Buying myself a Martin OMC-1E!!!! (guitar)

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 01:58 AM

I've been playing guitar since I was 13 and have had the same Dean Performer acoustic since back then. The Dean sounds great, but it's always been a bitch to play since the action is too high and it just doesn't have the feel I like when playing guitar. I bought myself a Gibson SG Standard back in 2005 when I was making $6.75 an hour, and love the guitar and don't regret the money I spent on it. Now that I'm 21 and have a decent job, I've decided it's time to spoil myself with a new American made acoustic. I had a few requirements when looking for the right guitar: #1- Had to be made in America. I want to help out my fellow citizen in any way possible, and I take pride in buying U.S. made products. #2 had to be an acoustic electric, so I can gig it. #3 had to have a cut out so I can get to the high frets. and #4 had to be under $1,200. I went to Guitar Center and looked at some Taylors and Martins. The $900 Taylors sound great, but they're made in Mexico, so that was a no-go. I played with a $900 Martin that was made in America, but it lacked a cut out or an electric pickup. I couldn't seem to find the right guitar until one of the employees walked from a back room and handed me a Martin OMC-1E and asked me to hold it for a second while he grabbed something for a customer. I looked down at it. First thing I noticed was that it was $1,099, in my price budget, second thing, it had a cut out, then I saw the preamp on it and realized it was an electric model. I was like, oh shit. So I sat down and played on it and fell in love with it. So I'm gonna head over there again and pick myself up a brand new one. I'm totally stoked in it. Here's a link and a pic of what it looks like.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Martin-1...13-i1445483.gc

**0rion** · 01-18-2010, 10:31 AM

martin's are nice guitars for sure.....I'm too hard on my acoustics to ever justify buying one that costs that much. I bought a $400 electric/acoustic Fender last spring and enjoy playing it. Sounds good enough for what I do with it and not so expensive that I don't mind lugging it around camping and shit like that when I go.

**Spaz** · 01-18-2010, 10:39 AM

i like martins... but they sound better as the age...

**hamburger68** · 01-18-2010, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by Spaz

i like martins... but they sound better as the age...

unfortunately, the transducer pickups from way back then aren't worth shit. so i think you made a good choice, bluefields.
another, more tedious way is getting a vintage guitar, a guild or harmony from the 60s or even 50s and installing a pup. i fitted my '63 fender king with schaller oyster pickups recently, sounds better than an under-bridge system imo.
did you play the martin plugged?

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by hamburger68

unfortunately, the transducer pickups from way back then aren't worth shit. so i think you made a good choice, bluefields.
another, more tedious way is getting a vintage guitar, a guild or harmony from the 60s or even 50s and installing a pup. i fitted my '63 fender king with schaller oyster pickups recently, sounds better than an under-bridge system imo.
did you play the martin plugged?

No I didn't play it plugged... I was with a girl and didn't want her to get too bored. I'll try it plugged in when I go to buy it.

**hamburger68** · 01-18-2010, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

No I didn't play it plugged... I was with a girl and didn't want her to get too bored. I'll try it plugged in when I go to buy it.

ok, tell us how you like it then!

**86 IROC-Z** · 01-18-2010, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

No I didn't play it plugged... I was with a girl and didn't want her to get too bored. I'll try it plugged in when I go to buy it.

most girls go ape-shit in love after a guy strums three chords

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by 86 IROC-Z

most girls go ape-shit in love after a guy strums three chords

Haha truth. She's a music major though, so she is used to hearing guys play guitars.

**hamburger68** · 01-18-2010, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by 86 IROC-Z

most girls go ape-shit in love after a guy strums three chords

true, but seriously sound-checking an axe can have just the opposite effect. "the 2nd string seems to be louder than the rest, and the 4th string is buzzing at the 3rd fret" is not exactly the most romantic thing to say.

**hamburger68** · 01-18-2010, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

Haha truth. She's a music major though, so she is used to hearing guys play guitars.

okay, different story! seriously usable pair of ears!

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by hamburger68

okay, different story! seriously usable pair of ears!

Ya she plays piano. She can't play guitar and doesn't know much about them though. She could tell the Martin sounded better than the other ones though. haha

**86 IROC-Z** · 01-18-2010, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

Ya she plays piano. She can't play guitar and doesn't know much about them though. She could tell the Martin sounded better than the other ones though. haha

The guitar center near me sells keyboards and shit. She could've entertained herself

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 07:15 PM

So I went back with my mom so she could co-sign for me so I could do payments. My mom goes. "well, if you're gonna spend that much money, you might as well spend a bit more and get a really nice one." So play some $1650 guitars thinking I can haggle as I always have done. I played different expensive guitars for a few hours and plugged them all in and found the one I wanted, a $1750 000C-16RGTE Martin. I went and tried the OMC-1E again and still liked it, but I liked the other one more. My mom basically talked me into getting the expensive one. SO ya. I now own a $1750 Martin.

**67CamaroRSSS** · 01-18-2010, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

So I went back with my mom so she could co-sign for me so I could do payments. My mom goes. "well, if you're gonna spend that much money, you might as well spend a bit more and get a really nice one." So play some $1650 guitars thinking I can haggle as I always have done. I played different expensive guitars for a few hours and plugged them all in and found the one I wanted, a $1750 000C-16RGTE Martin. I went and tried the OMC-1E again and still liked it, but I liked the other one more. My mom basically talked me into getting the expensive one. SO ya. I now own a $1750 Martin.

Did you go to the Fountain Valley store?

Congratz! Martin makes a killer git box. You probably made the sales guy very happy as he made some serious gip off of that sale. They have to make a minimum gross sales of product (GP or "gip") every month before they get commission on the sale. Otherwise they make minimum wage.

And, too bad I didn't see this earlier. My bro has worked for GC for almost 20 yrs (that's how I know how their system works). He's currently the Operations Mgr at the Pasadena store. I (he) might have been able to work a deal for you. Back in the day (1994) I got my Signia Premier drum kit for 9% over their cost. List was $2800. I got it for $1800.

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 07:49 PM

Ya I got it from the Fountain Valley location. I guess they're corporate owned now and don't haggle anymore. :/

**hamburger68** · 01-18-2010, 10:51 PM

that is a seriously nice guitar you got yourself there, congratz!

**bluefields88** · 01-18-2010, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by hamburger68

that is a seriously nice guitar you got yourself there, congratz!

Thank you! I can't put it down!!! I better stop before my fingers start bleeding and I stain the poor thing. haha

**Mike97dakota** · 01-19-2010, 04:03 AM

i play guitar somewhat

**67CamaroRSSS** · 01-19-2010, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

Ya I got it from the Fountain Valley location. I guess they're corporate owned now and don't haggle anymore. :/

All GC stores are corporate owned. And unless you know somebody they don't haggle unless you are buying mass quantities of something.

What I meant was that employees get a substantial discount when they buy product. One of the perquisites of working there. I was friends with the guy that ran the drum department in the South Bay store and that's how I got locked in at 9% over store cost. Every time I get something at the local GC store here in Tempe the guy behind the counter frowns because he can't mark it up to make gip.

**Spaz** · 01-19-2010, 09:16 AM

Originally Posted by bluefields88

Thank you! I can't put it down!!! I better stop before my fingers start bleeding and I stain the poor thing. haha

do your self a favor... take the strings off of it and restring it with elixer nano web strings... your ears (and fingers) will thank you for it...

my next guitar is going ot be a schector hell raiser c-7...