Martin Style C Initial Impressions
Just got my Martin Mandolin yesterday, from Charles Johnson, Mandolin World Headquarter. Did I need another mandolin? Certainly not. Why on earth would you buy something you don't need (these are questions from not MAS crazed, non-Cafe individuals)? I have always wanted a Brazilian guitar, but could not find one that I could justify buying (not being much of a guitar player). After getting a Nyberg padauk wood mandola (the wood looks (like a red version of rosewood), sounds and feels like rosewood, I realized that the rosewood Martin mandolins are Brazilian rosewood and some are quite spectacular and quite reasonable in price compared to their guitar brethren . I pulled the trigger.
After pulling the instrument out of the packaging, I found that they are solid and warm, but no bluegrass punch. In the second half of that first half hour, I was able to bet really nice tone. One area of adjustment was getting used to the very leetle traditional frets and the low actions. After a few tunes, my fingers made adjustments and my speed actually increased (so did the number of errors). Over all, a great instrument to sing to. The chords sound great, kind of a guitar/mandolin hybrid. The picking notes are nice and you don't have to dig at all to attain volume. The highs bright, but not brittle. The lows, solid and warm, but not boomy. The light strings were less of an adjustment that I expected. I have a lot of practice to get really comfortable and will give you guys a follow-up review in a week or so. Very pleased to have a Brazilian leetle guitar (what my niece calls a mandolin).
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Originally Posted by Capt. E
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