Martin GC-MMV

This guitar is stock so I won't go into the features, as they've been covered in previous reviews.

This is a decent sounding guitar, has that unmistakable "Martin" tone. It's pretty balanced, has good note separation and doesn't distort when you beat it like a red-headed step-child.

I wish it had more volume, but that may improve a tiny bit over time.

As for finish and wood quality, you can only expect so much from a guitar in this price range. So while the finish and top are mediocre at best, I'm not disappointed.

The set-up is an entirely different story. I'm surprised Martin let this out of the factory. The nut slots are cut too deep and to narrow and the overall nut height is way to high. The bridge saddle is also too high. I haven't had the chance to fix these issues yet, but that will make a huge difference in playability and help the tone a bit.

I've gigged with it many times, despite the poor set-up and it does the job. I think it's solidly built but I will be replacing the tuners with some vintage style waverly's or gotoh's...chrome thank you very much. The stock tuners on this guitar are not the greatest.

Martin is reputable...no worries here.

Everything about this guitar the sound, materials, playability, etc are terrific...when you consider the price.

The bottom line is this. If you're a decent player, this guitar will (with a few minor tweaks) sound great. If you're a beginner or a hacker, it will sound no worse than a $50,000 Pre-War Martin D-28.

If you're a serious gear snob, this is not the guitar for you.

I'm a professional player, I do this for a living and I've played tons of guitars over the years. For me, it's a great guitar for club gigs and it's a welcome addition to my arsenal. I'm anxious to hear how it sounds in about 5 years when it's broken in. I give this guitar an overall 8 for it's potential.

Word of caution to owners and potential owners looking for a pick-up. Do NOT put the L.R. Baggs Ibeam active pickup in the Martin MMV. Due to the location of the top braces, it causes major volume loss in both E strings....I know this because I installed one. I can't speak for other bridge transducers though.

you can read above for that. i will say i love the finish and think it will add to the guitar over the years.

will not get better then this sound, butter....

action - perfect
fit - right sized dred for me, not into super jumbos and love the wood
finish - i LOVE the finish

Martin's craftsmanship and warranty leave me feeling pretty good about it

i have called a few times with questions. always polite and helpful.

Good luck finding a guitar that looks, feels and sounds like a guitar two to three times the price.

They made it look nice for the price. Simple white trim and gold tuners make it stand out.

Amazing sound. Rich when finger picking and loud and clear when I strum without a pick (which is how i always do it).

All good. pick it up and play it and you'll love it.

Only put a 9 because I just got it 2 months ago...It's a Martin so Unofficially i give it a 10

Haven't tried it yet.

It's a great guitar. Not too expensive and has a sound that can run with the best.

The MMV is a dreadnought with solid Sitka spruce top, solid East Indian Rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck and ebony fretboard, and, of course, Martin X-bracing. In terms of looks it's rather a plain Janein terms of looks in spite of a 19-ply rosette, gold tuners, and white binding. The gloss finish is nitro-cellulose.

Sound is where the MMV shines. The day I bought mine there were two Martin D-35's, three D-28's, a Taylor 810, a 610, and a ton of 310's in the store and this was the best sounding guitar of all of them. The sound itself is nice and "open" (especially for a Martin) and, in fact, sounds a bit like a Taylor. I also own a Martin D-41 and this MMV sounds quite similar (the D-41 has a slightly, but only slightly, more complex sound). The balance between the bass and treble is excellent, and it sounds beautiful with either fingers or flat pick. Hit it hard and chords ring out clear and with authority. Play it gently and notes are beautifully articulated. Also, I did notice the "phased" sound mentioned in Adam's excellent review (see below), but that disappeared after I changed strings. I consider the MMV one of the best sounding guitars I've played in the last 5 years, and it sounds more like an older D-28 (to me the new D-28's sounds dull, muffled and lifeless). I was so impressed with the MMV I bought it even though I wasn't shopping for a guitar.

The action? Well, it's a Martin. You'll probably want to have a pro set it up for you (my action was sky-high).

The top on mine is truly ugly. The wood has a grain running through it that looks like the finish has cracked. When I first saw it across the showroom floor I thought it was a "second"!! Still the sound was so good I went ahead and bought it, looks aside. The finish, however, is flawlessly applied.

Will this guitar last? Again, it's a Martin and they do have a lifetime warranty.

Haven't used it.

I don't mean to be disrespectful of other reviewers on Harmony Central, but I get the feeling that many of them are younger player who may not have a lot of experience (witness: the fact that so many of the Jay Turser and Agile guitars are rated "10". Come on, do you really think those guitars can compete with Les Pauls and Fenders that truly are "10's"?). Because of that, I tend to be wary of all the high ratings given to so many guitars on this site. Whatever it's worth I've been playing for nearly 45 years and have played the best, and worst, of instruments, and feel like I'm qualified to rate a guitar. With that in mind I can assure you the MMV is a beautiful sounding instrument that is well worth it's price. To my ears it sounds much better than higher priced Martins and Taylors.

This is about as bare bones a Martin as I think most would allow. This is basically a glossed D-16 (normally a matte-finished guitar). A-bracing, mortise-tenon neck joint, compensated bridge, rosewood sides and back, with spruce top, ebony fingerboard with pearloid markers, brass colored Gotoh style martin tuners, matte-finished neck and headstock, mahogany neck.

While the construction of the guitar is considered inferior to a typical high-line Martin because of its bracing and neck joint, I find that the stability and tone of the GC-MMV is perfectly durable. My only concern is that the sound board may be more prone to warp or buckle under string pressure, but my worry has more to do with the longevity of the instrument. That said, such problems can occur in any dreadnought guitar in one way or another over its lifetime, and since Martin will repair such problems free of charge (assuming the owner hasn't abused his/her guitar) for as long as you own the guitar, I say the risk is pretty bearable. The mortise-tenon joint is even less of an issue since I can find no information from any source pointing to the inferiority of this type of joint versus a dove-tail other than the dove-tail is generally a more expensive and difficult-to-manufacture feature. Taylor guitars are usually mortise-tenon joined and are well known for their consistency and reliability. Plus, there is no discernable degradation of tone to my ears. Point of fact, I found my GC-MMV to be better sounding than the D-28's and D-35's I've played. The only Martins I've played that equaled or bettered the GC-MMV were a 1938 D-18 reissue and a D-16G. To be frank, I thought that Martins were (and continue to be) overvalued. I mean come on! $2200 for a run-of-the-mill D-28? I was very surprised when I picked up the GC-MMV. As soon as I played it, I had to have it. I had a very respectable Larivee before it that I traded in, and I don't miss it at all. The GC is tone, tone, tone, and I think it'd beat most guitars twice its price in a shoot-out.

If there's one thing I've learned from my years of G.A.S. it's that guitars are like every other product on the market. The low end guitars are **** and are made to be sold to those who either can't afford better or simply don't know what a good guitar is. The ultra high end guitars are made for guys (and I say guys because they're always the ones who do this sort of thing rather than girls) who have more money than they know what to do with and don't have the ears to hear that the extra money they forked over ain't worth the difference they're getting in tone. Certainly, there are those showcase guitars out there in the uber-priced range that have amazing tone, but the problem is you're just as likely to get a $5000 lemon guitar as a $1500 lemon guitar. One's just prettier than the other. Seriously, most guys that go berserk on gear have terrible ears!

So, am I happy with the features of the GC-MMV? Mostly. My gripe on features is really more of a setup issue, so I'll save that for later. But, let me say finally in this category that if you're willing to overlook the fact that this guitar's resale value will most likely not appreciate as well as the standard Martin models but has all the tone of the standard models (even bettering them in some cases), then I suggest you try to find one of the GC-MMV's.

Also of note: Martin's warranty system is outstanding. I sent in my information and received a packet about 2 weeks later with a certificate for the warranty and a packet of information about Martin guitars and how to keep them in tip-top shape.

This guitar is fairly boomy. Martins are known for their low end thump, and the GC-MMV is no exception. It is probably the single thing about the guitar that truly sold me on it. Most acoustics do not react well when you try to play bass string runs between the 9th and 15th frets, but Martins tend to shine in this area. Gibson models are close, but have a different emphasis, and I would venture that they were designed with a different intent toward tone. Martins seem to me to be built for bass to dominate a bit more for the sake of accompaniment of high end melodies. As a matter of fact, Martins in general seem to have a "scooped" sound--glassy high end and a slightly mushy bottom. By way of comparison, Taylors and Gibsons seem to emphasize midrange clarity and high end sparkle while tightening the low end and attenuating it to even out their attack, but to the detriment of bass sustain. All in all, Martins maintain a very distinct sonic niche that I have not heard in other guitars.

While I've heard it claimed that other guitars are more suited to finger picking, I've found the GC-MMV more than adequate in this area. It maintains good clarity and articulation while diminishing finger noise on your right hand, which I find is usually not the case with a steel string guitar. Also, hybrid techniques sound very, very good on this guitar.

For single note runs, I find the high end tends to get a little low in volume for my tastes, but I think this is a setup issue I'll have to resolve. More about that below.

Chording is what this guitar excels at and it is a joyous sound when you start strumming. Playing an Em chord with this guitar is magical. It almost exhibits a kind of "distortion" when you play chords. It's hard to describe, but it's almost like the chords fold on themselves. It's probably some sort of phase effect (like a chorus of flange) I'm hearing, but I really, really like it. I don't know how that happens, but it's a major, major part of why I like this guitar.

Here's where I hit a bit of a snag. The nut. It looks like it was cut well, but it's too low on the lower side and as a result, my G, B, and 1st E don't ring true and sound a little lifeless and muffled in single note runs. Seems to me like the nut was shaved down on that side to compensate for the smaller string gauges, but they overdid it. It's nothing a shim or perhaps a new nut won't fix. Another problem I had with the nut was that the slots were a bit too tight and it created problems with tuning, especially on the G string. I fixed it with a little pencil lead in the grooves. The nut was the only fly in the ointment. Other than that, no problems to report.

I'm not a good judge of the durability of guitars. I mean, in most cases, you can feel how well a guitar is constructed simply by holding it and feeling its weight. Good wood is usually heavier than bad wood. It's not always the case that a heavier guitar will sound better, but usually they do, and this guitar feels like and looks like it is well made.

Anyway, I digress. I don't play live, and I take very, very good care of my gear. That being said, the guitar feels solid and I don't worry too much about it.

Besides, if you want to play live, get one of those Ibanez artwood guitars. They sound terrific and they're only about 300 bucks. That way, you'll never have to lose sleep if you're out on a gig and some ******* smacks into your gear and spills beer all over your prized baby. I really don't get people who gig with their best gear. (Unless you're rich and don't give a shit I suppose).

So, to put things bluntly, I just wouldn't gig with this guitar. I like it's sound too much to risk having to repair or replace it.

My sole contact with Martin has been my warranty registration, and I was sufficiently impressed. Martin is a class act company with a good attitude toward their customers and a good attitude toward tree conservation. I am impressed with what I see and what I hear from the company, and I'm confident I can deal with them reasonably. It's awfully hard to beat a lifetime warranty.

It comes down to this: Would you rather pay for looks, names, and labels, or tone and playability? I let my ears make my decisions on gear, and this guitar beats the piss out of nearly every acoustic I've ever laid hands on. Bear in mind, that I have NOT played Morgans, Goodalls, or Collings guitars, and only a couple of Santa Cruz guitars. My exposure to boutique guitar gear is limited to what I've come across near where I live. I heartily recommend this guitar to anyone with the caveat that they spend time with it. There is every possibility that I just got very lucky when I picked up this particular guitar.

You have to be willing to disregard the advice of guitarists if you're going to find your "diamond in the rough."

Finally, I'd like to mention that guitars can be identical in construction and materials, but can sound very different when played. Any guitar (especially an acoustic) is a chaotic mix of wood and glue. No matter how consistent the manufacturer is from one instrument to the next, there is always an element of unpredictablity in the end result. Get your hands on as many guitars as you possibly can before buy anything. Good sound can only be appreciated next to poor sound...and even a "poor" sounding guitar can have other qualities that can be exploited. Think of your purchase like a car: some will never be good right from the get go. Others will perform well from day one. And all that variability can happen in cars (and guitars) that were made right next to each other on the factory floor.

I bought my GC-MMV in May of 2006 at Guitar Center in San Diego. Charlielong's review gave accurate specs as far as I'm concerned, so I won't go into it. However someone said that they have an Indian rosewood fretboard, mines ebony. There is nothing extraordinary about the appearance of this guitar, it's just a run of the mill classic Martin dreadnought. But it's a SLEEPER when it comes to playability and tone! It comes sans pickup, so on the initial setup, I put a martin gold thin line under saddle pick up & Fishman POWERJACK preamp in. This was completely non-destructive to the integrity of the appearance and acoustic quality and it sound pretty good plugged in. I've gigged this guitar about 150 times and it starting to open up a little more.

This guitar has a great big sound that is absolutely perfect for the gigs I use it for. I play in a Johnny Cash tribute band and this guitar is kind'a spooky when you dig into it and find that Martin tone popping out that Johnny Cash was so famous for. Strum a big E chord like on the beginning of "I've Been Everywhere" and there you go...that's "the" sound. I also play in roots country/Americana band and we do originals as well as classic country covers and it has a great tone for that stuff as well. I will say that even though I'm using a pretty good pickup and a Fishman Loudbox Amp, the acoustic tone of this guitar is where it's at. Strumming and finger picking without amplification is really where this guitar sounds best. I put a Sennheiser E835 on it and recorded some tunes to tape, and it worked out better than expected. I can't wait to get into a real studio, and hear it recorded with a great mic.

I played dozens of guitars for about 6 months before making this purchase and since my first instrument in bass I like a little higher action. My Taylor plays a little better if you're finger picking, or playing a solo, but it doesn't have nearly as big of a tone across the spectrum. Upon the initial setup with my luthier, he put in the pickup and pretty much left the action stock. There were a few tiny imperfections in the finish on the top of my guitar. Spots were the top wood grain was slightly showing through the finish. I think this thin top finish allows this model to breathe and project more than other guitars with a more robust top finish. There was also a little bear claw in the top, and other than the little dings I've put in it, it came in excellent condition. One thing, the finish on mine is darker than any other GC-MMV I've seen, so much so, that I thought the top of my guitar was cedar. I like this little anomaly though because it looks a lot like the vintage V series Martins. Anyone else have a dark top finish?

As I said, I've gigged this guitar A LOT. That's what I bought it for. I've taken it over seas and all over the place. That's the great thing about this axe, it's sounds like a wide open vintage D-28 or D-35 at half the cost. If I "God forbid" lost it somehow, it's not the end of the world. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. My guitar fell off of the stand onto a concrete patio...with only one tiny ding 1/8 inch chip at the body binding. Although it's rather light, it's built well.

It has a LIFETIME WARRANTY to the original owner. This was important to me because I could have bought an older, or used Martin, but since I knew I was going to keep it and gig it, I chose to buy new. Registered it and I get the occasional mailer.

I have been playing bass for 28 years and guitar for about 15 years. I use a Martin HPL guitar as a backup on stage because it sounds great plugged in, and it's easy to carry around. I shopped for quite a while before buying this guitar and I LOVE it. I looked at the Martin D-16RGT as my other prime option in this price and quality range. The GC-MMV has several finer features: ebony fingerboard, gold tuners, and the rosette is different. The deal breaker was that the D16RGT's that I played did not sound as good as the GC-MMV. I highly recommend the GC-MMV for great sound/tone, playability, value, & looks in that order. I hardly play my Taylor 414 now although I'm not about to sell it. If you're looking for a collectible Martin, then this is probably not the guitar for you. As other reviewers have stated, the absence of the "D" designation will probably keep this model from attaining a collectible status, and that is the only possible negative thing I can think of to say about this fine instrument. I feel very grateful to have stumbled upon such a hidden treasure!

The features have been posted:
D1 Bracing
EIR back/sides
Sitka Top
Ebony fretboard and bridge
Gold Gotoh small button tuners

This guitar really surprized me. Escellent bass response for any price point. Sounds great with Medium/lights. Tends to break up just a tad when attacked aggressively. However, you would be hard pressed to match its tone at this price point. Especially when compared to other American made guitars with less features. Sound is very close to a decent D-28, which is what it boils down to being, a cheaper to produce version of D-28. Which was probably Guitar Center's angle. How close to D-28 can we get and keep the bottom line around $12-1400?

The action fit and finish are decent. Martin mass produces guitars and they have the full body gloss down pact. The solid Rosewood back and sides, although not premium grade are very decent and are miles above the solid Rosewood you get from the China imports(Breedlove, Saga, Morgan Monroe, etc).

This is a great gig guitar and all around guitar. You could take this guitar anywhere and never be embarassed by its looks or sound. Being that it is a Custom and had a limited run its value will probably always hover in the same right around $1000 price point. This is an interesting point because some of the higher end Martins and Taylors and SCGCs and Collings and Goodalls of the worl take apretty big hit when they reach the street.

Couldn't tell you.

What else are you going to find for under $1000? I'll tell you, you can buy a lesser known luthier with a fair list of features. You can buy a D-16GT, maybe with Rosewood. You can buy a bottom dweller Taylor, Guild, not my type at all. If you look on the Bay you might find a J-45(a recent one), a Larrivee or a Tacoma ( not very good craftsmanship pre or post Fender). You can buy a glorified import. Blueridge has one with an Adi top for around $1000. They use some other type of gloss and the guitar is very heavy and the soundboard is not allowed to vibrate as freel as with Nitrose.

This guitar has everything one should want from a Martin acoustic. Finish is high gloss nitro cellulose which is durable and easy to repair. Solid sitka spruce top mahogony neck with a indain rosewood fretboard, indain rosewood back and sides, 24kt gold plated tuners.

I have been playing acoustic rock and alternative for 12 years, this guitar is perfect for a "non synthesised" tone. The HPL body martins seem like a good buy but to make them sound good it requires an amp, unplugged they sound hollow and dead. The MMV is bright and alive with deep lows and warm tones.

I bought my MMV from guitar center and it came just right. Action was tight and quick, no fret buzz even when tuned to Db or DADGAD it performed well. The neck, bridge, nut, all visible glue joints and miters are expertly finished by martin. No complaints.,

This guitar seems to be very light and strong. I think all upper end martins like all upper end guitars come stage ready and strong. The same care however should be taken to not give your insturment undue abuse. But I think the MMV is solid enough to gig with, without a back up.

I have yet to encounter a problem, so I have no expierence with coustomer support.

In my twelve years of playing I enjoy this MMV more than any taylor I've owned. I would definately replace this guitar with another MMV if it got stolen. I researched for a month before I decided to buy this guitar and my only stipulation was I had a $1500 price range. I play the gamut of taylors and martins, and gibson, takamine, ovation etc. Nothing compares. Just go to the local music shop have two friends play your two top picks and just strum a cord. $4500 Taylors could not compete with the clear crisp sound with the typical martin FAT lows. No cheaper martin compares, or many other, and more expensive kinds of guitars.

Bought this guitar new a month ago. Read earlier reviews for details and specs. Compares pretty close to the D 16RGT except with full body gloss and gold tuners and different bracing. Came with a decent Martin hardshell case.

I bought this guitar mainly for bluegrass flatpicking and backing up a fiddle or mandolin. Brightness and sustain are great, bass is good and should get better with time. For the money (and my budget) it was the best Martin I found and I played them all in my quest for my first high end guitar. I was leary buying a Martin that wasn't a normal D series and had the different bracing but after playing it that passed. It sounded just as good if not better than the D 16RGT that was the same price and with the full body gloss and gold tuners it was a no brainer. However I would never go as far to say that it compares to a higher end model especially a HD28V.

Believe it or not the action was just right for me when I bought it which is unusual at GC. Fast and low with no buzz. Top and back are bookmatched with the rosewood being perfect. The top isn't as high of grade spruce as you'd find on higher end models, there's a few bearclaws (I think thats what you call them) and the grain is light but really tight. Again you get what you pay for and keep in mind I'm comparing this to higher end Martins which isn't really fair because compared to other guitars in its class its great. No flaws whatsoever in structure or finish.

My playing consist mostly of sitting out on the porch with friends so I cant really comment on this. I wouldn't treat it like I have my old Seagull which can take a beating.

Only experience I've had with them was when they promptly sent me a letter and registration card a few days after I registered online.

During my 43 years I've gone through a lot of good cheap guitars including the '96 Seagull M6 I have now which by the way sounds really good. I've also got a Strat and a VOX AD50 that I play when the neighbors make me mad. Ok here's the bottom line. There's a lot of good guitars you can get for a little over a grand but if you're looking for a new Martin I would definately check this one out. If you're fortunate enough to be able to spend 2 grand or more I would certainly step up to the D 28 or 35. And if you can rob a bank without getting caught check out the HD-28V. Its in a class by itself.

The post by Charlielong lists all the exact features that he got from Martin. I like the simplicity of the look. It comes with a Martin hard shell case which is a must for transport.

The sound of this guitar is outstanding. I tried everything for months and I thought the sound of this guitar was as good as any new Martin that I looked at and more that half the price.

The action on this guitar was little high and like a couple of earlier posters mentioned that it is well worth cost to have it properly set up. I also had a bone saddle added which made a huge difference.

No problems so far, I have only had it about 5 months. Any defects would be covered by Martin.