THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY
SIGMA GUITARS BY MARTIN & CO. DR1ST ACOUSTIC
It seems like every major manufacturer has their second tier brand of guitars these days. Fender has Squier, Gibson has Epiphone, Ovation used to have Applause though I don't know if they still do. And yes, the folks at Martin had Sigma. Note that I said "had" Sigma. In one of those "uh oh somebody's gonna get fired" moments, someone at Martin forgot to renew the trademark on the Sigma brand, and sure enough, one of those crafty overseas companies jumped on it and now own the Sigma brand. But, up until the last few years, Martin used the Sigma brand name from 1970 until 2007. They were made in Japan from '70 until 1983, then moved to Korea. From what I understand, the company that now owns the Sigma brand has been making guitars since 2011, but they have nothing to do with Martin.
Okay, so now we've established a little history. If you want the whole Wikipedia version, click here. However, the Wikipedia version completely leaves out this late '90s time frame. Not sure why, but I have not been able to find out a ton of info other than digging deep in some forums. If you need more in-depth info, you'll need to get familiar with Google.
Now on to this guitar. This is the DR1ST model, made in Korea in about 1998. Could be '99. I have referenced the serial number on the Martin website and that's what I get. I think it's nice that Martin included the Sigmas in their regular serial number runs, rather than treat the brand like an outcast. I think it shows that they were proud enough of their overseas manufactured guitars to claim them as part of the family. There seems to be a lot more documentation on some of the other model numbers. The new company that makes Sigma now uses this model number in their current line-up, but don't be confused by that. This is definitely one of the older models and you can tell right off the bat by looking at the headstock. During this time period, they actually had "Sigma Guitars by Martin & Co." on the headstock. Not much confusion there.
The DR1ST was modeled after the Martin D-16 from what I could find. It's a nice standard dreadnought guitar with a solid top. I think. I've owned quite a few nicely made Asian factory Yamahas and Brunos and others that have been pretty tricky to figure out. I've been fooled a couple of times. So take a good close look if you have one and decide for yourself. I've even heard that, on some of the '70s Yamaha FG models, they would make some solid and some laminate. So, you have to look at the guitar...get a close look right on the edge of the soundhole. This guitar was really nice sounding and had a very clear, rich tone for a guitar in this price range. Those guys at Martin know how to spec out a guitar. I found this one at the Oceanside CA Swap Meet and picked it up for a mere $75. It had some old loose strings on it, so I couldn't get a good read on the neck. Didn't look warped or anything so I took a chance. I got home and got the swap meet layer of funk off of it easily...just a little dust and the smell of breakfast burritos. I put a set of brand new Martin SP Bronze medium strings on it, and...hmmmm. I little buzzing on a couple of frets.
I don't know about you, but I am just always hesitant to break out the allen wrench and start cranking on the truss rod. I've heard horror stories about snapped truss rods and popped necks and it makes me nervous. I made sure everything else was looking good...all polished and clean, and I listed it on Craigslist with a description of what nice condition the guitar was in, but it needed a set-up and a little tweaking due to the fret buzz. I guess that tends to scare people away and no one was biting on my original asking price of a very reasonable $235. I've seen these listed on eBay for a lot more, but they tend to sell for anywhere from $225 to $400. One was even more. But, Craigslist can be fickle and I wasn't getting any interest at all. I dropped the price to $200 and got an offer. A local guy who fixes guitars was looking for a little project to flip and offered $125. I decided that it would be best to get this guitar fixed up the right way and put it in the hands of someone who could really enjoy it. The guy showed up to buy it and explained that he actually used to work in the Taylor Guitars factory. This guitar was going to get a new life, and that's a good thing.
Overall I'd say that the vintage Sigma Guitars are pretty underrated, even though they have the Martin brand behind them. I do see them for sale from time to time on my local Craigslist and they are usually in the $225-275 range. I think if you are looking for an excellent guitar in an affordable price range, you can't go wrong with a vintage Sigma.