The traditional Martin D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar features a top of solid spruce and back and sides of solid East Indian rosewood. Easy-playing neck and fretboard is a joy. Numerous deluxe-style appointments include wood herringbone rosette, black binding, tortoise pickguard, chrome-enclosed tuners, and a natural gloss top finish. Includes case.
Dreadnought body style Solid Sitka spruce top Solid East Indian rosewood back and sides Solid Spanish cedar neck FSC Certified Richlite fretboard and bridge Herringbone rosette Hybrid D1 bracing pattern Nut width 1-11/16" 25.4" scale neck 20 frets Includes hardshell caseEnjoy the modern Martin at an easy price.
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
Displaying reviews 1-10
Back to top
PreviousNext »
I would recommend this guitar to EVERYBODY who wants a high-end guitar! ..beginners or pro's alike!I always dreamt of owning a serious Martin-guitar. But whilst gettin older, ..more expirienced, ..but less fanatic,..I thought it wasn't that important anymore.
Especially because I own and owned a lot of different guitars...and tried-out a whole lot more. (even other Martins)
..and there are a lot of great guitars nowadays, and it doesn't always have to be an expensive one.
A couple of years ago, I fell in love with the high-end Alvarez dreads. So I bought me a MD95, ..and somewhat later a MD80. They both play like a dream, and I'm totally happy with the way they sound. They left me with nothin' left to wish for!
....however......
I had a little money to spend for myself, so I thought; Why not buy me a cheap Martin from the US (I live in the Netherlands), ..play it a while,..and then sell it again here in Holland. (gear is much more expensive overhere)..and maybe make a little profit or so.
...but...
...Nooo-way I'm gonna sell this baby!!
This baby sings!! ...and plays like butter..
Even with the thicker strings on it,..wich before was a big no-no for me.
I value playability more than loud sound!
But with this guitar,..I do have both! ....I'm totally in love with it!
DO-NOT make a big-deal of the fretboard and bridge "not being made of real wood"! I serously believe that it just makes the neck more stiff and resonant. Not to speak of the clearness of the tone all over the fretboard. totally NO DEATH NOTES! ..and funny thing; ..I last tuned it more than two weeks ago, when I first took it to the rehearsal with my acoustic folk-band.
I honestly haven't touched the tuners again...and it's still in tune!!
...eventough its winter overhere, it's been in and out my car, and inbetween stays in my cozy-warm-livingroom.
And yes,...if I had the money for it, I'd buy a D28, D35 or D42 or whatever-D(ream-guitar).
But I'd probably sell it eventually for a small profit...or when I get the itch for another dream-guitar....
....but this one,...stays!!
Only-"somewhat"-firstlook-downer; ....the diss-coloratian of the sitka-spruce top...that makes it look like it's totally not bookmatched.
At first I even thought to send it back to Mus.Friend,..along with an angry letter and my dissapointment on the deal... and if they thought they could get away with it just because I only live "on the other side of the world"..?!
But afther playing, and becoming increasingly "head-over-heals" with the playability, sound, volume, smell and quality,..I decided that the lighter-coloured streak in the wood,..reminded me of the gray hair-lock of Bonnie Raitt!
So now I think of it as "Mojo",..instead of something undesireble.
You're planning to buy a Martin? Go to a store where they have plenty of them. ..preferably also this model! Have someone blindfold you, and try out every Martin-dread..without you knowing wich model you're playing. Just use your ears and hands to guide you. Make a top-5 list of your favourite ones...
...I promise,..you'd be suprised!
Sorry for the "big lovestory", and my probable bad-english and certain gram.faults,...but I thought I'd share a bit of my good feelin''bout my latest win.
grtz. from across the big water.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.I bought this guitar when I was 15 years old. I had a 150 moneys denver short scale guitar that I learned on, but now that I was older, I wanted the tone that comes with a real guitar. My dad took me all around toronto to all the music stores, and we played every acoustic we could find to see what stood out. I was still uniformed about particular brand names at the time, so the only thing I could go on was the sound of the guitar (which actually was a good thing)
The D16RGT stood out among all the rest, except for one exceptionally well made taylor (not usually a fan, not enough bottom end). however, it costed about 900 more, and 15 year olds paying by themselves generally dont have 2300 to just drop haha.
I loved the bright balanced tone, the sound really projected, the guitar had great dynamics, and when played hard, didnt lose its tone like some others. It surprisingly sounded better than a $3200 martin sitting next to it.
Over the years, I modified it very little, and there was little reason too. It already came with Tusq nut and saddle (man made ivory, which apparently sounds equal or better than bone) so all I really did was add a fishman battery powered pick up, which didnt affect the tone at all. It was useful for recording before I got a decent mic, and for live shows.
I've now had this guitar about 5 years, and it has beautifully. it has completely opened up in sound. the body has some scratches and dents in it, but thats entirely my fault. Fret board has zero wear on it, even though I play every day. This guitar has been in multiple shows, and recordings, and jam sessions. works perfect in every situation. Also, I am a huge Beatles fan, and I find that with the elixir polyweb strings, I can get the chirping G out of the guitar that John gets with his Gibson Acoustic. The guitar is also well suited for basically every song I have ever played on it. From Yesterday and Blackbird to Green day's wake me up when september ends and Before the Lobotomy.
The ease of playing is also the best of any acoustic I have ever played. Honestly. My friend even said about 3 days ago, and I quote "...yeah, its like, when I play my guitar, its okay, but then I play Jimmy's guitar, and I'm so much better. Then I pick up your guitar and suddenly everything is so much easier to play and sounds 10x better!"
There are really only 2 cons with this guitar, first being that the B string's tuner creaks when tuning, though it doesnt affect the tuning at all. The other, is that my Friends love it so much, they pick it up and wont give it back!
If you want to hear how this guitar actually sounds, no pressure, but you can check out my youtube channel, TheBx2, both raw and eq'ed sound.
And after this extremely long review, I would say overall, I would recommend this guitar to anybody at all, except maybe kids who might need a smaller guitar.
Though remember the golden rule, your ear is always right. This review means nothing if you dont personally like the sound. And dont forget, 2 identical guitars can sound completely different, so listen to all the things that matter when you pick up this guitar.
thats it.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.
(6 of 7
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
- You may also flag this review
I have owned my Martin D-16RGT for about 7 years now. For those of you who recently bought one and love the sound, wait until a couple of years have passed and it really opens up! Everyone I know who owns or has played a D-28 swears this sounds just as good or better. The wood ages beautifully, especially the spruce top. It has a dark amber hue that I have yet to see on a D-28, or any other guitar for that matter. This thing has been everywhere and it's still just as solid as ever. The fretboard and bridge are micarta, which I wasn't sure about at first, but most people wouldn't even know the difference except the micarta fretboard shows NO signs of wear after 7-8 years of play. I highly recommend this instrument. This is definitly my favorite acoustic of the many I've owned over the years. I expect my grandchildren will be playing this one long after I'm gone! Stop shopping around and go with top Martin quality at a reasonable price.Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.Ilove the smell, the feel, the looks, the sound,mmmmmm!
This is one awesome guitar. It is like a d28 with over drive. I love the satin back and gloss top. I would prefer the neck to be satin finish, but I dont think twice about it anymore after owning it now for a year. It is probably my favorite guitar of all. I do own a d28 but I can't say it is better than this one. You really need both lol!!
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.This guitar played well and sounded great. I thought it was a great buy until after a few years it started to fall apart. I have a friend who's D-16RGT did the same thing. Both the top and bottom of the guitar have spit apart and the bottom is coming loose from the side. It's had a humidifier in the case since day one. Finally going to check on how much to repair but it may be more cost effective to just buy a different guitar.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.I was looking at D18's and D35's. I came across the D16RGT. I sat for hours playing and listening to each of them. The D16RGT for the price and tone won out. I changed out the tuners to Waverley's and replaced the nut, pins and saddle with fossilized bone. It really opened up and brought out the sweetness in tone. I'm very pleased. I highly recommend.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.I thought I was in love with Taylors (and I still love them) but when I picked up this particular Martin, I quickly changed my mind. It is everything I've ever wanted in an acoustic. Quality through and through, solid, beautiful rich sound. I like how easy Taylors are to play but I find this guitar even easier to sound like a pro. I highly recommend it.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
. I give the D-16RGT high marks... it hasn't opened up yet.. so kind of tight on the sound... seems like it might be closer to the D-28 in sound vs. the D-41 Special (less overtones)....
I recently sold my 2006 Martin D-41 Special... and was looking to acquire a lower end Martin that I wouldn't have as much $$ tied up in,.. and had less "bling".... but,... I still wanted that great Martin sound!!
Nice solid wood Martin guitar. I actually prefer the Micarta fretboard... very solid & consistent...
This is your plain Jane solid wood guitar.... but nice features. I like the new metal decal for the headstock.
The low-profile oval neck provides nice action... I have smaller hands and don't have any problem with quick position changes... bar chords, etc.
I replaced the Tusq saddle & plastic pins with bone. Also, I installed the new L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup which, due to the modified X bracing, I had to manufacture small oak blocks and glue them between the control assembly and the sound board around the oval hole (not an operation for the faint at heart,.. nor for those who are afraid of mod'g their guitar).... the sound produced by the Anthem is **unbelievable**!!
I sent the first D-16 RGT back to Custom Guitars Friend because it had white mold growing on the inside of the guitar body.... must have been one of the underwater guitars when Nashville flooded ?? ;-) yes... I know they're from Nazereth, PA... not Nashville.
I don't like the bright white binding around the fretboard & guitar body.... Martin why you couldn't have you put something similar to what Epiphone puts on their $250 dreads and it would have looked WAY more classy than this flourescent white stuff?
I don't mind the satin back and sides,.. and in fact find that I'm not stressing over whether I scratched them or not.
As I mentioned earlier,... I replaced saddle & pins..... I also have a bone nut that I intend to replace the Corian one with.
Despite that I put a couple of very very small dings in the gloss finish near the bridge,... the overall value of this guitar has increased remarkably since I upgraded the saddle, pins, and installed the L.R. Baggs anthem.
So, it's definitely a keeper!
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.I bought my D-16 RGT for my bithday in 2003. I gave myself a budget of $1500 with an aside of $200 more if something really caught me. I played Taylor, Santa Cruz, Gibson, Larrivee, Breedlove ect. I liked all of the guitars and each had their own strong suits. And though in my heart I wanted a Martin just for the sake of "I wanted a Martin" but I was objective. Thankfully the clerk was a really good player and I had him play them for me so I could listen also. It was a tough choice and though I know I would have been happy with any of the guitars I tried, I picked the Martin. And after 7 years I am still very happy. As for D-28 owners, I have played on and off for years with two brothers who are diehard Martin players, each have a D28 and honestly felt my guitar sounded and played as good as theirs.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.I purchased a D16 GT that had two small cracks in the sides. I returned the guitar and upgraded to a D-16 RGT. This guitar had a defective top with blemishes all over the wood. I returned this guitar and finally received a D-16RGT without defects. The guitar, however sounds very muddy and does not play the B chord in an acceptable manner. I would not recommend this product. The fact Martin let's a 1000 dollar plus guitar out of the door with these cracks, blemishes, and inferior sounding products is a shame.
Martin 16 Series D-16RGT Dreadnought Guitar Natural
.