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 Post subject: What's old
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 9:01 am 
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Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2013 4:58 pm
Posts: 1449
First name: Ed
Last Name: Minch
City: Chestertown
State: MD
Zip/Postal Code: 21620
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Just watched an episode of Dream Guitars where they were playing a really beautiful 1931 Martin OM-28. SOunded fantastic with finger-style blues.

Looked at my 1974 Martin 000-28 (I'm the original owner) and was heartened/disheartened to realize that it is now closer to that 1931 Martin than it is to a 2018 version.

I got a good one, but will these 70's Martins EVER get any respect?

Ed


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:47 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:46 pm
Posts: 2124
First name: Freeman
Last Name: Keller
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Ed, my second guitar was a 1974 D-18 (my first was an old Yamaha that I still have) - I think I paid 600 dollars for it. Shortly after I added a D12-28 to the quiver.

Image

Both the D18 and the 12 string were good guitars but not really great. A few years back they both needed neck resets and I didn't feel that my path in lutherie made me ready to do it, so I had a well known (but I'll keep him nameless here) Martin tech do the work. The reason I won't mention his name is that he does some modifications to guitars from this era that are somewhat controversial - namely he tries to make them more like their prewar versions.

Many Martin players consider '70's guitars as being overbuilt and there were a few construction issues that haunt them. We had a long discussion about my guitar and along with the reset and refret that it needed from wear, I had him replace the heavy rosewood bridge plate with a smaller maple one, do some brace scalloping thru the sound hole, fix pick guard and side cracks.

When I got the guitar back and was playing it one evening my wife's comment was "you are playing louder tonight". Shortly after I took it to a bluegrass jam where there was a D18GE and a 1937 D-18 (yes, the grail). We passed guitars around and the feeling was that my old over built '74 held its own very nicely.

Did I do the right thing? We can argue that all night - my feeling is that I did. In fact the guy that owns the '37 told me that if I wanted to sell it to call him - he didn't like taking the old one to gigs.



These users thanked the author Freeman for the post: Jules (Mon Jun 18, 2018 3:07 pm)
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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:16 pm 
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Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:36 am
Posts: 7241
Location: Southeast US
City: Lenoir City
State: TN
Zip/Postal Code: 37772
Country: US
Focus: Repair
I'm the original owner of a '68 Martin 0-16NY. If I recall it was $212 and I paid it off at the music shop that sold it to me by doing yard work. It's always been a sweet guitar. Two years ago I went through it and reglued the bridge, reset the neck, did a compression refret (my first) and fixed a couple of cracks. Dave Collins taught me how to do the compression refret. I still love playing that little guitar and after a bit of soul searching I went ahead and put in a K&K pickup so I could play it on stage - glad I did. I love old guitars. I wish I was aging as well as my little New Yorker.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:50 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:34 am
Posts: 3081
Me...
Oh, yea, my 1921 Gibson F4, one of 200 built to test the Cremona brown for the Loar F5 mandolins.

Image

Wife has a '69 D35 BRW, has had it since new.


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 3:08 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 10:44 am
Posts: 6232
Location: Virginia
Oh man I love those old Bimmers too!


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 6:52 am 
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Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2013 4:58 pm
Posts: 1449
First name: Ed
Last Name: Minch
City: Chestertown
State: MD
Zip/Postal Code: 21620
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Haans

That is about the most beautiful sunburst I have ever seen. Can you post shots of the back and sides?

Thanks

Ed


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 7:49 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:34 am
Posts: 3081
Here are the rest of the photos, Ed. It is the most beautiful Gibson F4 I have ever seen.

Image

Probably a silver maple back. Notice the tiny mandolin size quilt.

Image

Double flowerpot meaning no T/R. Makes for a very rich tone.

Image

Tuners look almost new...

Image


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:32 am 
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Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2013 4:58 pm
Posts: 1449
First name: Ed
Last Name: Minch
City: Chestertown
State: MD
Zip/Postal Code: 21620
Country: United States
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Thanks Haans. I have wanted to reproduce something like that on a small guitar - sides, sides of the head, neck - and the wood choice for the back was inspired.

Ed


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:56 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:53 pm
Posts: 443
Location: Canada
My son's girlfriend wanted him to teach her how to play guitar, but didn't want to spend money
buying a guitar, so she asked if he could fix up an old guitar her father had hanging on the rec room
since the mid 70's. The bridge had popped off and it needed a fret job. He said he have a look and
see if it was worth fixing. Turns out to be a 1927 Martin OO-28. Her father was a drummer and
had no idea about guitars


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 2:08 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 10:27 pm
Posts: 2082
Location: South Carolina
First name: John
Last Name: Cox
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I have a slightly post war 1940's Stella GC. It was a complete basket case that came to me in pieces... And unfortunately - the original fretboard was not among the salvagable parts.

I reassembled it and that old Birch box actually sounds very good. I still need to fine tune the neck set a bit to bring the action down a little more - but all in all, it's a way better guitar than the usual Stella I run into....


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 3:12 pm 
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Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:05 am
Posts: 680
Location: Saint Petersburg, Florida
First name: Glenn
Last Name: LaSalle
City: Saint Petersburg
State: Florida
Status: Amateur
truckjohn wrote:
but all in all, it's a way better guitar than the usual Stella I run into....

There are Oscar Schmidt Made Stellas ('30's and before), and Harmony made Stellas (late '30's I believe, and newer) - vastly different guitars.

Glenn


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 Post subject: Re: What's old
PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 4:07 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 9:34 am
Posts: 3081
Oscar Schmidt Stellas were top of the line. When Harmony acquired Schmidt in '39, Stellas all were the bottom of the line and Sovereigns were the "top". Go figure that one out...


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