D-15SM

GGJaguar

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After playing the F-40 Traditional for nearly a week and a half, I felt inspired to switch over to the DCE3 for a few days after reading about Sandy scoring one. It’s quickly become one of my favs and is a great rock n roll machine. The DCE3, being an arch back, led me to the D-4. I only played it for day before putting it away. I’m sorry, but I’m just not a fan of Guild mahogany arch back guitars and I guess I never will be (the D-4’s days are numbered). And the back story brings me to the guitar on today’s play list – the Martin D-15SM. This is one of my most favorite acoustic guitars and it was a good way to get away from the D-4. :cool:

The D-15SM is a 12-fret all-mahogany guitar. Like the Guild D-15, it’s very basic and does not have body binding. The SM is actually an upgraded version of the original D-15S from the late 1990s and 2000s. The SM body is genuine Honduran mahogany and rosewood board and bridge while some S-models were sapele or sipo with a katalox board and bridge. It has a center seam reinforcing strip on the back (the original did not), a simple 2-ring maple rosette in place of the S-version’s decal rosette (yuck!), vintage style fretboard markers and headstock decal, and much better tuners. It has understated elegance.

It has my preferred 1 3/4” nut width so it fits like a glove. It has all the power, punch and volume you’d expect from a dreadnaught, but the mahogany top keeps the Martin “boom” under control thanks to the quicker decay rate. For me, this guitar is what the D-4/D-15/D-25 is for many LTGers. It’s a basic model that delivers. This one will remain on the guitar stand for another day or two. :)

D-15SM.jpg
 

BradHK

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Nice! I have a Martin with a slotted headstock and I LOVE the look but I HATE changing strings with that style. Maybe I just have not found the tricks to make it easier.
 

GGJaguar

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It plays nice, but it's a bright guitar compared to my other acoustics. It also doesn't seem to have the volume that I would expect from a dread. I think it would be absolutely great for recording just for those reasons.
 

GGJaguar

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The "S" is an antique designation that denotes "Standard" body which originally was 12-fret. However, the standard quickly changed from 12 to 14-fret, yet the S suffix was used to denote 12-fret until last year.

From http://onemanz.com/guitar/reviews/acoustic-guitars/martin/model-designation/ :

NOTE: Starting in 2022, 12-fret Martins have new names. The old convention was to use an S for “Standard” body size, as in 00-17S. The new convention puts a 12 on the left side of the dash and removes the S, since the 12-fret neck hasn’t been the standard design since 1934. The first models to receive the new naming convention are the 012-28 Modern Deluxe and the 0012-28 Modern Deluxe.
 

kitniyatran

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For what it's worth, My experience, and that of many is the arch back mahogany dreads usually are boomers.
 
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