New martin lxm tenor --- any opinions?

[JPL]

I noticed that Martin has a new tenor out. Anyone played this yet? Opinions?

I read elsewhere that it's set up for DGBE, but I don't know if that's correct.

[delsbrother]

It's made of HPL.

YMMV, but if I had that much dough I'd rather save up for a vintage (wooden) Martin. I like the idea of the stratabond (i.e. glu-lam) neck, though.

[JPL]

Yeah, but it's just $450ish, I can get it as a lefty, and it may tough enough to withstand my two year old daughter.

[RichM]

I have a LXM six-string (one of the Felix the Cat models). It's really a nice little guitar, if you're not too hung up on the fact it's wood-free. Plays great, sounds pretty good, a lot of guitar for the price.

[Griffis]

I don't know. I still am a fan of wood, even laminated.

It took some poking around, but I found a Silvertone tenor guitar from ca. 1955-1965 on eBay for under $200 last year.

It sounds and plays great (though it needed a cleaning and some minor setup work and new strings, all of which I did myself) AND it's got a spruce top and mahogany back and sides.

I've played on an LXM 6-string Martin, and it was pretty cool really. I'm fine with innovative use of materials and budget instruments, etc., but I sure wouldn't trade my Silvertone for one of these.

I also haven't played the Lark in the Morning or Gold Tone tenor guitars, but they are in the same price range and have some wood to them. I've been happy with every Gold Tone instrument I've owned in the past.

Just my $0.02, adjusted for inflation.

[acousticphd]

I think this body size and shape are great for a tenor guitar. My favorite would have been the size 5 tenor guitar. But I can't believe Martin offered a tenor in the HPL top version, but not in the substantially nicer LX1 model with the solid top. What a lousy decision. The solid top LX1 6 string only cost ~$50 more than the all-HPL version.

I have been thinking semi-seriously about trying to buy a used LX1 6 string, which you can find on ebay for $250, and cutting the neck down to 4 string width.

[delsbrother]

Yeah, this was discussed on the TGR forum... Why does the 4 string HPL tenor cost MORE than the 6 string HPL guitar? I suppose they are producing less so they can charge more (or it costs more to set up for less production) but it seems counterintuitive. Then again, they're also making ukes that cost several thousand dollars.

Personally, I think $450 is a lot for a knockaround guitar. If your only requirement is durability, there are lots of Harmony tenors that are much less than $450 and they're built like tanks.

I wasn't that impressed by HPL regular guitars, but maybe the four stringers sound better? If anyone here gets one, please post a report!

[Greg Stec]

I've got one of those Harmony tenors (@ 1970).
All wood, sounds OK, but I wish I had the guts to get the action lowered.
Anyone ever do that?

[JPL]

I found out that my buddy Dennis at Adirondack Guitars has a couple of lefty Martin LXM tenors on the way, so I might take the plunge pretty soon.

Just did my first old-time jam . . . about a half-dozen guitars, and things sounded pretty muddy. I started just "chopping" on the 2 and 4. And I thought, wouldn't this sound better on a tenor?