Faith Venus High Gloss, Martin X-Series OOO

Ninja_RebornNinja_Reborn Posts: 124Member
edited August 2016 in Guitar Chat
Next year I'm thinking of upgrading my basic Crafter TN35 to something a bit better (the crafter is pretty good, but it is what it is). I'd sort of been looking favourably on the Faith Venus High Gloss - because it fits the size I want sound great. I've recently been looking at some demos of the Martin X-Series OOO models. Now they seem to sound great and seem very well made, but use some unusual materials (apart from a Sitka Spruce top).  It's also a fair bit cheaper. So wonder if anyone has any experience of either.  Also what else lies within my price range of £500-800.  I am looking for electro for recording purposes. Also I should add I like the kind of sub dreadnought sizes and playability is a major issue as I am normally an electric player.

Comments

  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member

    There are some magical musical moments to be gained by upgrading the quality of acoustic guitars so sounds like a good idea. I'm with you on the importance of getting an acoustic guitar where the size makes it comfortable to play - without that there is little chance of it being a keeper however good it is.

     

    While I have not tried a X-Series OOO I did last year try a number of Martins including if I recall right 000-15M, 000-17SM, 000-16GT 00016MDLX and 00016DLX. I do remember finding a large variation in how comfortable the guitars felt to play and a huge variation in how attractive I found the sound quality to be.

     

    I distinctly recall the direct comparison of the 00016GT and 00016DLX. While in essence the same instrument model the DLX having Rosewood v Micarta fingerboard, a Mahogany v "selected hardwood" neck, and having much better tuners were all indicative of the DLX being a guitar that had a much more enjoyable playing experience for me. I found in my search that some of the cheaper materials used on the entry level "big-name" guitar companies models just seem to make the guitars feel cheap and nasty - it often seems to be the case that those same guitars often sound cheap and nasty too - maybe partly because the poor feel quality does not encourage the player to get the most from the instrument.

     

    That has become a major factor in my testing acoustic guitars in shops - does it encourage me to play and can I get an improvisation to flow.

     

    As far as recording purposes goes I've been playing around recently with trying to get an acoustic guitar with plug in recording facility, and have found the experience frustrating. I did end up buying and then selling an acoustic guitar recently mainly because it turned out not to be comfortable enough, but also partly because its plugged in sound was much too different to its acoustic sound.

     

    I do now have one that is at least reasonably close to acoustic sound, but there is the inevitable piezo quack and the different tonal balance across strings from a piezo is annoying, as is the way that so little comes through of how the sound the guitar acoustically is influenced by the interior of the body.  Inevitably the recorded sound from a decent condenser microphone will leave the lower budget acoustic models plugged in sound lagging miles behind.

     

    In the £500-£800 range if you're buying new then as well as Faith I'd certainly consider the likes of Tanglewood, Yamaha, Freshman, Seagull. But at that price level I'd be looking at trying out whatever any shops I could get to had to offer regardless of manufacturer as it's too much of a gamble for on-line buying and relying on demos.I'm not a believer in all guitars by brand X being good and all by brand Y being bad. There's good and bad in all of them and there's guitars that are great for person A and rubbish for person B.

     

    I'd also feel it's best going for a model range where you're not going entry level (cheap wood and hardware) where the playing experience suffers, or exotic top of the range (rare/expensive woods and bling) where you're paying over the odds for no improvement in sound or comfort.

     

    Good luck with the search! It's well worth time and trouble to get the best result possible.

  • Hi

     

    Your budget just puts you into the Furch Guitars category.

     

    So for example you could combine a Furch G20CMC with a Fishman Matrix electronics.

     

    This gives you World Class tone with the highest quality electronics and just a smidge (a few pounds) over your £800.

     

    Check out http://www.furch.cz Eastern European - the finest guitars you could ever buy between £700 and £2000.

     

    I know it sounds like sales pitch but do me one favor and try one - I also specialise in Faith guitar so I would be happy to help in either of these areas.

     

    You won't find a Martin / Taylor that competes with these brands as you are paying a huge amount for the brand image.

  • Ninja_RebornNinja_Reborn Posts: 124Member

    Interesting points guys.

     

    I do detect a distinct divide in this price range between stripped down tone monsters and those that on paper appear very strong, but don't always deliver in person (although there is no doubt there will be good and less good in both camps).  The more I dig into the X-Series the more I have the impression that it's a guitar made to a budget - in effect Martin sacrificing all they can to fit into a market section.  From a psychological point of view that would be a bad thing for me as I would feel compromised from the outset - if you see what I mean,

     

    I'll definitely be following your advice Mark and heading out into the world and trying a lot - it's going to be the 2016 project.

     

    Richard - the Furch offerings look really quite interesting; I knew little about them before today.  Will look a little further.  I've been planning a trip to your shop for a long time, next year could be the year it finally happens!

     

    I suppose the way I'm going to use this is that I've used the faith to set my budget and I need now to understand what else is in that range and find the one that suits me best.

     

     

     

  • Originally Posted by Ninja_Reborn:

    Interesting points guys.

     

    I do detect a distinct divide in this price range between stripped down tone monsters and those that on paper appear very strong, but don't always deliver in person (although there is no doubt there will be good and less good in both camps).  The more I dig into the X-Series the more I have the impression that it's a guitar made to a budget - in effect Martin sacrificing all they can to fit into a market section.  From a psychological point of view that would be a bad thing for me as I would feel compromised from the outset - if you see what I mean,

     

    I'll definitely be following your advice Mark and heading out into the world and trying a lot - it's going to be the 2016 project.

     

    Richard - the Furch offerings look really quite interesting; I knew little about them before today.  Will look a little further.  I've been planning a trip to your shop for a long time, next year could be the year it finally happens!

     

    I suppose the way I'm going to use this is that I've used the faith to set my budget and I need now to understand what else is in that range and find the one that suits me best.

     

     

     

    You have hit the nail on the head - Faith is no question at the top end of the "complete guitar" purchase with all the specification there.  Their weakest area is their electronics but I never hear anyone moaning about them! 

     

    This reminds me of a fundemental point you to need to remember about buying in "shops".

     

    Retailer always want TWO things on a plate for them

     

    Supply

    Demand

     

    If either of these are not available it is unlikely you will see them in mainstream shops.

     

    So to explain my point...

     

    G20CMC IS simply incredible.  So - why is it not in every shop in the UK?

     

    They cannot produce them in those kind of numbers.  Their supply line is tiny compared to say Taylor hence they do not need to advertise to fulfill their capacity.

     

    So if there is no supply line there are FEW mainstream big stores that would touch them.  Why tell everyone the guitar that is head and shoulders above the rest isn't in stock for another 12 weeks when you can sell them a Taylor on demand?

     

    Retailers want demand already in place.  This demand is generated by magazine advertising, reviews etc.  Reviews tend only to be found on products that are advertised widely in their magazines as the magazine is there simply to make money and make its advertisers happy.

     

    So this is one BIG reason why the only place you will find information on Furch is forums, specialist stores, Youtube etc. 

     

    YEp - The ONE place you would WISH to be taught about World Class guitars is your local friendly retailer but I hate to burst that bubble....  

     

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