Martin J40

  • Thread starter Thread starter ROblows
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J40

Rob..

I've played a couple, and my impression is that it's a sweet-sounding and versitile guitar. Maybe a little on the warm/dark side of the spectrum - but that's just a generalization... I mean, a deeper bodied guitar with EIR back/sides will tend toward 'warm'..

I found the J40/jumbo shape to be more comfortable to play than a dred, and I think that's due to the waist being more narrow. I'm a believer in physically 'being there' when I buy guitars, since I find that even among the top builders there is considerable variation between guitars - even within the same model. But I know many folks who do just fine, and are completely happy with purchases on-line (friends tell me - "you can always return it!" - but man, that sounds like a great big hassle to me!)

So I'd say to get out and try a few if you have the chance. But if you're looking for a jumbo with rosewood b/s, by a quality builder - you probably can't go wrong.

Good luck,
Jim
 
Jimmy D. said:
I'm a believer in physically 'being there' when I buy guitars, since I find that even among the top builders there is considerable variation between guitars - even within the same model.

Oh, I would definately play before buying. I've got the chance to get a used one at a fairly decent price, but it's a bit of a hassle to get there, so I was wondering if it was worth going out of my way or not. I'm looking for somethig versitile (fingerstyle and strumming) that records well. As an extreme over-generalization, dreds tend to be better strummers and OM's tend to be better fingerpickers. I'm just wondering if this might be a good compromise between the two. They call it a "jumbo", but the body doesn't seem to be nearly as big as the Gibson jumbos I'm used to (which are generally good strummers, but not good fingerpickers).
 
J40

ROb,

My impression is that this model is exactly how you put it - the J is a great compromise between the dred and the OM. I liked the flatpicked sound - the ones I've tried had some 'punch' to the lows. But it/they also seemed to have a 'sweeter' mid and high (than my experience with the D28, for example). I found the middle to have a real present quality when finger picking. A very pleasant sustain - not annoying at all..

Hope you found a good one!

Take care,
Jim
 
Jimmy D. said:
My impression is that this model is exactly how you put it - the J is a great compromise between the dred and the OM.

In that case, I'll probably go check it out. Thanks, Jim.
 
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