I'm such a Martin fan.  I have a hd28v which is just awesome.  However I also have a Yamaha and Taylor  which for the money is great. I think it depends on your style.  Atkins for me are superb however for finger picking Lowden are hard to beat.

My advice is a Martin D-18V. This is a great bluegrass guitar. I have been playing mine for a long time now and it will ring loud enough around my banjo and mandolin friends. I like both the D-18 and D-16 but my poor ears can hardly tell a difference.

My issue is rarely the make/model of the guitar.  It is more about learning to play the guitar in hand.  I hope to someday have the pleasure of playing a D-18 but I still need to work on the basics.  I do play primarily a Larrivee D03R and that seems to work well, but a bit boomy for some songs.  I also play an Alvarez that was signed by Ray Benson and the Asleep At The Wheel band, but that sound provides more treble which can fit some songs.  Seems usually the guitar I covet the most is the one that I do not have...

Advice for new players might be to buy the best you can possibly afford at the time and then take good care of it.  The better the instrument, the more incentive you will have to learn and play, because it provides such good response for you.  But, also don't totally overspend, because there are a lot of good medium-priced guitars around.  Confused ?  Welcome to the club...  🙂    Often it's best to just stay in love with the one you have your arm around.

I’m a Martin D 28 fan too but I just can’t afford, too expensive for now. Now I have a Gibson J15 and it’s sound good. Someday I’m going to get a Martin for sure...

Rosewood or Maghogony woods for bluegrass guitar playing. What's people's tboughts?

I really like godin's guitars . I got a old D-20 norman from the godin factory.

They really worth it. Not expensive and such strong notes.

I tried a seagull last time and was really impressed as well. So people looking for an affordable guitar , (seagull , norman) have a try and let me know !

Good session everyone

B-20 norman *

I've got a Collings CD3H.  Bought it at Elderly's in Lansing, Mi. in 1997.  It seems to have more ring on the high end than a comparable Martin.  It really comes down to personal preference.

Hey Jim - Do you have a link you could share that has some details on the Collings CD3H? I've played most of the Collings acoustics but don't think I've ever run across the CD3H. Mostly curious about the woods it's made of...

I'm a huge martin fan.  I've already have  hd28v which I just love, but I've just brought a martin d18e retro which I'm so impressed with.  It seems louder than my 28 and cuts through the other players whenot jamming. When plugging into a pa it's awesome too.   At the min my fingers are blistered as I haven't put it down for 3 days lol.

Bourgeois guitar seems to be great too... So many choices , never easy to have a try at local shop.

have a good week guys !

Hey Devin,  your Collings D2H  sounds great . I can imagine that you only use this one or do you still like to play on your other guitars ?

i got a great website , shop coming from netherlands with a section bluegrass guitar.

they have quite a full range of brands guitar. it s really worth it to get a glimpse.

https://www.tfoa.eu/en/folk-bluegrass/

thanks for sharing this brand atkin ! i had a quick look on the one you mention ..the white rice model .;; oversized soundhole, which lets more air in and out of the guitar .. pretty sick !