Need help with Martin D35

[Imagine]

I purchased a Martin D35 not too long ago, and just changed the strings for the first time. I like the Martin SP strings the guitar came with, so I used the same to re-string.

 

Something I didn't notice before is that the guitar seems to ring. If I strum and mute a chord quickly, it'll ring. At first I thought it was mic feedback, but the ringing is coming from inside the guitar.

 

Is this normal when changing strings? I'm a keyboardist, so I'm not familiar with guitars.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Bluesape]

What you're describing sounds like a natural resonant property of the guitar. Martin tops were always made of solid Sitka spruce. I imagine that is still the case. What string guage are you using? Heavier guages will cause the top to vibrate and resonate more than lighter strings. Presumably you kept to the same guage as came with the guitar, so I wonder if the top hasn't opened up more with use.

 

I heard years ago that you could take a new high quality guitar, park it on a stand in front of stereo speakers for days or weeks, and play the music loud but within acceptable limits, and let the guitar soak up the sound. The bombardment of vibration is said to fast track the maturation of the top's tone, so that it sounds "played in" years ahead of schedule.

 

Dunno if something like this is going on with your guitar, but it's usually regarded as a positive development. Hope this is helpful.

[jimash]

a D35 should ring. It is a resonant guitar.

When you are playing w/ others or in front of people that ring should translate to a very lively sound.

[Imagine]

Guys- thanks for your help.

 

When playing continually, I never heard the ringing. It was only when I was playing a very staccato part, where I had to mute the strings after strumming a chord did I hear the ringing. It makes for a lot of PT editing.