Martin IZ tenor ukulele

I am a having a hard time finding a decent review of, sound samples, or personal opinions of, the Martin IZ tenor.
Is there some problem that I am missing? I tried a search, without any success , here, but I apparently am not good at searches, or else there isn't anything here. This I find hard to believe.
Anyone with experience and decent sound samples out there?

https://cse.google.com/cse/publicurl?cx=006086160372685481724:y43bmh-bwgc

Type in "martin iz tenor"

The Big Kahuna said:

https://cse.google.com/cse/publicurl?cx=006086160372685481724:y43bmh-bwgc

Type in "martin iz tenor"

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Thank you so much. Your search engine did everything I wanted. Amazing.

After reading the old posts, I'm almost afraid to go any further with requests. Very few sound samples, and they were very limited. VERY strong opinions based on the concept but the only hands on opinions were limited at best. Overall, the IZ Uke seems to have been dismissed by the majority based on principle.

Highmiles said:

Thank you so much. Your search engine did everything I wanted. Amazing.

After reading the old posts, I'm almost afraid to go any further with requests. Very few sound samples, and they were very limited. VERY strong opinions based on the concept but the only hands on opinions were limited at best. Overall, the IZ Uke seems to have been dismissed by the majority based on principle.

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I spent about 5 minutes playing it at the NAMM show a few years ago. You're right that my experience is limited.

I wasn't amazed by the sound. I will say that I generally prefer a "bright" uke tone (I prefer the tone of KoAloha to Kamaka and Kanilea). I found the uke to be good, but not amazing. I tried it against their other tenors (T1 and I could have sworn it was a T3, but I don't see that on their site) and I didn't think it was much better than the T1 and certainly not worth the price difference.

My dad has 1940s Martin Tenor uke and I love the sound of that thing. That thing is mellow and deep. The Iz was on the mellow side but there was just something missing. I wish I could pinpoint what it was.

My 2 cents. I love the Martin guitar sound (I own an HD35) and some of their ukes, but wasn't super impressed with that one.

I had a chance to play one of the Martin IZ tenors this past weekend at the UKE NJ 3! Morristown, NJ ukulele festival.

Curt Scheller from Funky Frets was one of the vendors at the fest, and hae had about 50 ukes on display.

For the first time I had a chance to play the following ukes in person:

Kala Waterman, Makala Shark, Cordoba 15cm, Kala ATP-CTG...cedar-top/paduk-accents tenor (both with and without florentine cutaway), two Pono tenors and the Martin IZ tenor.

Of all of these tenors, I felt that the Kala cedar top had that certain (cedar) tone I've been wanting, the Ponos were a bit heavier to hold (yes, I use a strap often) and I did not like the shape of the Pono neck profile (felt like a baseball bat to me) and the sound did not impress me more than the Kala, but when I picked up the Martin IZ tenor, I could not believe just how LIGHT it was, it felt like half the weight of the Ponos.

Additionally, I felt that the sound of the Martin IZ tenor made me fall in love with mahogany as a tone wood, all over again. The nut is a bit narrower than my other ukes, but I could get used to that (I play mostly tenor, but spend time on concert and soprano too).

To be clear, the sound of the Martin IZ tenor was VERY impressive to me, as opposed to the other five tenors I compared it to that I tried that day. I played both strumming and fingerstyle for a good 15 mins, at a time when the small vendor room was relatively empty and quiet, so I did not have to contend with crowd noise like at a bigger show. I think that the light build makes for an extremely RESONANT instrument.

I remember lots of folks talking about this uke here on the forum, and it seems that they mostly panned it as a marketing stunt to capitalize on IZ's posthumous popularity, regardless of it's potential. I don’t care for bling, but I am willing to ignore all the visual adornments because of how much I loved the sound I could make with this instrument.

My takeaway is that I really WANT ONE, badly. But $1,800 retail is a bit steep for me.

First, I've got to sell a bunch of long-unplayed guitars to build up the funds for even a used one.

EDITED to add: if I had the cash (to spend, and) on me, I would have bought that one I played, right there on the spot, since I know that there's no guarantee that the next unit of the same model with sound/play the same exact way.

Thanks for the observations on the IZ. I appreciate both views as being very useful.

Having played Martin Guitars for years, I am used to the close string spacing, and am comfortable with it.

I had the chance to play a couple of the IZ Martin's too and although I thought it sounded and looked good, for the money, there are better options for me.

For me there is no comparison in sound and feel like a good vintage Martin and the new ones. Course I'm either a vintage or custom type guy. At an 1800 dollar pricetag, I'd be searching out vintage Martins. Like Booli, bling doesn't ring my bell unless the sound of the uke is what I was looking for.

Patrick Madsen said:

For me there is no comparison in sound and feel like a good vintage Martin and the new ones. Course I'm either a vintage or custom type guy. At an 1800 dollar pricetag, I'd be searching out vintage Martins. Like Booli, bling doesn't ring my bell unless the sound of the uke is what I was looking for.

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don't know how the new ones compare, but you can get a nice vintage martin tenor for half that, very similar to the actual uke Iz played[ I think?]

Booli, seriously, are you taking the piss with that signature?

The Big Kahuna said:

Booli, seriously, are you taking the piss with that signature?

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Not sure exactly what that means, but I disabled it in my post above so you don’t have to see it any more.

Sorry it bothers you. PM me if you'd like to discuss. :shaka:

As you can tell by my signature, I find that you don't have to spend alot to get alot. As was mentioned in one of the posts above, for the amount of the IZ, you could buy a decent vintage Martin Tenor Ukulele. But that probably isn't the point of the IZ. There's a novelty factor to it that can't be measured by it's cost alone. It's unique trim and nice woods combined with Martin's well known quality build gives the buyer the opportunity to satisfy their desire for a well made Ukulele that is affiliated to what could be their Ukulele hero. Signature instruments have a way to appeal to the senses that overlook comparison of the other factors. Them of course there is the appeal that you get something unique that is different than other regular production models.

I actually own one. I do have a lot of ukuleles. I would say that the sound is pretty much a standard "Martin" tenor ukulele sound. I have compared it side by side with the inexpensive T1K, a Collings Mahogany and a Vintage Martin Tenor. The difference in sound between them are all very subtle. The Collings was a little more defined. The IZ model has some nice features. I got mine used and before the recent price rise. At the time I got mine I thought that the price was pretty equivalent to similar offerings from Martin and Collings. I don't care about the objections based on the marketing.

On the minus side - at the price they should give you a real hard shell case and not just a cheaper zippered hard sided gig bag. The recent price rise is a bit much.

Looks like the US models went up by $100, going by my faulty memory. I definitely want Martin to keep making ukes but still, bummer. Thanks for the heads up katysax. And I agree, it's weird that you have to buy a 3 or 5 to get a hardshell case.

The price went up $200 or $300. Last year they were selling for $1450 and $1550. Now it looks like $1750. I think $1200 or $1300 would be a fair price. You can still get the Collings UT-1 for $1440. I think that's pricey for what you get, but I also think the UT-1 is more or less equivalent to the Collings, except that the Collings is made with more attention to detail and comes with a better case. That's where the IZ being a "special model" becomes an issue. The price is all in the marketing and most of us think he IZ marketing is a gimmick - there is nothing authentic about it. However, price aside, its a nice uke on its own but the current asking price for a new one is too high.

If nothing else, at least IZ's family gets a portion of the sale proceeds, so in that vein the marketing angle at least benefits IZ's loved ones. Otherwise, one still gets a somewhat unique offering from Martin too.

katysax said:

The price went up $200 or $300. Last year they were selling for $1450 and $1550. Now it looks like $1750. I think $1200 or $1300 would be a fair price. You can still get the Collings UT-1 for $1440. I think that's pricey for what you get, but I also think the UT-1 is more or less equivalent to the Collings, except that the Collings is made with more attention to detail and comes with a better case. That's where the IZ being a "special model" becomes an issue. The price is all in the marketing and most of us think he IZ marketing is a gimmick - there is nothing authentic about it. However, price aside, its a nice uke on its own but the current asking price for a new one is too high.

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Thanks katysax for the correction and for your thoughtful comparison between the models. That makes me stop and think. I hope I can test drive a Collings or two someday. I wonder if the feel of the instrument in my hands - that attention to detail - would weigh the scale in its favor over the IZ, or the subtle difference in sound between the T1K for that matter!

Ukuleleden, good call on the royalties.

It's funny. I think that the Collings overall is "better" in almost every way. But I own both a Collings and the IZ and there is something about the IZ that I enjoy playing more. I've had a few Collings and the one I have now is by far the "best" in terms of sound and feel, but there is something about Collings - and it is feeling that I have and not something concrete - that I dislike. The IZ is very Martin like and its one of those ukes that the playing of it is something I enjoy more than anything specific I can describe. I really do think the current price is outrageously high. The T2 is less expensive and is a much better value although also a shade overpriced. In my experience the T1K is great for the price but not in the same league. It's much cruder.

bonesoup said:

Looks like the US models went up by $100, going by my faulty memory. I definitely want Martin to keep making ukes but still, bummer. Thanks for the heads up katysax. And I agree, it's weird that you have to buy a 3 or 5 to get a hardshell case.

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I would agree that the buyer at least be given the option of a padded bag or hard shell case when you get to the 2 level. One of the members of our local ukulele get together group members owns a 3 Cherry that came with a hard shell case, but he asked the dealer to swap the hard shell case for a padded bag as it is easier for him to carry around over his shoulder with the padded bag he uses exclusively...

Since posting here last, I found an area dealer who special ordered one Martin IZ model and the buyer backed out for financial reasons. I have bought several instruments from this dealer over the years and was offered a discount on the IZ that would shave off several hundred dollars off the normal street price. He said it's basically the amount they would get if they sold it to another dealer which is slightly above their cost. So I told him to set it aside for me until Thursday for me to think it over which he agreed to.

So, this would be a new sale with from an authorized Martin dealer with the factory warranty at a fair discount. Would I be silly to pass it up? I always thought if I Were going to go into the $1k-$2k price point that I would get a Martin 2K tenor, or a Kamaka or Kanile'a offering in the same realm. But this is very tempting for a nice mahogany tenor.

Thoughts/opinions?