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I am a weekend musician and have a modest collection of pretty nice guitars including three Taylors (custom koa T5, baby and an 812ce) a 1968 Tele, Gibson 339, Ovation 1984 collector's edition, a Takamine and a Godin Acousticaster. Have shied away from Martins because I found them too difficult to play past the 5th fret. I decided I needed to own at least one in my life and took a chance on the OMJM hoping it might be more playable up the next. The craftsmanship of the guitar is flawless, I guess for the money that's to be expected. What took me by surprise was the clarity of the tone, especially compared with my Taylor 812ce (a similar size guitar). At first I did not care for the pickup and bought a Fishman Aura for live performances. Live the guitar sounded like crap. I bought a graphic EQ, played with it for a couple of gigs and now have the most wooden, organic tone on stage that I've ever had. I am a convert to Martin guitars and highly recommend this particular model. Cheers!