[DawnsMinstrel]

Hi Ron, it's worth a shot for sure. They do seem to work pretty well. The reason I wound up getting one was because of what happened with the DCX-1E so I maybe I'll take this opportunity to add my opinion regarding the question of quality of lower end martins.

Here's my story:

I was looking for a cutaway electro-acoustic that was in the 500-800 price range. The DCX-1E really impressed me. Somehow, in spite of being a laminate it really sounded nice and played well. Very easy to finger. So I picked one up for $600. Within 5 months it had developed a crack right down the middle of the sound board starting at the saddle and going all the way down.

This guitar lived in the same place as my almost 30 year-old D-35 which has endured much harsher conditions without a single crack. I took the guitar back to where I'd purchased it and was told that the warranty didn't cover the damage because it was due to my negligence letting it get too dry. They wanted $190 to fix it so I walked out of the store vowing never to buy anything there again.

I contacted Martin directly and got no response at all one way or the other. So I took it to a local Luthier who told me that the guitar was made almost entirely out of formica-only the soundboard is actually solid wood, and that the bracing on the sound board was also not up to Martin's standards for their higher end models. He fixed the crack for 50 bucks.

Someone else told me that the reason the DCX-1E cracked and the D-35 hasn't probably has to do with the fact that the wood used for newer guitars isn't as thoroughly dried before use. The luthier told me this was probably BS but I don't know who to believe.

Anyway, in the end, if I was told to keep it well humidified when I bought it (I don't remember but it's not as if I didn't know this) it's technically my fault that this happened. It's just that it was a shock after so many years without problems with the D-35, and with Martin not even responding to my inquiry.

So to those who say that the DX-martins are of good quality, I have to disagree based on what the luthier told me and my experience. They are not "real" Martins. They are not manufactured in the same way or using the same materials and standards of construction as are used at the factory. They are mass-produced and stamped with Martin's name and that's about it. I don't know if I'll even buy a Martin again after not even getting a response out of them when I contacted them.

Fingerstyle guitarists should check out Breedlove and Lowden. But be prepared to spend some money.

-DM