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New Martin acoustic basses
- Thread starter gtirard
- Start date
Mexico. First thing I looked for when I played it yesterday. Great build quality, but if I'm being brutally honest so does my Ibanez PNB14e bass at less than half the price when I bought it. Martin didn't even include a built in tuner, and yes I find that to be an important feature to have for something that is going to get played acoustically 99% of the time and where I want to just tune it up and play. It's a cheap component to add for a lot of satisfaction.
I like the look, and by doing a little eyeball comparison of the known scale length of 24”, it appears it has a fairly small body, but I can’t tell much about the depth.
Later this summer I will have owned an ABG for 30 years. I still have my first one, a Sigma STB-R that I converted to fretless about 15 years ago. It’s all laminated and has an acoustic volume of a P-Bass (or less!). I’ve owned a Kala or two, a Gold Tone, Ibanez, Kay, and a couple others.
I’ve owned or borrowed basses with scale lengths of; 41” (upright), 34”, 32”, 23”, 21”, & 19”.
It seems many have forgotten or never knew that the first “ukulele” basses were marketed as a substitute for upright (as fas as that goes, so was the P-Bass). The first mini / micro bass I remember was the Guild Ashbory bass with silicone rubber strings. A 19” scale fretless was darn near impossible to play in tune and sing at the same time, but it did sound like an upright and was marketed as such. The Kala Ubass was one of the first (maybe THE first) “uke” bass and was also touted as the upright sound in a portable package, and it was, especially in fretless. And now there are at least dozens if not 100’s of different mini / micro / Uke type basses.
If I could wave my magic wand and get all small acoustic bass features in one package;
25”-30” scale length leaning more toward 30”. Definitely 30” if fretless.
Good quality tuners (not plastic capstan shafts!!)
Good quality electronics designed for bass frequencies (not a piezo designed for acoustic guitar, but works with bass)
A removable saddle bridge with different compensated saddles to get intonation close with rubber strings, wound strings, or any other string that works with a Uke style bass. Also a bridge with string terminations that work with various types of strings.
Enough design attention to the body / wood to get a reasonably good acoustic tone for practice. I’m pretty sure physics prevents getting a small body bass acoustically loud enough to jam with a couple solid top acoustics, and a banjo, dobro, or fiddle mixed in, so good tone in solo acoustic mode would work.
I don’t think this Martin is the one, but I’d really like to play one….
Later this summer I will have owned an ABG for 30 years. I still have my first one, a Sigma STB-R that I converted to fretless about 15 years ago. It’s all laminated and has an acoustic volume of a P-Bass (or less!). I’ve owned a Kala or two, a Gold Tone, Ibanez, Kay, and a couple others.
I’ve owned or borrowed basses with scale lengths of; 41” (upright), 34”, 32”, 23”, 21”, & 19”.
It seems many have forgotten or never knew that the first “ukulele” basses were marketed as a substitute for upright (as fas as that goes, so was the P-Bass). The first mini / micro bass I remember was the Guild Ashbory bass with silicone rubber strings. A 19” scale fretless was darn near impossible to play in tune and sing at the same time, but it did sound like an upright and was marketed as such. The Kala Ubass was one of the first (maybe THE first) “uke” bass and was also touted as the upright sound in a portable package, and it was, especially in fretless. And now there are at least dozens if not 100’s of different mini / micro / Uke type basses.
If I could wave my magic wand and get all small acoustic bass features in one package;
25”-30” scale length leaning more toward 30”. Definitely 30” if fretless.
Good quality tuners (not plastic capstan shafts!!)
Good quality electronics designed for bass frequencies (not a piezo designed for acoustic guitar, but works with bass)
A removable saddle bridge with different compensated saddles to get intonation close with rubber strings, wound strings, or any other string that works with a Uke style bass. Also a bridge with string terminations that work with various types of strings.
Enough design attention to the body / wood to get a reasonably good acoustic tone for practice. I’m pretty sure physics prevents getting a small body bass acoustically loud enough to jam with a couple solid top acoustics, and a banjo, dobro, or fiddle mixed in, so good tone in solo acoustic mode would work.
I don’t think this Martin is the one, but I’d really like to play one….
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Curious if any of y'all have played an Ibanez SRH500F unamplified. I sold my ABG and have a mild jones for a couch practice replacement/songwriting noodle bass that resonates more than an unamplified slab but is something less than an ABG. This Martin does not look like a solution.
I’d also like to report that Martin is making their own short scale strings. For those who rock a 24” scale mini bass we finally have another option. Retail at Sweetwater is $29.99.
YES, and nylon core, so when they lose their high end zing, they should have some decent thump….
And also a big thanks to the lady at the Martin booth who gave me a set as they were starting to pack up. Totally was blown away by her generosity when I was more than happy to have paid for some. I'm happy to see they are nylon core as well since my Ibanez bass has been strung with the nylon La Bella Contra Bass strings for the last few years - and with no problems might I add.
Ordered a Martin with cutaway this morning. Should be here by Thursday. Will do a shootout with the Guild I just got and keep the winner.
Hmmmm...
I'm eyeing the one with the cutaway.
My bromance with these little nylon-strung basses is as strong as ever, but I'm working on some solo pieces, and the lack of a cutaway on my Guild (14th-fret neck joint) is getting in the way.
I've been looking at long and medium-scale acoustics for about a year now, but so far they've all failed the A/B test when I plug them in back to back vs the Guild. There's a sweetness and singing sustain to the minis that most other ABG's don't have.
I've currently got a medium-scale Ibanez PCBE12 that I'm using as a string tester, and Savarez 4CB640R's (nylon-core bronze for 32" scale) are sounding pretty good- almost in there with the Guild. So one option would be to simply move up to a more expensive 32" 15-fret with a cutaway, and convert it to nylon-core strings.
But the portability and playability is so great with these minis, and the 000CJR-10E is priced right in there with the Medium scales that I've been sampling.
I'm eyeing the one with the cutaway.
My bromance with these little nylon-strung basses is as strong as ever, but I'm working on some solo pieces, and the lack of a cutaway on my Guild (14th-fret neck joint) is getting in the way.
I've been looking at long and medium-scale acoustics for about a year now, but so far they've all failed the A/B test when I plug them in back to back vs the Guild. There's a sweetness and singing sustain to the minis that most other ABG's don't have.
I've currently got a medium-scale Ibanez PCBE12 that I'm using as a string tester, and Savarez 4CB640R's (nylon-core bronze for 32" scale) are sounding pretty good- almost in there with the Guild. So one option would be to simply move up to a more expensive 32" 15-fret with a cutaway, and convert it to nylon-core strings.
But the portability and playability is so great with these minis, and the 000CJR-10E is priced right in there with the Medium scales that I've been sampling.
The Martin came a day late, so was not able to get to it until just now.
Observations- much wider spacing at the nut than the Guild. The neck is fairly squared in the back, blocky.
Better out of the box setup than the guild.
Slightly, slightly better finishing work (being extremely picky with that- especially at the price point of these).
Case is not as nice as the Guild case, but that was a separate purchase while the Martin came with one.
It is late, so will run these through the paces tomorrow.
But initial acoustic reaction....
both are pretty equal in volume.
The Guild sounds more like a full range acoustic instrument, unto itself.
The Martin has a heavy mid range. That might be good if accompanying guitars,
but alone..... not as good as the Guild.
The cutaway is awesome though, I wish the Guild had this option, with such a short scale length....
more tomorrow. Anyone want to hear it? Can post clips...
will post pics, too...
Observations- much wider spacing at the nut than the Guild. The neck is fairly squared in the back, blocky.
Better out of the box setup than the guild.
Slightly, slightly better finishing work (being extremely picky with that- especially at the price point of these).
Case is not as nice as the Guild case, but that was a separate purchase while the Martin came with one.
It is late, so will run these through the paces tomorrow.
But initial acoustic reaction....
both are pretty equal in volume.
The Guild sounds more like a full range acoustic instrument, unto itself.
The Martin has a heavy mid range. That might be good if accompanying guitars,
but alone..... not as good as the Guild.
The cutaway is awesome though, I wish the Guild had this option, with such a short scale length....
more tomorrow. Anyone want to hear it? Can post clips...
will post pics, too...
Just woke up and made this quick vid. Used a trusty Shure KSM27 and an I rig for a quick capture. More impressions- neck on Martin isn't actually blocky, it's just a perception with such a wide nut spacing, and the way the heel is cut. That spacing seemed a bit much at first glance, but after playing a bebop figure at first position (hacked through it on both in the vid), it makes sense for that type of playing (pre warmup anyway). Strings have a lot to do with it- the stock Martin strings definitely do not respond like the Guild strings. More tension, feel slightly heavier. The Martin sounds a bit muted in comparison, especially in the upper register (kind of undermines the accessibility). Bb on the A string in 1st position on the Martin has a wolf tone- not sure how well that comes through on the video. The Martin is a little louder. Both have a a lot of zing... new strings, go figure. Perhaps much of the differences in sound are the strings themselves... however the flat back and round back in comparison make me think about my experiences with uprights with the same features, and how they react- those flat backs are loud, but for Arco, the round back sounds sweeter. The Martin thumps, the Guild sings. Although branded differently, looking close at the preamps, they exactly the same, wiring harness etc. but will get into that later. And sorry for the very, very crappy playing, but hey! Pre coffee...
Plugged both in, for sure same electronics. Both basses exhibited a bit of uneven volume- slightly less- for the Martin the A, the guild the D. Probably due to uneven contact with the piezo, which is an easy fix. Same sonic footprint as exhibited acoustically. Will save you suffering through another video. If I was looking to back up guitarists, and not do any melody work, I'd strongly consider the Martin. For more musical playing and melodic solo work, the Guild suits me better. Wish it had the cutaway. Both great instruments.
Fascinating.
I'm drooling over the wider nut width on the Martin- I've always been a chubby chaser. It was also cool to see the difference in ease of access when you played above the 12th fret...
However, your description of the two (thumps vs sings) perfectly sums up my objection to pretty much every ABG I've sampled since getting the Guild. I'm all about melodic playing and that sweet sustain.
It would be interesting to see if the short note envelope on the Martin is due to their strings.
Based on what I've seen so far, if all it took to get some extra sustain out of the Martin was a set of D'Addarios or La Bella CB40-BE's, I would trade up in a heartbeat.
That's going to be part of it, but that flat back vs. round back is real. I actually got sucked into these scale acoustics by trying out a Taylor that I thought was a tenor guitar at a glance. It had the same kind of sonics going on as the Guild, but it is the priciest of the three. I really did want that cutaway, it's a shame....
