Swap
Swap
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
VS
Playability
75
Sound
90
Build
94
Value
71
Score
86
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logo
Playability
77
Sound
88
Build
88
Value
74
Score
84
FIND IT ON:
Amazon logoSweetwater logo
Add more to comparison

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter vs Martin Grand J-16E 12 String

Reasons to Get
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter over Martin Grand J-16E 12 String

Release Year
2022 vs 2021
From a more recent year
Strings
6 vs 12
Narrower neck and fewer strings to change
Number of Frets
24 vs 20
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.725'' (43.8mm) vs 1.811'' (46mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Dreadnought vs Jumbo
Prominent low-end tones in a large body
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

Reasons to Get
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String over Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter

Number of Frets
20 vs 24
Warmer neck pickup
Strings
12 vs 6
Allows you to play lower notes
Nut Width
1.811'' (46mm) vs 1.725'' (43.8mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Jumbo vs Dreadnought
Large body with a tight waist for more top-end
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
Value Score
74 vs 71
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter vs Martin Grand J-16E 12 String

Back Material
Walnut vs Rosewood
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Walnut vs Rosewood
Different Sides Material
Bridge Material
Traditional Belly Up, Ebony vs Ebony
Different Bridge Material
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Hardwood
Different Neck Wood
Headstock
3-3 vs 6-6
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter vs Martin Grand J-16E 12 String

Saddle Material
Ivory Tusq
Same Saddle Material
Body Wood
Spruce
Same Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Same Fretboard Wood
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
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive 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

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter Prices

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter is probably the better product overall with its final score of 86 compared to the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String's 84 score, although not by a lot.

The Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String is easier to play.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String is the better choice.

The Martin Grand J-16E 12 String meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter 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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • 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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter Overview

  • From Gibson's 2022 Artist Collection series
  • Dave Mustaine Signature
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Sitka Spruce top
  • Solid Walnut back
  • Solid Walnut sides
  • Mahogany neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: LR Baggs VTC (Preamp/Active)
  • Traditional Belly Up, Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic Advanced Response Set neck
  • 24 Medium frets
  • Grover Rotomatic tuners
  • Weight between 4.8lbs (2.2kgs) and 4.9lbs (2.2kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Martin Grand J-16E 12 String Overview

  • From Martin's 2021 16-17 series
  • Made in United States
  • 12 strings
  • 25.4"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Spruce top
  • Solid East Indian Rosewood back
  • Solid East Indian Rosewood sides
  • Select Hardwood neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT2 (Preamp/Active)
  • Ebony bridge
  • Acoustic 12 String 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

Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.

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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut

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.

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

Woods Used in the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String

Hardwood wood pattern used for guitar building
Hardwood
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

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.

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.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter
Sustain 95
Versatility 95
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 90
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
Sustain 95
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 88

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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter compares to the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

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.

Winner: Tie

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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

On the other hand, the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String comes with 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.

Winner: Tie.

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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter's are Grover Rotomatic while the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String'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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Ivory Tusq Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Ivory Tusq Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter
Quality of materials 96
Features 85
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 94
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
Quality of materials 84
Features 85
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 88

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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter Nut Width
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter Nut Width
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String Nut Width
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String has the wider nut with 46mm (1.811'') vs 43.8mm (1.725''). This is a 2.2mm (0.086'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String, 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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter's Scale Length
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter's Scale Length
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String's Scale Length
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String'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 Grand J-16E 12 String has the longest scale: 25.4". The Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter 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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter Neck Profile
Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter's neck profile
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String Neck Profile
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String'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.

Both the Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter and the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String have a C-shaped 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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard 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.

Both the Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter and the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String have the same fretboard radius of 16". This fretboard radius is really different from Stratocasters, but it's also a lot flatter than Les Paul fingerboards. It'll favor plating single notes over playing chords. This doesn't mean you can't use it for rhythm, but a more curved fretboard offers better playability for chords. Bending and sliding without losing sustain will also be more likely in a flat fretboard like this one.

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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter favors large hands more than the Martin Grand J-16E 12 String. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter and Martin Grand J-16E 12 String 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 Dave Mustaine Songwriter
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 75
Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77

Specs Side-by-Side

Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter vs Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
General Gibson Dave Mustaine Songwriter Martin Grand J-16E 12 String
Brand: Gibson Martin
Year: 2022 2021
Strings: 6 12
Made in: United States United States
Series: Artist Collection 16-17
Colors: Black Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Sitka Spruce Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Walnut Rosewood
Back Material: Walnut Rosewood
Bridge: Traditional Belly Up, Ebony Ebony
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Grover Rotomatic Chrome Enclosed Gear
Fretboard: Ebony Ebony
Neck Material: Mahogany Select Hardwood
Decoration: Mother of Pearl Teeth Mother of Pearl Style 28
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.4"
Shape: Acoustic Advanced Response Acoustic 12 String
Frets: 24 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 16" 16"
Nut: Ivory Tusq Bone
Nut Width: 43.8mm (1.725'') 46mm (1.811'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: LR Baggs VTC (Preamp / Active) Fishman Matrix VT Enhance NT2 (Preamp / Active)