IT’S ONLY NATURAL
Martinez’s Natural Series features a beautiful range of guitars. The MDC-15C is a dreadnaught styled acoustic with a cutaway and Martinez’s own ME-305 electronics. Overall the guitar looks dark and clean (with the black soft feel tuners adding to this further) and comes without a scratch plate, although one is included if you want to whack it on. The construction seems solid and well put together with no rough edges or loose parts to be seen. It’s Medium weight which means the MDC-15C would suit a range of age groups and player levels as an easy playing acoustic.
SKINNY LOVE
Upon first playing this number you’ll notice the neck profile is super slim. Open chords and flat picking through to chromatic lines and bigger barre chords up the neck are all pretty easy. It would definitely be of benefit to those with smaller hands as well as the younger brigade and less advanced players. Often you see players get put off or frustrated when unable to get clear chord voicings or notes on their fretting hand which is where the MDC-15C could be a big help. Tone wise I found the guitar clear and reasonably loud. Whilst not super bassy, it definitely has some nice lower end response and isn’t too bright. Big chord bashing worked a treat and you won’t be afraid to get around the fretboard thanks to the aforementioned skinny neck size. Tuning and intonation were also great.
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS
Onboard tuners are almost a staple of most lower to mid priced acoustic guitar ranges these days. Whilst they’re a great inclusion, they often vary in functionality and quality. I’ve used a couple that have been questionable at best. There’s no need to worry about the onboard tuner, as it has a super clear display and is as easy to use as any other I’ve seen. A segmented display that is bright and responsive (not so touchy you can’t even get it to settle in one spot!) makes tuning quick and easy. I know this might sound trivial but seriously the LCD type display is so much clearer than a couple of coloured dots!
