Megatellica

The moment I figured out there was a signature Martin that was based on Johnny Cash's legendary Martin I had to get my hands on one. At my time of purchases it was nearly impossible to get one in the Netherlands but eventually I managed to find one. I absolutely LOVE it. As we all know Martin is well known for their quality but also their price, which is averagely quite high. For 800 euro's, in the average european store, you get an amazing guitar. Now granted, for that price you can get a beautiful guitar from any other brand, so why would you get this one ? If you're a Cash fan it's an open-and-shut case, but what if you're not ? Well for the price you get a relatively cheap Martin that is excellently build. The guitar comes with a fishman pickup that is hidden away so you won't even notice it's there. It plays well and the weight is nicely balanced out, so playing with a strap is very comfortable. The guitar also comes with a very nice and sturdy custom Johnny Cash gigbag, which is a very nice touch. Are there any downsides ? Well I can honestly only think of one, the guitar has a matte finish, every single scratch, dent, or finger will be seen on it. I try to keep it as clean as I can and I try not to wear any shirts with buttons when I use it, as it'll definitely leave very visible marks on the guitar. Granted a guitar is made to be used, but I try to keep my guitars as clean as possible so I can enjoy them as long as possible. That might be hard with this one, as usage is very obvious and this guitar is very hard to put down once you grab it....

This was my first OWN guitar , after months of playing and practicing on my dad's guitars he bought me the guitar I dreamt of , a Gibson explorer. (Gibson explorer 2009 model) And it still brings me joy to this day 8 years later. Over these 8 years I've played a few different music genre's going from trash metal to rock n roll down to blues and it sounds amazing in all 3 genre's. You could be playing some old school metallica and switch to buddy holly moments later on and with some tweeking on the amp it gives you the exact sound you're looking for. It's a mahogany body carrying standard 500T and 496R gibson pickups. The only downside for me on this guitar is the weight, If you're playing at home or are sitting down It's no problem however standing on a stage for 2 to 3 hours could be a horror show for someone with a bad back. If you don't mind the weight it's an excellent guitar for it's price, pre-owned and a little cheaper especially.

In 2016 I saw a few of these hanging around in Chicago guitar shops, went back home and the regret I had of not buying one was immense. Fast forward 2 years and I had one imported to the Netherlands, by far one of the best Silvertone/Harmony guitars in my collection. I mainly use the guitar for slide as the action is pretty much perfect for that. The Silver foil pickups do their job, as expected, the neck is pretty thick but if that's something you like you'll love playing one of these. I always find that Silvertone and Harmony guitars are hit or miss, I lucked out with this one.

I've been very interested in brands like Silvertone, Harmony etc throughout the years. A few years back when I was in the German music store Köln I saw this beautiful reissue. Tried it and took it with me not 1 hour later. I had spend no more than 200 euro's and gained a great new guitar for slide. With the right amp you can create an amazing deep swamp sound and I'm in love with it. The body however feel's cheaply produced (then again weren't all silvertones as well ?) but the lipstick pickups sound amazing. I've noticed that now they're out of production they're selling for more and more pre-owned, and I understand why. If you ever come across one I truly recommend you try it out and you will not regret it.