u/Caramelo93

Every guitar after these is just GAS. I’ve got everything I need right here. No more, no less.

Last summer, at 31 years old, I bought my first Martin. A Martin D28.

For almost 20 years I’ve been mainly an electric guitar player. Acoustics were always something I admired from a distance. Back when I was a teenager, owning a Martin felt completely out of reach. A kind of “maybe one day” dream. Maybe a D18 if life went well. A D28 if I got really lucky.

Then one random summer afternoon, while browsing a music store website, I found a brand new D28 heavily discounted because the shop was clearing stock before the 2025 lineup arrived. In Europe they usually go for around €3600–3700. This one was €2400.

I didn’t think too much about it. I bought it.

When it arrived and I opened the case, I just stared at it for a while. I was excited, but also a little overwhelmed. I suddenly owned a guitar I had dreamed about for years… except I’m not really an acoustic player. I know a bit of fingerpicking, but electric guitar has always been my comfort zone. I didn’t know many acoustic songs, wasn’t used to the feel of it, and honestly didn’t really know how to give a guitar like that the attention it deserved.

Still, every guitarist friend who tried it immediately understood what it was.

Three months later, my first daughter was born.

Since then, free time has basically disappeared. And when I did get a chance to play guitar, I almost always picked up my electric guitars first. The Martin mostly stayed in its case. Every now and then I’d take it out, tune it properly, let it breathe a little, play for half an hour, then put it away again.

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about selling it.

I already own a Les Paul and a Strat, and for years I’ve wanted to complete the classic trio with a Telecaster. Realistically, I knew I’d probably play a Tele much more than the Martin right now.

So I listed it for sale.

I talked with a few people, and one guy in particular was very serious about buying it. We arranged to meet so he could try it properly. It felt real at that point.

And that’s when the doubts started.

I suddenly had this horrible feeling that I was making a mistake. A Telecaster could come and go anytime. But I knew that the moment the D28 left my house, I’d regret it.

Years ago I sold a Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster and I still regret that sometimes, and that was just a €400 impulse buy.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about selling the Martin.

At some point I got out of bed, went to the room furthest from the bedrooms, closed the door, and took the guitar out of its case.

I started playing almost like I was saying goodbye to it. Quietly, because it was the middle of the night. Soft strumming, fingerpicking, random chords… just playing without thinking too much.

When I finally stopped, more than two hours had passed.

I put the guitar back in its case and just stood there looking at it in silence.

That was the moment I knew.

The Martin stays.

I explained everything to the buyer the next day, expecting him to be annoyed, but he completely understood. He just told me to enjoy the guitar, which honestly made me appreciate the whole situation even more.

Someday my daughter will grow up and I’ll have more time to play again. And when that time comes, this guitar will still be here waiting for me.

And I’m very glad I didn’t let it go.

I’m thinking about adding a Telecaster to complete my “holy trinity” of guitars. Right now I’ve got a Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s and a Fender Stratocaster AVII 1961, so a Tele is the missing piece.

I’m currently torn between two options: the AVII 1951 Telecaster in Butterscotch Blonde and the AVII 1963 Telecaster in Surf Green.

I’ve had the chance to try the ‘63, and I really like the neck profile. It feels comfortable and easy to play. The only issue is that, aesthetically, it’s my second choice. I’m much more drawn to the look of the ‘51.

The problem is I haven’t been able to try the ‘51 in person, and I’d have to order it through a shop. My concern is the neck profile. My Les Paul already has quite a chunky neck, and it’s honestly right at the limit of what I find comfortable. If the ‘51 Tele neck is significantly thicker than that, I’m not sure I’d be able to get along with it.

So I wanted to ask: how does the AVII ‘51 neck compare in terms of thickness and feel? Is it noticeably chunkier than a Les Paul 50s neck? And for those who’ve played both the ‘51 and ‘63 AVII Teles, how big is the difference in practice?

Any input or personal experience would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

I recently picked up a Greer Lightspeed overdrive pedal.

When I first started building my pedalboard, the first overdrive I bought was the Archer Ikon, which I had seen in several reviews praised for pairing really well with guitars like a Les Paul. That turned out to be true. Through that guitar, it delivers a very pleasing, vintage-style tone that works great for ‘70s blues rock and similar styles.

However, I noticed that it doesn’t get along nearly as well with my Stratocaster.
The low-end roll-off typical of Klon-style circuits like the Archer Ikon tends to make the Strat sound a bit nasal and thin, which wasn’t what I was going for. My base tone with the Strat, running through a Cali76 compressor, is quite full and balanced. But when I engage the Ikon, that balance and some of the sparkle the compressor adds, seems to get lost.

Because of that, I started looking for an overdrive that would preserve my core tone and simply add a very subtle clipping. Something closer to the sound of a Fender blackface amp pushed right to the edge of breakup.

After doing some research on forums and elsewhere, I kept seeing very positive comments about the Greer Lightspeed, so I decided to give it a try. And it really does what people say: it adds a bit of gain and clipping without significantly altering the fundamental character of the guitar and amp.

With the tone control set around noon, it sounds very transparent to my ears. If anything, there might be a slight emphasis in the high frequencies (a touch of extra brightness) but it’s subtle enough that I’m not entirely sure whether it’s actually there or just my perception.

Overall, I think it’s been a great purchase.

What I find especially interesting is that when I stack it with the Archer Ikon using my Stratocaster, the tone no longer feels as nasal, and I actually like it a lot more. I’m not entirely sure why this happens.
Perhaps the Lightspeed helps restore some of the low-end or changes the way the Ikon’s midrange sits in the mix, but in practice, the combination just works for me.

Last year, in July 2025, I bought a Martin D-28 Satin.

Here in Europe they’re usually around €3700, but I found one brand new for €2400 because they were clearing out the 2024 version before the updated 2025 model came in. It felt like a rare chance to get a guitar I’d always seen as a long-term goal.

The thing is, I’ve barely played it. Maybe 10 hours total since I got it.

Part of it is life: I’ve got a baby at home now, so playing an acoustic at full volume isn’t always an option. By the time I have some free time, it’s usually not the right moment to be making that kind of noise.

But also, if I’m honest, I’m an electric player. That’s what I actually play and enjoy: blues rock, hard rock, a bit of metal. My main guitars are a Les Paul Standard 50s and an AVII 1961 Strat, and that’s where I feel comfortable.

At the same time, I’ve always liked the idea of having a good acoustic around, just in case, and that’s kind of what pushed me to buy the D-28 when the opportunity came up.

Lately though, I keep thinking about getting a AVII 1951 Telecaster to complete that classic trio. That’s a guitar I know I’d actually use a lot more.

So now I’m stuck with this:

Do I sell the D-28 (which is basically still new and that I got at a really good price) and put that money towards the Tele?
Or do I keep it, even though I hardly touch it, because I might regret letting go of such a great acoustic later on?

A couple of months ago I bought a Stratocaster and completely fell in love with the fretboard. It had this beautiful, very uniform chocolate-brown color, with the occasional subtle coppery grain.

Last week I took it to my trusted luthier for a proper setup, which included a very light fret leveling.

When I got the guitar back, I noticed the pores of the fretboard were filled with a whitish/grayish substance, depending on how the light hits it. The guitar is otherwise perfect, and I understand this is purely cosmetic but like I said, I really loved how the fretboard looked, and now that feeling is kind of ruined.

I decided to try dry cleaning it gently with a very soft toothbrush, going along the grain. The embedded residue is coming out if I work on it section by section, but the toothbrush turns black in the process.

Am I ruining the fretboard or doing something wrong? Is there a better or maybe slightly more effective way to restore its original look?

And please, I kindly ask to skip the “it’ll blend in over time” comments. I’d rather put in the effort now to get it looking right, because as it is, it’s honestly a bit painful to look at…

Why is one of the pole pieces on my single coil partially covered in a hard, plastic-like substance?

I noticed this on one of the magnets. I tried scratching it with my nail. it's quite hard, and I could only chip off some of the edges.

Does anyone know what this is? Is it wax, or some kind of sealant?