Martin D-1GT and OM-1GT are great guitars for the price and a major step up from most guitars under a grand

List Price: $1,249 Street Price: Under $900

Martin’s 1 Series guitars have been upgraded with a gloss top and an Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge. The facelift makes the new 1s look like much more expensive guitars. When seen from across the room even astute Martin fans may mistake them for the loftier 18 Series.

Even with the extra money charged for the upgrades, the 1 Series offers a lot of guitar for relatively little cost. They feature an all-solid wood body with African sapele back and sides under a Sitka spruce top, a maple bridgeplate and Modified Hybrid X bracing similar to that found on the more expensive 16 Series.

A 1 Series guitar features a comfy Modified Low Oval neck of Stratabond, a composite material used as gunstocks and ideal for guitar necks that require strength and stability under a lot of stress. Martin was fortunate to come upon Stratabond when looking for an alternative to rare and exotic tropical woods. Their guitars with Stratabond necks have a unique and charming ring, especially when compared to other guitars in their price range. That might explain why I saw three different people playing Martin 1 Series guitars this past summer on a single afternoon while strolling through a New York City park.
More than once I heard someone at the factory playing music that sounded “pretty” and looked over to see they were picking one of these new 1 Series guitars. People who are turned off by the Stratabond neck may change their mind when they hear how nice they sound.

All Martins made with that neck seem to have a special ring. I know many guitars have been said to have a bell-like quality to the ring coming off the fundamentals in the treble. Well, I think the 1 Series made today really does sound like bells at times. The X Series guitars do as well, but they are made with a high pressure laminate material for the top, back and sides as well as the non-wood neck. These 1 Series guitars have a lot more solid wood behind that bell-like ring, and it sounds it.

These guitars are not related to the original 1 Series from the 1990s. Those guitars were still nice, but represented Martin’s first modern attempt to enter the Under-a-Grand marketplace. They were made with laminated mahogany back and sides and a sparse bracing system, that I believe is identical to the one used on the new 1s and some other modestly priced Martins today. These modern 1s have solid wood for everything except the neck and neckblock.

Now that it has an Indian rosewood bridge and fingerboard, the new D-1GT resembles the classic D-18. So, Martin is shifting Style 1 to be a budget version of Style 18. A wise move, as the 1 Series better fits the classic Martin look while making things less confusing for new costumers unfamiliar with the often tangled web of Martin model evolution.

Whether the budget-minded guitarist wants a Martin dreadnought, with its big, bass-heavy voice, or the balance and cutting projection of the auditorium size OM, the D-1GT and OM-1GT have a lot to offer for well under $800.

Pros: With traditional Martin looks, a competitively priced option for the player ready to move up from a starter instrument and invest in a “real guitar.”

Cons: Skimpy bracing leads to some shrill distortion during hard strumming. Tuners were inconsistent, Stratabond neck may turn some people off.

Bottom Line: When compared to the pricier 16 Series, other than the bracing, the 1 Series Martins cut costs where they matter least while offering all-solid wood bodies that will improve with age, just like their more expensive cousins.

And that is one man’s word on…