Martin Carpathian Cannon Dreadnought
(MattG | Posted 2010-02-24)
Martin recently introduced a new line of guitars to its arsenal. The Carpathian Cannon guitars are more of an experiment for Martin. They are available with Rosewood or Mahogany back and sides and the only available body size is a dreadnought. Instead of the standard Sitka spruce, the guitars use Carpathian spruce. It has similar characteristics to the premium tonewood Adirondack, which is becoming harder to find and carries a hefty price. Carpathian spruce is fairly new compared to the standard spruces but if these guitars get a good response, we will probably see a lot more Carpathian soundboards in all the manufactures.
The only difference between the two Cannons is the back and side material. The Mahogany and the Rosewood models are very similar to a D-18 and a D-28 respectively. The Mahogany Cannon will be brighter and have nice clear highs. It comes in about three hundred more than a traditional D-18 but I think the Carpathian spruce will be worth it. The Rosewood Cannon is also about three hundred more than the D-28. The Rosewood will be deep and punchy like the D-28 but will probably have a little better sustain and better bass response.
Both guitars have the classic dovetail neck joint and also feature an ebony fretboard and bridge. The Rosewood has a nice Herringbone-style binding and the Mahogany has a dark binding very similar to the D-18. They both have Nickel Gotoh Butterbean tuners and include a hardshell case. No electronics are offered. The retail price is $2760.50 and $3118.00 for Mahogany and Rosewood respectively and have a street price of $2299 and $2599. If you are looking to purchase a D-18 or a D-28, I highly recommend looking at the Cannons. The Carpathian spruce should add some characteristics that the standard lines just wont have.
