Martin DX Johnny Cash - Jett Black Reviews

We are musicians and guitar players. Who cares if the guitar is not made from some fancy high dollar wood as long as it plays and sounds great. This cash guitar is very well designed and made and I love it! I added a cool little decal

I've played many dreadnaughts but good sounding ones were out of my price ranges. I tripped over this Johnny Cash Martin DX and watched several videos and read reviews... all were pretty much glowing so I thought I'd give it a whirl. The Sweetwater staff (Kyle Zilloux) lived up to their reputation for helpfulness, competence and responsiveness. The guitar actually arrived 2 days earlier than its expected date, well packaged and in flawless condition. FedEx was supposed to get my signature, but they just dropped it off. Luckily I was home. The Cash signature gig case is very nice but the guitar is a showpiece. It sounds as good to me as a Martin D-35, full and resonant with astounding high notes and bass notes that hang in the air. I haven't tried the electronics because I seldom play using a pre-amp. The guitar itself is gorgeous with low action and slightly more space between the strings than both my 1969 Martin 000-18 and my Ovation Elite, making it feel better suited to my hands than either of those two. I know without a doubt this will be my goto instrument. Much of the guitar is composite material, something that intrigues me. I don't see a downside to it. It sounds great, plays great and the price is great.

Got this Cash Martin awhile back and didn't know what to expect. Always wanted a Martin and grew up listening to Cash. It was great right out of the box! Really cool guitar. I added a Tonewood amp to it and it is amazing with or without the Tonewood amp device. Nice guitar for the money seriously.

You cant beat the quality and playability of this great guitar! If I had it to do over again, I'd order this same guitar, I love love love it! Sounds great!!!

Holy HPL Batman! Arrived today and I broke Sweetwater's rule #1, didn't wait 24 hours - figured what the hell I bought it to play outside anyway. The sound is full, medium/loud, and with EJ16 PB12's on it with a Sweetwater setup has a tone that is more to the bass than treble side which I prefer. The look is great you can tell it isn't wood but someone that doesn't play would have no clue unless they were on top of it. Tune's up easily and plays like butter. No buzz I could find, harmonics all intact, action as good maybe even better than my other Martin, Guild and Taylor. I was expecting a couple disappointments in this price range for sure the pickup? Nope even though I think the in hole volume and tone set ups are wonky on any guitar, it sounds just fine through my Fishman Loudbox mini. Bought the Gator hard-shell case, I hate gig bags. If I have to fins one thing wrong with it I agree with the guy that said the decal around the sound hole is beneath a Martin named guitar and not real fond of the large font "CASH" either. In conclusion here, BUY IT. Kudos to Matt Stockburger.

This is a great value Martin! Plays and sounds like my higher end, but less to worry about taking this one around the water and out on the boat. I love the black finish. I'm a little hard on my instruments and this one will hold up to some abuse.

Sweetwater had it set up perfectly. Tuned and playable right out of the box.

Listen, I've had two Martins prior to this: a D16GT and a D42 Custom. They were incredible, of course, but this Cash model is superb as well. I was looking for a writing and recording guitar that would travel well and not break the bank. The sound is throaty and full carrying the low-end I like for my music but doesn't conpromise on the pretty higher-end fluorishes. It records great both DI and mic'd. It's black, it says "Cash" and has stars on the fretboard. I think it's Bada**!

I was a music major in college and started picking up guitar 25 years later. I've got to say this guitar just sounds amazing. The lows are nice and deep and rich, the action is really nice! Besides being a beautiful guitar, Martin did just a fantastic job designing it, it's got a nice feel to it and I am over the top excited about picking it up every time to play!

I ordered this on Wednesday and it came in today on Friday morning. That's some quick delivery service if you ask me. I am just simply blown away at the quality and sound of this beautiful instrument. The 55 point system you fine folks use to set up guitars , is awesome. This baby has prefect action and stays in tune forever ! It has a very nice weight to it and just the look of it screams quality. I just went back to playing last August after being away for 3 years due to a hand injury and since then, I have played nothing but X-Series Martins of which I now have 3, thanks to this one. I own a OMCX1E and a DX2-AE in burst and this one blows the both of them away easily. This was my first time buying a guitar from Sweetwater and the level of service that I have received , is top notch. It's too bad all of the other online retailers can't provide quality service like I have gotten. Well it's their loss IMO . Well done Sweetwater and thanks !

Pretty much a martin guy but had some reservations buying another hpl guitar. Way stoked that I did. No serine after being in various extreme climates. Perfect for practice anywhere guitar, fireside, riverside, Oceanside. Anything outdoor. And the sound is that Martin sound asleep thought would be sacrificed on a lower end, and how no less. Thanks Hanks Christian, and Johnny!

Highly recommend it

First off, this does NOT sound like a cheap guitar. It sounds HUGE acoustically with deep, thundering bass. Made with modern materials it can easily withstand years of banging around in a tour trailer or getting checked in airline baggage. I bought a hard case just for that purpose. This guitar set up very nicely and plays great. Makes me wonder why I spend money on more expensive guitars. This is a HUGE value. The soft case is plenty thick and has very cool embroidered white CASH and star logo. All you need for local open mics. If you play rockabilly, country, or even a few Cash tunes, this can be a conversation starter for sure.

I love it. Got it sitting in my man cave. Bautiful sound. Would recommend Sweetwater to anyone who loves music. It arrived just as you said it would on the day you said it would

So happy to write a review for this guitar and company. I had visited this site many times before making my first purchase. All previous reviews I had read on different items led me to believe Sweetwater would be a great company to purchase from. When I saw the Martin DX Johnny Cash guitar I knew I was ready for my first order. I ordered my guitar from Jake Trethaway on a Friday and received it on Monday! Could not be happier with the service! The guitar arrived doubled boxed. It was in tune and the intonation was spot on. All the paper work you need was there and even a bag of candy. Jake has already called a couple of times checking on my order and how everything is going. I could not find one flaw in the guitar, wonderful sound, the electronics worked great and all is well. Thank you for making my first purchase a great experience. I would not hesitate to purchase from Sweetwater again!

Well...Saw it, and had to have it. I love Johnny Cash, and I love Martin guitars. I have owned an HPL Martin for many years, my original is so old it was made in the USA. As always, I picked up the phone and called Jeff Bohan to get me one on order. Jeff is absolutely the best there is! Always makes time to answer my questions, and always follows up. I love my guitar, just a blast to play!

I own several high end guitars to include d-28's, Taylor 410e-r, Larrivee and Gibson. I didn't expect the sound that came out of this guitar when I plugged it in. Fit and finish is perfect. Guitar arrived in tune which blew my mind! Sweetwater was very helpful with this purchase and I am extremely satisfied.

I have two great heroes - Jonny Cash, whom I grew up with, and Martin Guitars. That said - there was no way I was passing up this guitar. I had been looking and waiting for a travel type guitar for a while now. When I heard there was a Johnny Cash DX coming - I waited. a couple days ago I checked the stores to see if it had been released yet - sadly it was not. then yesterday, my good friends at Sweetwater sent me an email letting me know it was in stock. I was pumped. I called my guitar guy at Sweetwater and ordered one. the next day (today), it arrived.

I will say this - I have only ever bought the higher end American made Martins (going back to the 80s) - Everything from the D-28 to the Modern Deluxe. Matin makes this finest guitars in the world. There is nothing that comes close. If you do not understand the amazing Martin build process, go to youtube and watch their factor tours. There you will see a fine collection of luthiers with hundreds of years of experience building Martin guitars. As you watch, you will realize the luthiers that are making the guitars for Martin are not the first generation - their parents, grand parents, and even great grand parents have all worked for and made guitars their entire lives. You will see a love and appreciation that is only found at the Martin Guitar factor.

That said, I really had no idea what I would get from the Martin Mexican factories. I had never purchased an HPL type guitar - which are all made in their Mexico factories.

Let me say - I was not disappointed. Every part of this HPL guitar was built using the same standard as the best American made Martin guitars. The Action was perfect, the frets were perfect, the tuning and ability to hold a tuning - all perfect.

You can bet if you buy a Martin, this one in particular, you will get an extremely well built guitar that is on par with the highest end Martins - the only difference being the material (HPL).

I was worried the tuning system would be sub-par or the action would need adjusting - and possibly the frets would need work. I have many guitars and a lot of these things are typical adjustments that are usually needed - even on the hight end guitars.

I will say I was pleasantly surprised that all of those things were perfect out of the box. it was even in tune when it arrived.. When you look at the DX, you will appreciate the quality of craftsmanship it has. Not just the body, but all the pieces mentioned above - tuners, head, neck, bridge, action - all of it. it was held to Chris Martin's high standards and it did not disappoint.

Feel: I have many Martin guitars. All of them are amazing. One key aspect of tall of them is the weight. My 000-17, for example, was a guitar I purchased to be my travel guitar. it was amazing in many ways and weighted next to nothing. the only problem was - it was susceptible to humidity. I ended up having to take lots of precautions with it. That simply did not work for me so I went looking for an HPL guitar. One I would not have to worry about if left in the car - with varying temperatures and humidity. The HPL solves all of those worries.

The weight is the only criticism I can find with it. it is definitely heavier than the soli wood Matins. it is not that big of a deal, but it is heavier. BUT - if you want a guitar that is well built and can take anywhere without worry of weather or atmosphere conditions - this is the tradeoff.

Marin said they make these HPL guitars to make their brand accessible to the public who are on a budget. I kept asking - how could buying one of these give those on a budge the Martin experience? I thought you had to buy a high end Martin to get the Martin experiece. I can now tell you how. All the things demanded of the high end American built guitars - are here in these Mexican made guitars. All the hard word that goes into making one is clearly here - solid tuning gears, flawless action, superb craftsmanship, and attention to detail.

I purchased many guitars in this price range early in life and found it frustrating to keep it in tune and get then action right. (I was fortunate to discover Martin way back when - and learned what a well made guitar was). it gave me a measuring stick with which all other guitars would be compared to.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that all the detail that went into all my other Maritn guitars was clearly present in this one. it sounds awesome, it has great action, and the tuning system is perfect.

if you don't own a Martin and are considering this one - be assured it's awesome. You can't go wrong with this one. it's another proud product from Martin.

Johnny Cash + Martin = Awesome!

First of all, 5 stars for Sweetwater the guitar arrived double boxed with high quality foam packaging which definitely saved it from being damaged by the notoriously bad APO system. The guitar is really good but not great. It is about what you would expect for the price. It feels a little cheap compared to all of the other Martins I have played, but to be fair those cost at least twice as much. The tone and playability were surprisingly good. It isn't too loud because the body is a little more rigid that I expected but the tone isn't dead or muffled which is pretty amazing. I like the width of the neck as well since I have bigger hands. My only real critique is the inlays could be a lot nicer. They seem a little cheap.

I'm a K-5 music teacher and huge Johnny Cash fan. My day to day "Coming Around the Mountain" guitar is a Taylor Mahogany mini A/E. Here's the scoop on the Cash DX with a few comparisons to the Taylor.

Case: This is cheap, slightly better than an ultra-thin gig bag. The Taylor mini case is better suited for travel.

Back, sides, top: I have seen the future and it is HPL. I'm very impressed with how stable this material is and how well it sounds. It's somewhere between solid Mahogany and Spruce if that makes any sense tone wise.

Bridge: Good enough. Probably composite.

Frettboard: The richlite is good stuff. Smoother and more stable than Ebony and Rosewood boards I've played. The CASH and stars are screen-printed decals and not inlays to let anyone interested know.

Fretwork: Very smooth... Seems like stainless steel, but it could be composite.

Neck: Very well contoured. A bit on the "chunky" side with a 16" radius, but still playable for medium and larger hands (I wear a size large golf glove and this is easier to play than the mini).

Nut: Well cut. Synthetic, but I won't be replacing it.

Tuners: Stiff, and I'll probably replace them with Grover 102c tuners like the real deal $4800 Cash guitar has when I change the strings.

Headstock: Well tilted, classy Martin logo.

Stock strings: Very good. Not sure if I'll keep the same strings or swap them for elixir brand yet.

Overall look: Outstanding.

Intangibles: As a dude who will be making less than $60K a year for a long time who has a family to support, this is a great escape. I get to play Folsom Prison without leaving my house. Also, I predict this guitar will keep it's value or appreciate over time depending on Martin's production plans.

Overall sound: It doesn't resonate quite as well as the Taylor, but still sounds really good.

Things Martin could improve:

1. Put the real… Grover tuners on this bad axe so I don't have to- even if I have to pay...up front.

2. Provide a gig bag similar to the one that comes with a Taylor Mini for easy travel. Otherwise, the extra $... is just for a regular black DX with a few CASH decals.

I had ordered this one from here over 2 weeks ago, and am highly disappointed . When I got it in, it was set up beautifully , stayed in tune, and just sounded great. Anyway, after a week , I went to change the strings using a set of Martin Bronze 12-54, which is the same gauge that it came strung with, and after doing so, I noticed that on the high E string, there were some dead spots most notably between the 10 th and 15th frets which really pissed me off. I contacted my rep Anthony, who has been great about this issue and he emailed me a shipping ticket so that I could send it back. I'm not blaming Sweetwater for this but rather, Martin , who when I called them to explain this, talked down to me as if I was some idiot. I have been playing for over 50 years now, and I do think I know my way around a guitar as far as playing and set ups go. Because of this issue and Martin's attitude, I will never pick up a X-Series ever again.

I have a few Martin's... the HPLs are not wood, so don't expect it to sound like a booming Martin. It Wood sound better if it had a solid wood top. But it's a beauty and it sounds pretty good plugged in. Nice beach, park, backyard guitar which I will try at the Pub... I have to say, the service at Sweetwater is second to none. I'm keeping it!!!