So what's the deal with this Martin "HPL" material? I played a 000XCE yesterday and was completely impressed with the guitar. Great tone, good balance, good projection, good articulation, good neck size, feel, action, frets, finish, everything. And priced at 800 bucks. It is a little on the Plain Jane side but in black it actually comes across as elegant. Very sparse in cosmetic details but also very well done.
I didn't play it through an amp so I have no idea what the electronics are like. I'm a little put off by the cheap laminate neck but it feels great & plays great. It should be much more stable than a solid piece of maple or mahogany. It just looks cheap. I also suspect that the "HPL" material & process are also very cheap, but the results are impressive. I'm not sure what the fingerboard or bridge materials are, they look like ebony but at $800 I doubt it. They are probably some other cheap man made material but they work. All in all it's hard to argue with the results. At least while new..... I suspect the durability is considerably reduced but for the right price that may be acceptable. I don't think $800 is the right price though.
One annoyance is that when you stroke the top of the guitar with your hand or finger the guitar responds & you can hear it quite clearly. It sounds a lot like the vibration of a wound string when your fingers slide over them. I suspect this is due to the flat surface applied to the top. But this just shows how resonant the guitar top & body really are. I want to "interview" one for a few days to see if I remain impressed. Maybe I'll see if I can find a shop that will allow a 30 day "test drive". If I can get over my cultural bias regarding flimsy man made materials the guitar may be a keeper. Until it de-laminates anyway.
Thanks for your thoughts in advance.
I didn't play it through an amp so I have no idea what the electronics are like. I'm a little put off by the cheap laminate neck but it feels great & plays great. It should be much more stable than a solid piece of maple or mahogany. It just looks cheap. I also suspect that the "HPL" material & process are also very cheap, but the results are impressive. I'm not sure what the fingerboard or bridge materials are, they look like ebony but at $800 I doubt it. They are probably some other cheap man made material but they work. All in all it's hard to argue with the results. At least while new..... I suspect the durability is considerably reduced but for the right price that may be acceptable. I don't think $800 is the right price though.
One annoyance is that when you stroke the top of the guitar with your hand or finger the guitar responds & you can hear it quite clearly. It sounds a lot like the vibration of a wound string when your fingers slide over them. I suspect this is due to the flat surface applied to the top. But this just shows how resonant the guitar top & body really are. I want to "interview" one for a few days to see if I remain impressed. Maybe I'll see if I can find a shop that will allow a 30 day "test drive". If I can get over my cultural bias regarding flimsy man made materials the guitar may be a keeper. Until it de-laminates anyway.
Thanks for your thoughts in advance.
