Martinez MD-21T Reviews 5

I bought this guitar from a Whyalla (South Australian) store for $269AUS. I had a nylon string 3/4 guitar, my first guitar, for about 8 months and finally decided to get a steel-string.

It has a basically nice sound. It is easy to play and adjust to. As a beginner, I found this a welcome surprise. The finish is smooth and a deep crimson red, fading into black. Many of Martinez' models have a similar gradient pattern. It is quite strong as well, especially as I don't keep it in a case, and has withstood accidental bumps. Tuning is kept very well.

Although tuning is kept pretty well, the tuning machine for the 2nd bass string feels 'slacker' than all the others, as if it might not hold - although somehow it manages to keep in tune. This was probably just the odd banana of the bunch so to speak. I heard some unwanted vibrations in a few certain strings, although I am unsure if it is just the way I am playing.

The construction is strong and robust, but lightweight for a full-size guitar. I'd still recommend a case for it though, just in case. Most of the construction is in Agathis wood, and the strings were set up to sound and play smoothly. I found the strings raised a little high from the fingerboard at first, but it was easy to adjust to after some playing.

Overall, I really like this guitar, for its robust construction and nice sound. I haven't been playing guitar for very long, but I found this guitar is very easy to adjust to - so beginners might want to give it a try. They are designed in Australia and distributed by Jade Sound Systems, but may be sold overseas as well.

Riki-tiki-tavi rated this unit 5 on 2001-10-29.

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