PRODUCT REVIEW
MARTIN
SWOMGT
BY GAYLA DRAKE PAUL
C.F. Martin set a benchmark a long time ago for acoustics,
and they pretty much own the dreamscape of the aspiring
guitarist. My dad bought me a Martin D- 28 when I was still
in junior high school, whetting the appetite for high-quality
guitars that landed me in PG heaven. The other thing
about me that’s relevant here is that I have been a passionate tree-hugger for at least as long as I’ve been a connoisseur of things made from them, so when Martin introduced
their Sustainable Wood series, I paid attention.
Cherry, Katalox and...Diaperwood...?
The guitar we got to review is an OM, which is a size and
shape I love. The neck and back are made of sustain-ably grown cherry wood, while the fretboard and bridge
are made from a recently discovered wood from Central
America called katalox. Ranging from brown to dark purple,
it’s very dense, and takes a high polish extremely well.
Katalox is not hugely abundant, but I like it better than rosewood for a fretboard, so I’m hoping that it gets targeted for
more cultivation. The fretboard width is 1. 75", which makes
this guitar a fingerstyle machine.
