Suzuki Three S AD213S. My $30 Martin

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I picked up this Suzuki Three S when we decided to slightly renovate our living room. The wall mount guitar holders came down and I would be using a floor stand again. With 2 young kids and a blind dog in the house, the thought of my Lowden getting knocked over was not a pleasing one. So I looked for a guitar that i could fix up, play, and not care if it hit the floor every once in a while.

The problem with that now is that this $30 "beater" is now one of my favourite guitars. I had to reattach bridge, glue the fretboard and a brace, and cut a new nut. It's from 1980 according to my research and the solid spruce top has aged sweetly. I added a pickguard and put in a $30 pickup.

Also note the obligatory headstock cigarette burn. 

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11
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1940 Martin 5-17 Mahogany guitar in excellent shape

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This Martin 5-17 looks to be in awesome shape and is exactly the parlour guitar that I would buy if I had the appropriate funds. It appears to be original except for the added armrest, though the seller does not claim that it is such.
I love the look of the all-mahogany build and feel that it would lend a little warmth to what can be a slightly treble-rich design.

Currently listed at $1600 Canadian.

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Highly "customized" Martin D-16GT makes me feel more than a little blue.

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm just going to leave this here, along with a few quotes from the seller.

"I'm just the type of person that always has to customize things and this production came out of that"

" Most stock guitars I've found have thicker than necessary soundboards that don't resonate as well as if it were thinner, so I thinned the top so that the guitar could respond and resonate better with a lighter softer touch"

" The neck was also thinned down a bit to make it more easier to play, and the fretboard slightly scalloped ( not yngwie malmsteen type scallop as you can tell) giving every note more air/openness and better control over bending and vibrato"

"So if you are crazy left brained perfectionistic about things please go buy yourself a stock whatever"

This custom Martin was listed at $1999 U.S. but see now that the listing has ended.

Did it sell?

The link is still active if you want a complete description from the seller.

R.W. Haller

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Sigma by C.F. Martin Tele-style guitar (made by Tokai)

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's an unusual but mighty fine-looking Telecaster Guitar from C.F. Martin's Sigma brand. Made in Japan for Sigma by Tokai guitars, it rather unusually - for a Tele - sports a headstock with three tuners to each side. From the photos I'd guess it was also of a slightly shorter scale length - a Gibson-esque 24" perhaps?

The seller claims that this is one of only 49 examples produced (When? 1970s? 80s?), and is "one of the best playing electric guitars I have ever encountered." This guitar is currently listed on eBay UK with a starting bid of £449.

G L Wilson

© 2013, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Years before Steinberger: C.F. Martin's headless practice/travel guitars

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Now here's something quite fascinating. According to the eBay seller:

These are 2 of 5, custom made by Martin employee John Huber, for himself and other Martin employees for business travel. Purchased, by a collector, at the Martin Factory between 1965 and 1976, these guitars have been display pieces and not used instrumentally since. Both are solid folding body of 3/4" unknown wood species. They do not have electronics. Bridge and saddle work appear solid, however the "action" is not suitable for comfortable playing. [...] These models have been authenticated in 2010 by Martin employee Mike Dickinson, Exotic Guitars. Appraised at $500 to $750 each.

Note how the central body section, if you were to remove the detachable body wings, would make the guitars appear very similar in appearance to the legendary Steinberger design. But as guitars with no acoustic soundbox, nor electrics for amplification, I can only assume that these guitars were intended for quiet practice.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - 10 years and counting!

Martin D7 Roger McGuinn signature edition 7-string acoustic guitar versus AddString

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here we see a Martin model D7, which sadly is now a discontinued model. I say sadly, because it is one of the best ideas - dare I say innovations? - for acoustic guitar to have come along in decades, and like all the very best ideas it is so simple. A signature guitar for Byrds guitarist Roger McGuinn, the D7 aims to capture part of his signature 12-string sound but without the hassle of having a full set of twelve strings. The seventh string is an octave G string which is paired with the regular G string, so this guitar still has six courses and doesn't require any mental adjustments when playing.

The eBay seller tells us that:

Roger McGuinn describes this as 'the Swiss army knife of guitars'. It can be strummed, picked, flat picked and has nearly all the zing of a 12 string but the convenience of a 6 string. When finger picked the 7th G string isn't even noticed but when strummed or flat picked it sings out beautifully.

Indeed, this guitar was the inspiration for my own 8-string guitar conversion which we looked at recently and which is still playing very nicely - the top hasn't imploded with the extra string tension ... yet!. My original idea was to convert my (cheap) acoustic into a 7-string like the Roger McGuinn guitar, but I started thinking, "If seven strings sound so good, then what will eight strings sound like?" and ending up drilling extra holes in the head and bridge to accommodate an octave D string.

This above pictured Martin D7 is currently listed on eBay UK with a starting price of £1,299 and a Buy It Now price of £1,825. Bear in mind, before the guitar was discontinued the new price was £2,250.

That is a lot of money, but then this is a quality guitar from C.F. Martin. If you wanted a similar 7-string (or 8-string) guitar, then there's always the Do It Yourself route similar to the one I took, or if you don't want to go drilling holes in your favourite acoustic guitar there is this really neat conversion kit from Netherlands-based AddString which adds an octave G-string to your guitar without any modifications other than filing a extra slot in the nut (and the tool for that is provided in the kit).

One very crafty feature is the ability to switch between 6-string and 7-string modes using a string catch mounted in the soundhole. The AddString kit is available now at a special introductory price of $95.

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

1930s Paramount L-Style Tenor guitar with "double" body - made by Martin

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's one of those odd little footnotes from the history of the guitar. This 1930s Paramount L-Style Tenor guitar, made by Martin, has borrowed several design elements from the banjo. Beside the obvious banjo-derived headstock with banjo tuners, the main body is set into larger rim and back with a series of 20 small soundholes arranged around the lip. The back and rim make for an exceptionally large body for a short-scaled instrument. Apparently only 35 of these were made so it's quite a rare piece, and this is reflected in the $3,500 Buy It Now price on eBay.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Martin 5-16 Terz Guitar - vintage short-scale acoustic from 1962

guitarz.blogspot.com:

On first sighting I thought that this diminutive Martin 5-16 from 1962 was a parlour guitar, but apparently it is a Terz guitar. Seeing as the seller refers to the "low E" string and the strings pictured on the guitar are obviously a heavy set, I suspect that this example doesn't use the correct Terz guitar tuning.

The Terz guitar, popular in the 19th Century, is a short scale guitar pitched at a minor third higher than a regular guitar, giving it a clear tone that carries well. Originally, Terz guitars were unlikely to have been used as solo instruments, rather they were a component in ensembles and guitar duos, etc. The Italian composer Mauro Giuliani, guitar virtuoso of the early 1900s, composed extensively for the Terz guitar as a compliment to the prime guitar.

This Martin 5-16 is in stunning "time capsule" condition for an instrument nearly 50 years old and is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,750.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Spot the difference: Martin F-65 hollowbody electric and Japanese clone

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Further to our recent post about the Martin GT-70 hollowbody electric, pictured above at the top of the photo montage is another slightly better known electric guitar from the company known for their high-end acoustics, namely the Martin F-65. We have looked at this model previously here on Guitarz; it was produced between 1962 and 1965 (the example pictured is from 1964) and approximately 1,800 were made.

Whilst not as rare as the GT-70 the F-65 is still considered to be reasonably rare and is a desireable model today. This particular example is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2999.

Contrast this with the near identical looking guitar at the bottom of the photo montage. This is also currently listed on eBay but has a Buy It Now price of a very resaonable sounding $325. This guitar is actually a Japanese copy of the Martin F-65 and carries the St Moritz brandname. This copy is probably even rarer than the real thing, but as I have explained before, rare does not necessarily mean valuable.

Placed side by side you will notice some discrepancies. Hardware - pickups, bridge, vibrato - are obvious candidates for difference, but there are other minor differences such as the slightly over-sized f-holes and pickguard on the Japanese copy. The most obvious difference that is not apparent from the photos I have used here (so you will have to take my word for it) is that whilst the original Martin guitar has a glued-in set neck, the copy has a bolt-on neck.

I'm sure that with the Martin's set neck and DeArmond Dynasonic pickups that it's going to be the better sounding and playing of the two (and costing so much more I should think so too) but it would still be fun to get them both together and do a comparison.

See also this Japanese-made Zenta hollowbody bass which also freely borrows from the Martin F-65 desgin..

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

What's that guitar that Furry Lewis is playing?

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Via our Facebook page, Simon Raw has asked us to identify the guitar being played by bluesman Furry Lewis in the photo reproduced here.

It's funny and quite timely that he asked this very question, because I had already bookmarked one of these very guitars that I saw on eBay only a few days ago with a view to featuring it here on the blog.

It's funny also that for a company so synomynously connected to the acoustic guitar as C.F. Martin & Co, we here at Guitarz seem to have looked at more of their electric guitars, none of which were produced for very long or in high quantities, than we have their acoustic guitars.

It's a Martin GT-70, circa 1966, which fittingly for a Martin is of fully hollow acoustic construction and is equipped with a pair of DeArmond Dynasonics. Some examples were also produced with a factory-fitted Bigsby.

The example pictured here is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,499.

G L Wilson

© 2011, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Dad's guitar: Martin F-65 semi

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Greg writes:

Hi there,

I've been following your blog for a little under a year now and I really love it. Thank you for sharing so many treasures and for providing such great commentary.

I thought you might be interested in a guitar that I came across in my dad's possession over my holiday vacation back home (somehow I didn't realize my dad owned this gem). While it's by no means completely wild, it sure is unusual. It's an electric guitar that Martin made back in the '60s. Kind of unusual considering Martin is known exclusively for their high quality acoustics.

As I understand it, there were only something like 1,800 of them ever made. The model is a F-65. Sadly, I don't know the exact date it was built, but they were only created from 1962 to 1965. Talking with some fellow guitar enthusiasts at a local vintage guitar meetup, they explained that it was a case of Martin just not being able to sell the model due to their strong association with acoustics and not electrics. It's an incredible guitar workmanship-wise. This particular guitar was professional sanded down to a nice, natural wood, which I absolutely love. The pickguard was removed too, giving it something of a John Lennon Casino look. All models I've seen online and read about have a sunburst finish otherwise. The place where the tremolo bar would lock in has been blocked with a wooden dowel though. My dad picked this up back in 1980 from a vintage guitar shop in Kansas City and all of the cosmetics were as they are now. He's had some work done to it and I hope you'll forgive the overused expression, but it's an absolute dream to play. Sounds great too! I hope in his older age, he finds it in his heart to fork it over to me, hah!

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in this oddity. I'm sadly back in Seattle now so I can't really provide too many more details on the guitar without probing my dad for information. Hope you're having a great New Year! Take care.

Greg

Hey, thanks for sharing, Greg. We have looked at a couple of Martin's electric models previously, but it's good to hear from someone who has personal experience of one.

Keep 'em coming, folks!

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

1966 Martin GT-75

guitarz.blogspot.com

See this Martin GT-75 from 1966 in superb condition for a 45 year old guitar... I'm younger and don't look so fresh (mostly in the morning)!

It has a strange yet sober double cutaway thinline body that looks more Czechoslovakian than American, sinuous S-holes (they don't look like F) and deliciously vintage looking DeArmond Dynasonic pickups with asymmetric covers, a Bigsby trem specially designed for Martin...

The Martin F-65 previously shown on the blog was an earlier model and shares the design and the pickups of the GT-75, that mostly improves the neck and the bridge...

Bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Martin F50 archtop

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here's a reminder that C.F. Martin & Co were not all about flat-top acoustic guitars. This vintage Martin F50 archtop dates back to 1962; this example has been modified by its previous owner having a Kent Armstong Jazz humbucker and replacement machine heads and bridge.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

1979 Martin EM-18

guitarz.blogspot.com

A few weeks ago someone asked about the connections between his Goya and the Martin solid bodies ; to complete the answers made then, here is the short-lived genuine Martin EM-18. 

It never really took, so Martin resumed making acoustic guitars in 1983 and ever since.

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Martin Guitar donates $20,000 one-of-a-kind guitar to Christie's for 2010 inaugural "Green Auction"

guitarz.blogspot.com:
[NB: I don't normally like posting press releases here on Guitarz, but the notion of a guitar being worth $20,000, whilst quite obscene, makes it worthy of mention. It's a stunning looking guitar too - and so it should be! At least Martin are doing the right thing with their donation to this auction. - GLW]

STAR-STUDDED EVENT TO BE HELD ON EARTH DAY, APRIL 22

PROCEEDS FROM AUCTION TO BENEFIT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, OCEANA, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL AND THE CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY
[That's enough upper case now, thanks. - GLW]

Nazareth, PA – February 22, 2010 – In tune with Martin Guitar’s environmental philosophy, C.F. Martin & Co. has donated a rare 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certified Wood Guitar (photo attached) to Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, for their upcoming “A Bid to Save the Earth” Green Auction.

This first-of-its-kind charity auction will take place on April 22, 2010 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Proceeds from the sale will be divided among four leading not-for-profit environmental organizations: Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Central Park Conservancy. All four beneficiary organizations are 4-Star rated by CharityNavigator.org, its highest rating for not-for-profit organizations.

Estimated in value at $20,000, the one-of-a-kind Martin Custom Shop 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certified Wood Guitar features original Southwestern artwork executed in hand-applied colored lacquers by renowned painter/sculptor Peter Cree. Known for developing and incorporating a decorative finishing technique intended for high-quality acoustic instruments, Cree’s work has been highly sought-after across the country for his creation of new pieces, as well as his expert restorations of fine art and instruments.

Constructed with 100% Certified tonewoods from ecologically well-managed forests, the 000 12-fret Peter Cree Certified Wood Guitar features Chechen headplate, back and sides; a four-piece Adirondack top; Katalox fingerboard and bridge; cherry neck, front and rear block; basswood ribbon linings and braces; and artistic inlays of Micarta, cherry and turquoise.

“For nearly two decades, we at Martin Guitar have been devoted to pioneering a movement of ecological responsibility within the guitar industry,” said Chris Martin IV. “C.F. Martin & Co. is proud to have contributed such an artistically creative and ecologically symbolic instrument in support of charitable environmental initiatives through this special Christie's auction.”

Held at Christie’s, Rockefeller Center, New York and carried live globally via Christie’s LIVE™ on www.christies.com.

The Evening Sale will be a star-studded event with top celebrities serving on the Green Auction Host Committee that includes: Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Tobey Maguire, François-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek, Bob Fisher, Candice Bergen, Ed Norton, Evelyn Lauder, Alec Baldwin, Zaha Hadid, Brooke Shields, and Matt Lauer. Additional lots for auction will include major works from artists, coveted celebrity experiences, upscale eco-vacations and exquisite jewelry.

NB: Please make sure you are reading this Guitarz post at guitarz.blogspot.com and not on a Scraper blog that copies posts without permission (and steals bandwidth) so as to profit from advertising. Please support original bloggers!

Goya solidbody with a possible Martin connection

guitarz.blogspot.com:
We've had another email, as follows:

Hey - was wondering if you or your audience could give me any info on this guitar.

I picked this up a couple years ago, and don't know much about it. It's a Goya that looks very similar to a Martin E-18, which from what I can tell is their only foray into solid body electrics. I've seen these online with headstocks labeled EF Martin, Sigma Martin, but never Goya. It's my understanding that Goya was bought by Martin at some point in the late 70s, so I'm guessing the E-18 was just a rebranding of this Goya model? I don't know. It's a great sounding and playing guitar, never seen another one though.

Thanks in advance!
-Tim

My own understanding of the Goya brand, was that it was just that - a brandname used to sell guitars in the United States. For example, Sweden's Hagstrom guitars were re-badged "Goya" for the US market.

I think you may have (semi)-answered your own question, Tim. That it was a brandname bought out by Martin. Perhaps they badged their own electric solidbodies with the Goya brandname because the Martin name was so firmly established in everyone's mind as being an acoustic brand. That the guitars also appeared branded Martin and Sigma suggests different marketing strategies at different timess, perhaps?

If anyone else reading has any more info, please let us know!

G L Wilson

NB: Please make sure you are reading this Guitarz post at guitarz.blogspot.com and not on a Scraper blog that copies posts without permission (and steals bandwidth) so as to profit from advertising. Please support original bloggers!

Martin D18-E

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Built in 1959, the D18-E was Martin's first attempt at producing an electric guitar.

They didn't really think it through as an electric guitar from the ground up, did they? They just took an existing model from their catalogue, added two DeArmond pickups and volume, tone controls and pickup selector switch. I can't imagine all that additional hardware would allow the guitar's spruce top to resonate as it was originally designed to, but nevertheless this is one cool guitar! (A pity this example on eBay isn't strung in the photos).

And of course, Kurt Cobain thought so too when he used one for Nirvana's Unplugged sessions. (I've often wondered about that. It wasn't really "unplugged", was it?)

EDIT: I've just noticed - this post was made on the 7th Anniversary of this blog - the world's longest running guitar blog! Happy birthday to us!

G L Wilson

NB: There are a lot of blogs STEALING content and bandwidth. If you read this anywhere else but on guitarz.blogspot.com then you are reading a blog that STEALS content. Please support original bloggers!

Martin electric guitar

Here's one you don't see too often. It's an electric guitar, albeit a semi-acoustic, from C.F. Martin & Co.

This particular model is a 1965 Martin F-65 and is described as having "survived 40 years in an outback Australian farming shed".

The seller says that "it looks like a dog, but plays really well...", and I think it looks absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately can only imagine how it would play. In this day and age of artifically reliced guitars - new guitars made to look like old and battered vintage guitars - it's great to see an instrument like this bearing the marks of genuine usage and aging.

Martin guitars still acoustic king at 175 years old: "I'm an abysmal guitar player" says Chris Martin (C.F. Martin VI), sixth-generation CEO of C.F. Martin & Co.

Take instrumental journey in museum dedicated to guitars: 10 good reasons why you should visit The Martin Guitar Museum in Nazareth, Pennsylania (if you should get the chance).