Back in Indonesia, Yamaha seems to dominate the acoustic guitar market since it also has a manufacturing line in Indonesia. But in USA, when it comes to acoustic guitar, one USA brand dominates the market and it’s name is Martin.
Although there are definitely Martin guitars sold in Indonesia, it’s not pretty common. The biggest reason for that, I believe, is the price. Martin guitar price usually starts at $700 and in the country where that still sounds like more than two months salary, it’s easy to guess why it doesn’t sell really well.
My roommate who is a guitar player happens to have the Martin DCX1E acoustic electric guitar, and as fortunate as I am, I can review the guitar without owning one. 😀
Sound
——
Martin DCX1E is a dreadnought guitar. What does it mean? It means that it has a wide butt, and a deep bass sound. Just a little bit of guitar history lesson, it is Martin also who first created the dreadnought guitar, so they must know it very well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought_(guitar_type)
The sound is pretty good, something that should be expected from Martin guitar. The solid spruce top is certainly one of the factor for the good sound.
It’s an acoustic electric so it has a Fishman classic 4 pre-amp attached. Unfortunately, I don’t have an amplifier to test the guitar sound when it’s plugged, so I can’t say anything about it.
Playability
————–
I’ve always been a classic guitar player and only started to learn to play steel string acoustic guitar this year, so I can’t say a lot also whether it’s comfortable to play or not. Somehow I feel the action is a bit high, but I suppose that can be fixed by some guitar shops.
It has a cutaway, so yeah you can play the high frets without any problem.
Durability
————-
The Martin DCX1E looks and feel really solid, and although I’m not sure how old the guitar is, I think it can handle some mishandling and accidents quite a bit.
Looks
———–
It looks like… just any Martin dreadnought guitar I suppose, and since it can be considered an entry-level guitar, the rosetta is really simple, and nothing fancy.
Price
———
The retail price is $699, but my roommate said he got it second hand for around $300.
Conclusion
————
Depending on how much money you have, and how much you love guitar, you may or you may not want this guitar.
Yes, it’s Martin, it sounds good, and it’s acoustic electric. If that’s all you need, then this guitar might be for you.
But it’s not really special since it’s an entry-level, it’s not all solid (only the top is solid), and it’s not fancy. So if you really appreciate great guitars and got money, then you might want to check the other Martin model.
In the end, I found this Youtube video that also review the guitar, so you can see how the guitar looks like and sound.
Back in Indonesia, Yamaha seems to dominate the acoustic guitar market since it also has a manufacturing line in Indonesia. But in USA, when it comes to acoustic guitar, one USA brand dominates the market and it’s name is Martin.
Although there are definitely Martin guitars sold in Indonesia, it’s not pretty common. The biggest reason for that, I believe, is the price. Martin guitar price usually starts at $700 and in the country where that still sounds like more than two months salary, it’s easy to guess why it doesn’t sell really well.
My roommate who is a guitar player happens to have the Martin DCX1E acoustic electric guitar, and as fortunate as I am, I can review the guitar without owning one. 😀
Sound
Martin DCX1E is a dreadnought guitar. What does it mean? It means that it has a wide butt, and a deep bass sound. Just a little bit of guitar history lesson, it is Martin also who first created the dreadnought guitar, so they must know how it supposed to sound very well.
The sound is pretty good, something that should be expected from Martin guitar. The solid spruce top is certainly one of the factor for the good sound.
It’s an acoustic electric so it has a Fishman classic 4 pre-amp attached. Unfortunately, I don’t have an amplifier to test the guitar sound when it’s plugged, so I can’t say anything about it.
Playability
I’ve always been a classic guitar player and only started to learn to play steel string acoustic guitar this year, so I can’t say a lot also whether it’s comfortable to play or not. Somehow I feel the action is a bit high, but I suppose that can be fixed by some guitar shops.
It has a cutaway, so yeah you can play the high frets without any problem.
Durability
The Martin DCX1E looks and feel really solid, and although I’m not sure how old the guitar is, I think it can handle some mishandling and accidents quite a bit.
Looks
It looks like… just any Martin dreadnought guitar I suppose, and since it can be considered an entry-level guitar, the rosetta is really simple, and nothing fancy.
Price
The retail price is $699, but my roommate said he got it second hand for around $300.
Conclusion
Depending on how much money you have, and how much you love guitar, you may or you may not want this guitar.
Yes, it’s Martin, it sounds good, and it’s acoustic electric. If that’s all you need, then this guitar might be for you.
But it’s not really special since it’s an entry-level, it’s not all solid (only the top is solid), and it’s not fancy. So if you really appreciate great guitars and got money, then you might want to check the other Martin model.
In the end, I found this Youtube video that also review the guitar, so you can see how the guitar looks like and sound.
