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Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2
Martin D-13E
VS
Playability
78
Sound
84
Build
84
Value
67
Score
82
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Playability
73
Sound
84
Build
74
Value
77
Score
77
FIND IT ON:
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Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 vs Martin D-13E

Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 over Martin D-13E

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2020 vs 2019
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Acoustic Historic vs Acoustic Performing Artist
Thick neck that gives you a better grip
Nut Material
Bone vs Corian
Good quality nut with rich tone
Sides Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Back Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.75'' (44.5mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Concert vs Dreadnought
Compact body with balanced tones
Paint Finish
Nitro vs Poly
Thin finish that creates aging marks faster
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25.4'' (645.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 16'' (406.4mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Reasons to Get
Martin D-13E over Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2

Neck Profile
Acoustic Performing Artist vs Acoustic Historic
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Width
1.75'' (44.5mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Dreadnought vs Concert
Prominent low-end tones in a large body
Paint Finish
Poly vs Nitro
Resistant paint that ages well
Scale Length
25.4'' (645.2mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm) vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
77 vs 67
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 vs Martin D-13E

Back Material
Mahogany vs Ziricote
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany vs Ziricote
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Bone vs Ivory Tusq
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Rectangle, open slot vs FSC Certified Richlite
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Hardwood
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Richlite
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Bone vs Corian
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 vs Martin D-13E

Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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SET PRICE ALERT

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 82 compared to the Martin D-13E's 77 score, although not by a lot.

The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Martin D-13E has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Martin D-13E is easier to play.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 is the better choice.

The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Martin D-13E meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Martin D-13E
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 Overview

  • From Gibson Custom's 2020 Historic Collection series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Thermally Aged Red spruce top
  • Solid Mahogany back
  • Solid Mahogany sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Rectangle, open slot bridge
  • Acoustic Historic Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Golden Age tuners
  • Weight between 3.45lbs (1.6kgs) and 3.5lbs (1.6kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Martin D-13E Overview

  • From Martin's 2019 Road series
  • Made in Mexico
  • 6 strings
  • 25.4"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Ziricote Fine Veneer back
  • Ziricote Fine Veneer sides
  • Select Hardwood neck
  • FSC Certified Richlite fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman MX-T (Preamp/Active)
  • FSC Certified Richlite bridge
  • Acoustic Performing Artist Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Chrome Enclosed Gear tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Woods Used in the Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the Martin D-13E

Hardwood wood pattern used for guitar building
Hardwood
Richlite wood pattern used for guitar building
Richlite
Ziricote wood pattern used for guitar building
Ziricote

Hardwood is just a generic wood that can come from many species. This type of wood is used to build guitars because it provides a rich, warm sound. The wood also has good structural properties, making it durable and long-lasting.

It's very similar to Ebony, but it is much cheaper to make. The main reason is that it is made from resin-infused paper. It is very durable and soft, so it's often used for fretboards and tops.

It's a rare and exotic wood native to Central America and the Caribbean with a unique appearance. It's commonly used for instruments as it produces a tone similar to Rosewood.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2.

Electronics

The Martin D-13E comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.

Winner:Martin D-13E.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2
Sustain 85
Versatility 80
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84
Martin D-13E
Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 compares to the Martin D-13E.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 is built in United States while the Martin D-13E is made in Mexico.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the Martin D-13E comes with a Corian nut. It used to be the go-to nut for Gibson, but it's slowly being replaced by Graph Tech (Tusq). It's a synthetic material made to be similar to Bone, but it doesn't have the same self-lubricating properties, and it's less resistant.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2's are Golden Age while the Martin D-13E's are Chrome Enclosed Gear

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Martin D-13E
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • Low-Quality Material Saddle
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2
Quality of materials 86
Features 65
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 84
Martin D-13E
Quality of materials 62
Features 85
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 74

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 Nut Width
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 Nut Width
Martin D-13E Nut Width
Martin D-13E Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Martin D-13E has the wider nut with 44.5mm (1.75'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 1.5mm (0.057'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Martin D-13E, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2's Scale Length
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2's Scale Length
Martin D-13E's Scale Length
Martin D-13E's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Martin D-13E has the longest scale: 25.4". The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.65'' (16.5mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 Neck Profile
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2's neck profile
Martin D-13E Neck Profile
Martin D-13E's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 has a Vintage type of neck. This means that it's thicker than most modern necks, and makes it a better fit for playing chords and slow solos. Some people prefer this type of neck because it gives them a better grip thanks to the extra mass. Still, the vast majority prefer a thinner, faster, and more ''modern'' neck.

The Martin D-13E, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 Fingerboard Radius
Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2's Fingerboard radius
Martin D-13E Fingerboard Radius
Martin D-13E's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Martin D-13E's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Martin D-13E.

Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 favors large hands more than the Martin D-13E.

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Martin D-13E:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 and Martin D-13E Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 80
Solo Playability 70
Playability 78
Martin D-13E
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 80
Playability 73

Specs Side-by-Side

Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 vs Martin D-13E
General Gibson Custom 1942 Banner LG-2 Martin D-13E
Brand: Gibson Custom Martin
Year: 2020 2019
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States Mexico
Series: Historic Collection Road
Colors: Sunburst Natural
Left-Handed Version: Yes No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Thermally Aged Red spruce Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Mahogany Ziricote
Back Material: Mahogany Ziricote
Bridge: Rectangle, open slot FSC Certified Richlite
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Golden Age Chrome Enclosed Gear
Fretboard: Rosewood FSC Certified Richlite
Neck Material: Mahogany Select Hardwood
Decoration: Mother-of-pearl dots Mother of Pearl Pattern Style 28
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.4"
Shape: Acoustic Historic Acoustic Performing Artist
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 16"
Nut: Bone Corian
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 44.5mm (1.75'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fishman MX-T (Preamp / Active)