Martin 00042 Marquis

[replayboy]

Hi,
Can anyone tell me if they have any experience of a Martin 00042 Marquis? I had a "standard" 00042 which i regret to say i sold, and i am looking at buying the Marquis.
Is it worth the difference? any comments welcome.
Thinking of which, does anyone have a used one they would sell :eek:
Thanks
Steve.

[FFOGG]

If you dont get a defintive answer let me know ..I live in Martin Country and many of my neighbors work there .I can also go into Nazareth music which has a large selection and check it out ...

[ConnemaraGuitar]

Hi, Steve,
I hope the following is helpful. BTW, in case you didn't know, you can go to the Martin web site and look at specific features for each of their models.

Depending on where you live, you may want to take a trip to Martin and check out their manufacturing process and handle the guitars. It's a two hour drive from Philadelphia. Chris Martin frequently leads the guided tours. It's almost as impressive as Tom Anderson Guitarworks, but with more pickup trucks in the parking lot.

I own two "storebought" guitars, one a Martin OM-21 and the other a TAG.

The biggest difference between the 000-42 and the 000-42 Marquis is that the latter has an Adirondack spruce top while the former has a sitka spruce top. Adirondack spruce is considered the ultimate in tone woods and due to it's rarity, accounts for the $1000 price difference between the two models.

There are lots of places to research the differences between sitka and Adirondack, so I won't go into them here.

Otherwise the guitars are nearly identical. The string spacing at the bridge is 1/16" wider on the Marquis (but not at the 12th fret), and the saddle is longer on the Marquis.

The fretboard radius is the same on both, as is the neck shape. Aside from the top wood, all other materials are the same (East Indian Rosewood back and sides, mystery hardwood neck and ebony fretboard).

I was surprised to see that both guitars have a glossy finish on their necks. A satin neck is generally considered to be "faster" than a gloss neck, and is preferred by most players. This is not a big problem...all it takes is a bit of 000 steel wool and 10 seconds of light rubbing to knock off the gloss.

If you find a Marquis, and can afford the cost difference, go for it. But research the top woods first to make sure you like what you read. Good luck!
Lofton

[ConnemaraGuitar]

There's an almost new 000-18 Marquis on eBay for a little over $3000. The seller ships to Europe. The 000-18 is essentially the same as the 000-42 except the 42 has the abalone inlay. The auction ends 7 October.

[replayboy]

Hi Guys,
Thanks very much for your time and effort, its still in the mix at the moment. For you info, the 00018 is a mahogany body ( massive difference in sound to Rosewood) and no abalone inlays, which if you read the reveiws also makes a difference?
I still welcome all your comments.
Cheers
Steve.

[ConnemaraGuitar]

Yep, you're right...I'm wrong. I did a quick eBay search and didn't look beyond the Adironack top. I totally agree with you...EIRW is way superior to mahogany, to my ear.

As for abalone inlays, I have never read anything to suggest that this adds to the sound of the instrument...just a lot to the price. The areas where inlays are placed are sonically dead on an acoustic, so they neither add to nor detract from the guitar's resonance. It's pretty stuff, though, and I've added abalone inlays to a couple of guitars.

[FFOGG]

It's a two hour drive from Philadelphia. Chris Martin frequently leads the guided tours.

Chris is good guy .....and he thinks highly of Anderson guitars

[Janine Doubly]

In my experience, the difference between a guitar with sitka spruce and the same with an Adirondack top, is pretty significant. Adirondack spruce's strength to weight ratio is much higher than Sitka. Typically you will hear a significant increase of dynamic range in an Ad top and a drier, more "vintagey" tone, as this is the type of spruce Martin used in the pre WWII era. I rarely have chosen Sitka over Adirondack, although some folks may beg to differ. Ad tops just seem to make guitars have a more visceral response and sound more "there".

[replayboy]

Hey Janine, Thanks for your reply,
It is what i would have guessed and just makes me want one even more:(
The frustration is i cant fund it right now at retail prices as i Just paid yesterday for my new Anderson hollow drop top T in light tigers eye burst, and let me tell you, the top is STUNNING. I will try to get some photos on when i can.
If anyone has a 00042 Marquis out the and looking to sell......;)
Anyone else have experience with the 00042 Marquis.?

[Janine Doubly]

Couple of other things different on the OOO-42 std and the Marquis version.

The bracing is different, I bet more forward shifted than the std. as well as a fossilized ivory bridge which is pretty cool.

Also, they use a more period correct tortoise guard material. Rather than the "dot matrix" tortoise guard used on the std.

You know, if you are looking for a killer Ad topped OOO short scale and can do without some of the "pretties" from the 42 styling...I would highly recommend looking into a Collings. You can easily order an ad top, choice of scale length (24.9) and neck profiles.

[replayboy]

Thanks for the reply Janine, I love Collings guitars and would guess a custom order for a short scale collings OM2H with a vintage V neck and most importantly the Adirondack top would come pretty close in price to a 00042 marquis? Do you know?:)

[Janine Doubly]

Price wise, at a retail of $7499.00, according to the Martin web site, the 000-42 Marquis, even if you can get it at a substantial discount, would still street out in the $4500.00 - $5000.00 range. That's a lot of jack to work with if you want to look into paying for a custom Collings. I don't want to poo poo the Martin, cause I think, right now, Martin is probably making some of the best guitars they've ever made, but you are paying a lot for ornamentation on the 42 style guitars that have nothing to do with sound. You could get 42 style ornamentation on the Collings as well, but obviously it will jack up the price on it. If you are just going for sound and meticulous construction, I think you'll find investing $4000.00 to $5000.00 on a Collings will be money well spent. If you want the luscious jewel like presentation of a 42 style ornamentation, the Martin would be a nice choice. If you want all of it (sound, construction and ornamentation), and can afford it, Collings' 42 style work, especially on the abalone and ivoroid work is just stunning. Their work on this kind of stuff is simply the best. IMHO, even Collings' basic stuff (like an OM1 or D1) is so well executed and the lines are so clean, they have a beauty all their own, without the need for lots of "pretties", but again, when Collings does do a full-tilt cowboy guitar, they have no peers.

[Harry]

I have a Collings D2H sitka top and it blew the doors off every Martin and Taylor I tried in the same price range and higher. I am sure the AD top may sound better but the Collings sitka top is world class IMO. It depends on what you really want and need. "Want" is always the better of the two though. Good luck!!