Question for the Martin Enthusiast

Ridgemont · Oct 30, 2009

I do not know much about the brand or different models, but were the 28 series (i.e. D-28, OOO-28, etc...) always made with rosewood backs and sides? For some reason, I thought I remember and Eric Clapton signature model being made of mahogany, but they are now all available in rosewood. I am speaking of his various OOO-28EC models.

I know this is not a Martin site, but I don't dare venture over to the Martin forum to ask those nut jobs. :mrgreen:

Frosty · Oct 30, 2009

The "28" series was/is rosewood back and sides with some sort of spruce top. "18", mahogany back and sides.

Ridgemont · Oct 30, 2009

Frosty said:
The "28" series was/is rosewood back and sides with some sort of spruce top. "18", mahogany back and sides.

That is what I was thinking, but just wanted to be sure. Thanks. I am doing my homework on small body mahogany guitars...looking for my next victim.

southernGuild · Oct 30, 2009

My brain is just waking up.....But Ridge, check out the brand of Guitar that James Taylor is playing....O-something, ( a surname) HE is making some real pearlers of Mahogony guitars....Have a great rep. NOT CHEAP.....but hey....you only want ONE!!! :lol: othwer than that , Yep, the 18s........

Ridgemont · Oct 30, 2009

southernGuild said:
My brain is just waking up.....But Ridge, check out the brand of Guitar that James Taylor is playing....O-something, ( a surname) HE is making some real pearlers of Mahogony guitars....Have a great rep. NOT CHEAP.....but hey....you only want ONE!!! :lol: othwer than that , Yep, the 18s........

Found it. Olson guitars. Nice looking.

Ridgemont · Oct 30, 2009

oh boy. The Olson guitars are way too nice for me. A lot of bling on those babies. I bet they sound stellar though.

tjmangum · Oct 30, 2009

Ridgemont said:
Thanks. I am doing my homework on small body mahogany guitars...looking for my next victim.

I can recommend the OM 18V Martin. Discontinued a while back, but they seem to come up quite often on the forums.
tj

JimbowF212 · Oct 30, 2009

Ridgemont said:
I do not know much about the brand or different models, but were the 28 series (i.e. D-28, OOO-28, etc...) always made with rosewood backs and sides? For some reason, I thought I remember and Eric Clapton signature model being made of mahogany, but they are now all available in rosewood. I am speaking of his various OOO-28EC models.

I know this is not a Martin site, but I don't dare venture over to the Martin forum to ask those nut jobs. :mrgreen:

I have owned and studied the Martin Guitar line for over 20 yrs now and have read many books from the historians and as stated the 28 series has always been Rosewood and the only deviation from that is they have made limited runs of 28 style guitars with Walnut back and sides but these always had a W suffix on the end of the model Number such as HD-28W and they were as I said limited run special editions. Mahogany is usually a 18 style and they also made a 19 Style for a short time.

Paddlefoot · Oct 31, 2009

You will also see style 21 Martins that are basically a very plain rosewood guitar and these are very nice too. Before you pop for a Martin I highly recommend you look around and play some to see what you like and don't like about them. Keep in mind too that pre 1984 Martins will have the old style necks without an adjustable truss rod. If the action is not what you like on these it will take a good luthier who can rest the neck or refret with under or over sized frets to make the action play well. The '84 and later guitars are more user friendly for most of us and there are a variety of nut widths and neck profiles that may be just what you want. I have really become a fan of the modified vee necks but have found some that are just too much of a good thing in the 1 3/4 width nut. Having said that, my absolute favorite (acoustic) guitar to play is a 2008 OM-28V (for vintage) that has the 1 3/4" nut and the modified vee. 2nd is a 2003 HD-28V which is the vee neck with the 1 11/16" nut. Point is that there is some slight differences and you want to find out what these feel like to you before you buy and end up with something you dont care for. As for the small bodied guitars it is just hard to put down an 00-18v. These seem to be gaining in popularity right now and new ones are selling at fairly premium prices. There are some small body models that have a shorter scale length and you will want to be sure you like that too before you decide to buy just a smaller body guitar.

Paddlefoot · Oct 31, 2009

If you can put up the scratch for a custom guitar I would really recommend Charles Hoffman's work. He and Olsen are closely associated ( I think Mr. Hoffman mentored Mr. Olsen). I have met Mr. Hoffman and he is a super nice guy and willing to share his knowledge with others because he has a real love for fine guitars. Check out his website if you want to learn more than you ever thought there was to know about the process of building a guitar step by step.

Ridgemont · Nov 1, 2009

Thanks everybody for the tips and advice. Right now I am just window shopping. While I am open to pretty much any brand, I would like this guitar to the type I would pass down to the next generation. While I really like my new GAD, I would like this next one to be of a higher level. Probably will stray away from custom shops (Collings, Santa Cruz, Olson, etc...) just due to price, but a small bodied Martin or a good Gibson may be more up my alley. I really like the 1 3/4 inch nut and the string spacing at the saddle would have to be sufficient. I guess this would knock out any American Guild.

I will let you guys know when I get more serious about it, but other's suggestions are highly welcomed. The modified V neck is something I have had trouble with in the past especially with a large nut, but maybe I have not given it enough time.

Again, thanks alot everybody.

chazmo · Nov 1, 2009

Ridgy,

Can't see anything wrong with asking Martin questions here.

In any case, Taylor makes some awfully nice mahogany guitars, often with cedar tops. What a great smell!!!! I had one of their grand concert style guitars in mahogany and cedar that was a joy to behold. I got hooked on bigger Guilds after a while, but the Taylors are terrific and shouldn't be overlooked in the hunt.

(just my opinion.

)

Ridgemont · Nov 1, 2009

Chazmo said:
Taylor makes some awfully nice mahogany guitars, often with cedar tops.

Yes they are. The only place I have tested out Taylors were at Guitar Center. The ones I tried always have playability issues, much like most of the guitars at GC. There are a few places around town that maintain their guitars, so I will check them out.

Ian · Nov 2, 2009

Dont disregard the Larrivee OM's either !! I played an OM03 a while back and I really liked it. Same price as a Martin OM 1 here, but they seem to crop up fairly regularly second hand.

http://www.laguitarsales.com/pages/3839 ... -03_07.htm

This one looks really nice, and didnt seem a bad price ?

Hope that this helps.

Cheers, Ian

bluesypicky · Nov 2, 2009

Ridgemont said:
Chazmo said:

Taylor makes some awfully nice mahogany guitars, often with cedar tops.

Click to expand...

Yes they are. The only place I have tested out Taylors were at Guitar Center. The ones I tried always have playability issues, much like most of the guitars at GC. There are a few places around town that maintain their guitars, so I will check them out.

I was at one of their locations last week as I was shopping for a digital multi tracker, and of course had to stop in their acoustic room for some curiosity checking.
As far as small body guitar, I cannot recommend Martin enough, I love my OOO-28, love my jammin' buddy OM-18, but I must say I was very impressed by the Taylor GC-8 that I checked at GC, awesome guitar too.... Get yourself a small bod, you'll enjoy it I'm sure. :wink:

JimbowF212 · Nov 3, 2009

Ridgemont said:
Thanks everybody for the tips and advice. Right now I am just window shopping. While I am open to pretty much any brand, I would like this guitar to the type I would pass down to the next generation. While I really like my new GAD, I would like this next one to be of a higher level. Probably will stray away from custom shops (Collings, Santa Cruz, Olson, etc...) just due to price, but a small bodied Martin or a good Gibson may be more up my alley. I really like the 1 3/4 inch nut and the string spacing at the saddle would have to be sufficient. I guess this would knock out any American Guild. I will let you guys know when I get more serious about it, but other's suggestions are highly welcomed. The modified V neck is something I have had trouble with in the past especially with a large nut, but maybe I have not given it enough time.

Again, thanks alot everybody.[/quoteRidge;

Ridge Check out this website
http://www.elderly.com
Go to new instruments - Martin Guitars - 000 & OM then click on price and see all the Martins they have listed. I will tell you this I looked at a Martin OMC-1E which is a new model just introduced in 2009. It is solid Sapele back and sides and a solid Sitka Spruce top all US made and with a Low Oval neck and a 1 & 3/4 in nut width at a local shop for $903 + tax. I played it and it is a great guitar I am just not convinced I can get used to the wider fingerboard or I would have bought it myself. Every place else I have seen these they were going for 1099. BTW it has a Fishman pick-up system on board just to sweeten the pot. If it has to be a Rosewood bodied guitar then look at the 16 series. They are less expensive then the 28s etc and some of them are very nicely decked out.

Ridgemont · Nov 3, 2009

Once again, thanks for everybody's interest in this topic. I always like to talk about the next guitar and give recommendations as well. I have always been interested in a good spruce/hog small body for finger picking. I had the hog GAD for a while, which was nice, but I much prefer my new rosewood GAD in terms of sound and volume. That means I am planning to look at other brands for a spruce/hog small body. There are a few features/requirements that I find important. I want it to be of a reputable company with a long lasting history. The guitar should have a vintage vibe to it. That may be an issue for some more modern companies like Taylor and Larrivee. I am not really interested in a Chinese import even though there are great imports out there. I am interested in true mahogany and not sapele. I know they sound and look similar, but I am looking for hog that the old blues guys played. It is just a personal preference. I have noticed that a wider nut doesn't necessarily mean better fingerstyle instrument for me. What is more important to me is the string spacing at the bridge and at the 12th fret. As long as I can get my fingers in between the strings at the sound hole, the instrument should be fine. The string spacing is ~1/8 inch greater at the 12th fret of my GAD when compared to my D25 and it makes a huge difference. Martin's 18 series is currently in the lead, and there are a few different versions to choose from with variable prices. I am not impressed with Martin's entry level guitars. They look and feel cheap to me. New Gibsons are hit and miss, but I wouldn't rule out a nice vintage one or a decent new one. It seems like many small bodied old Gibsons have small nut widths, so that will be an issue. Taylor's hog small bodies will get a good look. Larrivee entry level 03 series use sapele, which rules them out. The do have the 05 series which is hog, so those I am considering. I wish I could afford a custom shop like Collings or Santa Cruz but those may be out of range, but used ones do pop up in these parts. Of course the most important factor would be the way it sounds and plays when I try it out.

Ian · Nov 3, 2009

Hey Ridge,

Good luck in your search, love to hear how you get on. Of course I've chosen a Hoboken F30 for my spruce/hog guitar, haven't even seen it yet, so I hope it works out OK !!

All I can add is that the Martin 00/OM size I find really comfortable to play, especially when slouched on the sofa....

Cheers, Ian

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