out at Guitar Center and was hoping it would be great... but the one I played didn't sound any nicer than my old Takamini that was a solid bang-around guitar. In fact it doesn't sound like a Martin guitar to me. Too bright and tinny for me, with little warmth but decent volume. I have a 1993 D-1, a 2021 000-15M, and a 1944 D-28 that I found at a garage/estate sale off the PA Turnpike near Cranberry PA a few years back. It was so dirty that couldn't tell what it was other than a Martin. It had a dead mouse and tons of debris inside the sound hole. My wife made me put it in a plastic garbage bag in the trunk because it smelled on top of the sketchy appearance. I was delighted once back in Chicago to find out what it was! It needed a neck reset, a small crack in the fingerboard repaired, new frets, and a missing tuner replaced. There was also the start of a tiny hairline crack on the sound board that was repaired. All in, it was $2,300 for all the repairs and a setup as I didn't trust myself to do the work. I kept it as original as possible. But as much as I love the D-28, I never held a sweeter sounding Martin or any other guitar than my little 000-15M! Even a friend at the Chicago Music Exchange said it was the nicest sounding one he ever came across.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Hi Paul. Did you play the SC-13e or the CS SC 2022?

[@paulhendershott667]

@@aaronshortmusic Oh I didn't even think about that... maybe it was the SC-13e as it was around Dec/Jan 2021/2022

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@paulhendershott667 Yes it would have been. This one is very different.

[@paulhendershott667]

@@aaronshortmusic It was around $1500 (vs $8000!) so it had to be the SC-13e model. Your CS SC 2022 is gorgeous! Enjoy! And great video BTW!

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@paulhendershott667 Thank you Paul. I plan to demo it more this week!

[@ceciliamanalo2619]

Nice cameo harry!

[@FDNY8231]

Great sounding and looking guitar right out the box ... Hello Harry! 👍🎸👍

[@aaronshortmusic]

Cheers!

[@richurro20]

That neck work is so shotty. I would've returned it back as well.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Yeah I was surprised.

[@DavidEidelberg]

I like the bling. An armrest bevel would have been really nice. That gap is awful on an $8,000 guitar. Is it just poorly cut binding?

[@johnwashburn3793]

I believe I have heard it described as a 'floating fretboard extension 'and is intentional. It has something to do with the soundboard vibration.

[@DavidEidelberg]

@@johnwashburn3793 yes, to allow the user to adjust the neck easily. Taylors are built similarly, but don’t look like that.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Yes the gap is part of the design but it does look a little rough like I show in the photo…

[@alexcorll90]

I wonder if the SC custom that was presented to John Mayer was effectively the prototype for this guitar? It seems like it. Nice instrument with a unique look, but like the GPC I would probably still take one of the traditional shapes. The upper fret access is nice though.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Yes it seems that way. I am yet to see John play his though.

[@Smelina]

I'm late to the party, but... Holy cow, the gap beetween the neck and the body, I can't believe what I'm seeing here on $7000 guitar.

[@aaronshortmusic]

The gap is normal and part of the design. It’s the finish flaws that I didn’t like.

[@Smelina]

@@aaronshortmusic It sounds more like a cheap excuse to me. Finish flaws only make things worse, I guess. I'm saving for an ultimate guitar for my 50th birthday and considering some of the top Martin's offerings but I'm slowly loosing faith...

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@Smelina I’ve definitely seen more finish flaws lately. Just have to buy from somewhere like Sweetwater for their excellent return policy. Martin are still some of the best playing and sounding guitars out there.

[@thomasmoore3822]

Looks really nice. I played the sc13e at Nazfest and was impressed especially with the neck. I’m sure this one sounds much better. At that price point id be hesitant to keep it and sell 2 or even 3 to get one.

[@aaronshortmusic]

I see that but I have a few guitars I wanted to move along anyway. The question is, does the guitar live up to the hype (and price)?

[@jonberry2021]

I’ve heard of the SC13E but how does Martin make the jump from that $1500 to this one which is more than 5 times the price? Solid rosewood b/s, fancy inlays and the upgraded pickup system don’t add up to $5500 in my book. Don’t mean to spoil your new guitar day…obviously you can afford spending $8K on a guitar or you wouldn’t have gotten it, but for a lowly bartender like myself, I couldn’t even consider it. I’ve been saving up for possibly a SC10e so I am interested in your thoughts on the body shape and how it feels and plays. Will you be taking this to gigs? I’d be to scared to take it out of the case! Good luck with it!

[@aaronshortmusic]

It does seem strange but there is quite a good reason. They don’t have the machinery to build these as a standard model so this run is from the custom shop. This is why the price is higher (the inlay work also added a lot as well). I expect we will see a standard series in the future at around $3500-$4500. That’s my guess.

[@robertkelly1434]

Just came from the Martin site, the current price is $7,999. Too rich for my hard-earned wages. And at my age, I'll be dead before I can save up 8k. Nice guitar, but a hard pass for me. 😟

[@robertkelly1434]

​@@aaronshortmusic May your guesses all be right! 👍😉

[@SamVecchio]

You got it! Awesome Aaron. Did I talk you into it? Lol Enjoy it my friend!

[@aaronshortmusic]

Actually I had already ordered it lol!

[@SamVecchio]

@@aaronshortmusic nice! It’s a beauty. Did you see it before you ordered it? Sweetwater is great for previewing them

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@SamVecchio No I preordered as soon as it was announced!

[@federicoines1848]

Its good for guitar solos 8k No boomy on this is vety thin

[@aaronshortmusic]

Yes it did sound a little too thin for my taste.

[@cfibb]

Aaron, if you do a comparison video with the GPC or any other Martins please edit it so that there is no talking in between the different sound examples. So many YT content creators neglect to do this very thing and miss the entire point of a comparison video. 😑🔫

[@aaronshortmusic]

Ok I will do. How about GPC, HDC, OM and CS SC?

[@cfibb]

@@aaronshortmusic YES!!!👍💪🏼

[@TheTriplelman]

its NOT a dovetail. its a new technology on acoustics.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Martin call it the “Sure Align Linear Dovetail Neck Joint”.

[@TheTriplelman]

@@aaronshortmusic well I apologize I saw it taken apart it has a slide in channel but it's not a dovetail so that's what they call it I apologize

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@TheTriplelman No worries.

[@SergeUnplugged]

Solid instrument

[@romainbousquet5770]

Hi! How is the sound plugged in with aura?? Thanks a lot!

[@aaronshortmusic]

To be honest I found it overly bright in this model. I guess it’s just the way that particular IR was captured and EQ’ed.

[@Captain_Nightspore]

Damn, looks like I'll need to get a second job! Nice video, thanks!

[@eprohoda]

brog~ood day! yo~ unusual ! talk you later,

[@DavidEidelberg]

$8K!!!! I'd buy a used Bourgios signature for less. But that's me.

[@johnwashburn3793]

But if he keeps it for a bit it might be worth even more, being a limited model...I don't see a history of that though, maybe a couple of years on this,but who knows...

[@TMoody]

Whew.... I do NOT hear $8000 coming out of that thing.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Me neither. That’s why I didn’t keep this one.

[@STF_YVR]

@@aaronshortmusic That would have made a good topic for a video … ;-) … what was it ? too bright sounding ?

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@STF_YVR Yes a little bright and some cosmetic flaws which I didn’t think should be there on such a high end instrument.

[@STF_YVR]

A 000-42 Modern Deluxe is $7199 … The CS-SC-2022 sounds as good as a 000-42MD and comes with electronics, the new patented features, the fretboard inlays and is a limited edition so I say the $8000 value is there … I was really surprised how full and familiar the tone of this guitar is when I tried it at my local dealer … Don’t believe the youtube comments, this sounds nothing like a Taylor. If Martin had wanted to copy Taylor they would have put a bevelled armrest and cutaway on this model (hmm may be they should have …🤔).

[@aaronshortmusic]

@@STF_YVR It doesn’t sound like a Taylor but I didn’t like the sound unplugged or plugged enough to spend that kind of money. I will revisit the series when a ‘standard’ series model is available.

[@gair1944]

Cool unboxing. To be honest I don’t get the appeal of this one. This guitar does not excite me to spend $7k or even $4k. I am a Martin guy but respectfully, I’ll pass.

[@aaronshortmusic]

I think you would like these Gary!

[@gair1944]

@@aaronshortmusic I might but not at the price point