martin guitar troubles

Jordan97

Jordan97

Jordan97

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Just bought a brand new Martin GPCPA5 and I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed if I'm honest. First of all the action is crazy high, at the 12th fret it's comparable to a £20 unbranded piece of **** you'd get from a charity shop. Also the electronics are not good at all, it's got a built in tuner but it only registers the 6th and 5th strings, all the others it doesn't pick up. Lastly, when plugged in it is so quiet I have to turn my amp up to almost full volume before I can even hear it and then it's quite distorted. Hopefully someone can shed some light on how to fix these issues because I spent quite a lot of money on this guitar and it doesn't feel justified right now :(
 
Take it back to the shop. If it's brand new it should work without you needing to seek help from randoms on the interweb.

Although the action is something you could have tested before buying, the electronics sound a bit ropey.
 
Jordan97 said:
Just bought a brand new Martin GPCPA5 and I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed if I'm honest. First of all the action is crazy high, at the 12th fret it's comparable to a £20 unbranded piece of **** you'd get from a charity shop. Also the electronics are not good at all, it's got a built in tuner but it only registers the 6th and 5th strings, all the others it doesn't pick up. Lastly, when plugged in it is so quiet I have to turn my amp up to almost full volume before I can even hear it and then it's quite distorted. Hopefully someone can shed some light on how to fix these issues because I spent quite a lot of money on this guitar and it doesn't feel justified right now :(
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Did you buy it online?

All Martins ship from the factory with a high action...all of them Martin do this on all of their guitars...

What's needed is a pro setup...:)
 
m3csl2004 said:
Is the battery low?
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Will stick a new battery in tomorrow just to make sure

Vonhelmet said:
Take it back to the shop. If it's brand new it should work without you needing to seek help from randoms on the interweb.

Although the action is something you could have tested before buying, the electronics sound a bit ropey.
Click to expand...

Think I will take it back tomorrow and get them to set it up properly for me. Hopefully changing the battery will fix my electronics issue!

easyrider said:
Did you buy it online?

All Martins ship from the factory with a high action...all of them Martin do this on all of their guitars...

What's needed is a pro setup...:)
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This is interesting, why do Martin do this??
 
"They" say that everyone likes different action, so might as well leave it and you should get it professional set up on purchase to your liking.

As opposed to Taylor, who sets up their guitar as low as humanly possible out of the factory.
 
Martin are well known for making quality guitars. Don't despair - get a tech to set it up properly for you and adjust the truss rod correctly.
If you bought it from a shop then they should be able to sort you out.
Mail order however is another matter altogether.

When I bought my Taylor I travelled over an hour's drive to the shop. For the model I wanted they had three; one on display and two in storage.
To be quite honest the one on display was a huge disappointment with an action that was sky high*. So I asked to see the other two which were both perfect - the only choice I had to make was which one had the most appealing grain to the sound-board.

With this in mind, perhaps yours was displayed out in the shop instead of being kept shut away in the case where it wouldn't be prone to temperature and humidity changes that can dry the wood out and cause the neck to banana.
None of these issues are terminal on a new guitar. Especially as you are covered by a warranty from the shop, but also the manufacturer; the likes of Martin and Taylor guitars have a deserved reputation to keep.

I'd be surprised if what you got is a lemon.

Let us know how you get on, chap.


* my near 20 year old seagull s6 folk which has been through the wars had a better action and feel to it ffs.
 
Well I took it back to the shop today and they are having their luthier look at it on Wednesday. Fingers crossed he'll get it sorted!
 
Jordan97 said:
This is interesting, why do Martin do this??
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Please use different strings live in different climates and a high action shipped from the factory allows pro setups to me made.

Relief in the neck etc..is due to string gauge etc...

High actions mean you have headroom to tweak.

They have been hand building Guitars since 1833 and invented the Dreadnought Martin know what they are doing.
 
Jordan97 said:
Well I took it back to the shop today and they are having their luthier look at it on Wednesday. Fingers crossed he'll get it sorted!
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I have two Martins

Vintage OM-18V and D-15M

Both had high actions...I took it to a certified Martin Luthier who setup the guitar to my liking...

The OM-18 is set lower for finger Picking and Blues lead etc...

The D-15M is set slightly higher to allow more volume when strumming.
 
easyrider said:
Taylor guitars suck :p
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We know you are a Martin Fanboy :p

I find it weird that they send the guitar out with high action, as opposed to low action. I know the argument is that you should have a set up done but I hazard a guess that most people would prefer a low action guitar.

The only reason I can think of to send out a high action guitar out of the factory is pure economical reasons, it saves time and money, laziness. Just glue the neck on, send it out and let the buyer sort it out.

I also notice a trend, "new" guitar makers like PRS and Taylor would send their guitars out playable out of the box. They both make a point of that. Paul Reed Smith has said the many times that's his aim, they even do spot checks every week where they would pull a handful of finished guitars off the line to check that they are playable out of the box.

"Older" guitar makers like Martin and Gibson will use the age old thinking that you should get it set up to your liking.

It seems these older guitar makers should take a hint, the technology is there now to make a low action guitar out of the factory, don't be lazy.
 
Raymond Lin said:
We know you are a Martin Fanboy :p

I find it weird that they send the guitar out with high action, as opposed to low action. I know the argument is that you should have a set up done but I hazard a guess that most people would prefer a low action guitar.

The only reason I can think of to send out a high action guitar out of the factory is pure economical reasons, it saves time and money, laziness. Just glue the neck on, send it out and let the buyer sort it out.

I also notice a trend, "new" guitar makers like PRS and Taylor would send their guitars out playable out of the box. They both make a point of that. Paul Reed Smith has said the many times that's his aim, they even do spot checks every week where they would pull a handful of finished guitars off the line to check that they are playable out of the box.

"Older" guitar makers like Martin and Gibson will use the age old thinking that you should get it set up to your liking.

It seems these older guitar makers should take a hint, the technology is there now to make a low action guitar out of the factory, don't be lazy.
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Not everyone wants a low action...not every one wants thin gauge strings...

Martin make some of the finest guitars in the world...it's not about being lazy...it's allowing the end user to have ultimately what they want in terms of playability...

I played a Taylor once.. The action was too low...it sounded crap.

I'm glad Martin don't generalise their consumer base... Playability out the box is subjective...

My Martin luthier setup my OM-18V just how I like it...the width of the neck dictated the action for me...he didn't just lower the action...it was far more complicated like that...

Once you have a pro setup by a certified Martin Luthier...there is no looking back...there are only a handful qualified guys in the country.
 
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easyrider said:
Not everyone wants a low action...not every one wants thin gauge strings...

Martin make some of the finest guitars in the world...it's not about being lazy...it's allowing the end user to have ultimately what they want in terms of playability...

I played a Taylor once.. The action was too low...it sounded crap.
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Not everyone but i would guess and I repeat, again, that most people, would prefer the action on the low side. If they do that then less guitars will need a set up.

The same argument can be made that You could buy a Taylor and raise the action....it might knock your socks off. The idea of getting a £3,000 Martin and still need a set up is absurd to me. Sure if it's by the retailer but to seek out these handful of luthiers in the country? They might make the "finest" guitar in the world, subjective btw, but it's a doorstop until it's playable. It's a £3,000 piece of firewood, not a guitar.

The idea that you need to seek out these guys and pay another £100...it's just not right in this date and age. At minimum set the action "medium".
 
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You need to chill out.

1st ~ what are you doing buying an instrument blind? It is a gamble and would drive me crazy not being able to try the actual instrument before buying.

2nd ~ Anyone who is not a beginner (who would will benefit from high action to start with anyway) will want their instrument set up how they like it (wether by themselves or a pro), and it is always best to start with more than you need because you can always take away, but you can never add. <<< that would be without having to replace the bridge/nut anyway.

Stop being special, it's like this because it is like this, that is the way it is, get on with it.


Gz, on your new shiney btw, hope you get it sorted.
 
I played a martin once. It was ok, but I preferred the fit and styling of the taylor I eventually settled on.
One thing I will say about taylor guitars, they are very even in their tone, very precise. This is a quality I like when using percussive styles and altered tunings - the tone and volume is consistent no matter what.


Another viewpoint is that if you're going to buy a guitar worth a couple of grand or more, then you should really be comfortable with making adjustments to your trussrod yourself. It'd be nice not to have to out of the box, but it should be something you can do. Having said that, you shouldn't have to do this yourself when buying a new guitar; the shop should really taylor (haha) the instrument setup before you walk out of the building.


Another issue I have with listening to acoustic guitars is that so many of them you see on places like candyrat records are amplified with chorus and delay being subtly used, so the sound you hear is anything but clean. Even that tiny amount of elastick-trickery makes all the difference.

Were I to buy a Martin guitar it would probably be a D28.


yer, OP - we expect some shineys posted on here soon. If we don't get what we wants, we send the boys round for the making firewood, you dig?
 
Raymond Lin said:
Not everyone but i would guess and I repeat, again, that most people, would prefer the action on the low side. If they do that then less guitars will need a set up.

The same argument can be made that You could buy a Taylor and raise the action....it might knock your socks off. The idea of getting a £3,000 Martin and still need a set up is absurd to me. They might make the "finest" guitar in the world, subjective btw, but it's a doorstop until it's playable. It's a £3,000 piece of firewood, not a guitar.

The idea that you need to seek out these guys and pay another £100...it's just not right in this date and age. At minimum set the action "medium".
Click to expand...


Buy a USA deluxe strat...it will need a setup...

The mere fact you buy a Martin for 3k one has no issue paying for a setup.

Low actions are sold on cheap guitars to shift them in shops...

As threepwood has just said...it's easier to lower an action with plenty of bone saddle than add...

Ray you haven't a clue what you're on about :p
 
easyrider said:
Buy a USA deluxe strat...it will need a setup...

The mere fact you buy a Martin for 3k one has no issue paying for a setup.

Low actions are sold on cheap guitars to shift them in shops...

As threepwood has just said...it's easier to lower an action with plenty of bone saddle than add...

Ray you haven't a clue what you're on about :p
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Tell that to Bob Taylor. :p
 
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