It started out as a promising day but my Thursday took a turn for the turd. So the only consolation for me yesterday was a trip down to 'guitar central' aka Peninsula-Excelsior vicinity in town, to enjoy some eye candy as funds for any more possible gear splurge had all vanished after buying a new TV- yes, the TV broke down yesterday & the situation had to be attended to promptly. Anyway, I managed to try Sigma's 000M-15 seen here at Davis GMC & it was a pleasant episode.
Firstly, it's the price- all the goodness for under $300. OK, so it's devoid of a pre-amp hence the very affordable price tag. Also, it features a solid mahogany top implying the fact that it doesn't take too much to feature a sound top (forgive the pun).
Secondly, the tone is as warm & sweet as it gets. This is a wonderful mahogany moment, for those of us who are at ease with more lower midrange as opposed to a bright top end.
Thirdly, the overall construction, fit & finish is simply top notch. You'd argue that this is a Martin inheritance but Sigma is now Martin-free; just look at the headstock. Purists would dismiss this as a very impressive copy & it ends there, just a duplicate, a wanna-be which falls short of emulating the real goodness. Buy hey, why are we evaluating a Sigma in light of a Martin? Historical obligations? Why not just accept the fact that this 000M-15 is a wonderful player albeit living in the Martin shadow?
PS: I've been trying out many acoustics lately & the more appealing ones are 100% acoustic, no pre-amp interference. Also, the standard, non-cutaway models are just more impressive in terms of resonance & projection.
