Members bmast160 Posted March 10, 2009 Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 is there a reason that the d-35 uses a 3piece back and other martins like d-45 have two piece? does a three piece back give a different sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 10, 2009 Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 Back when they first started the 35 series it was the late 1960s. At the time Martin was still using Brazilian rosewood which was newly under CITES protection and their supply was beginning to dwindle so that they didn't have boards large enough for a 2-piece back, so they made do with smaller boards. Other than 2 "center" strips there's really no difference between the construction of the 2 and 3-piece backs. The definitive feature of the 35 series is really the 1/4" bracing which is what give the 35s their signature tonal makeup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members larry50 Posted March 10, 2009 Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 Martin started to build the D-35's with three piece backs in 1965 when Brazilian Rosewood began to become scare. It allowed them to use smaller instrument quality pieces on their backs. The D-35 is braced a bit differently than a D-28, in that the D-35 uses 1/4" bracing rather than 5/16th. They also have a different bracing pattern to accomodate the three piece back, which is very evident looking through the soundhole. The D-35's are considered to have more bass as a result of the three piece back and slightly lighter bracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bmast160 Posted March 10, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 so a d-35 will have a little more bass than a d-45 because of the 3piece back in the 35? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted March 10, 2009 Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 Back when they first started the 35 series it was the late 1960s. At the time Martin was still using Brazilian rosewood which was newly under CITES protection and their supply was beginning to dwindle so that they didn't have boards large enough for a 2-piece back, so they made do with smaller boards. Other than 2 "center" strips there's really no difference between the construction of the 2 and 3-piece backs. The definitive feature of the 35 series is really the 1/4" bracing which is what give the 35s their signature tonal makeup. Actually the CITES restriction on international trade in Brazilian rosewood didn't begin until 1991. Personally I don't think Martin was so stressed out They just had a lot of smaller pieces of nice Brazilian rosewood that they wanted to use... so they decided to use it and the D-35 was born. Also Indian rosewood was getting to be cheaper than Brazilian (being from Asia where labor makes everything cheaper...not really due to rarity) so Martin switched over due to a bigger profit margin. When guitars that they made in the 70's didn't sound as good as ones made in the 60's, consumers were eager to point to the species of rosewood (when in fact it was things like heavier bridgeplate and bracing...and the fact that the 60's guitars were older and benefitted from that soundwise) In the 80's Martin jumped on the bandwagon cheering for Brazilian (when probably in the 70's they were just hoping no one would notice)...happy to direct attention to a wood material they could charge a huge premium for (3 GRAND upcharge even though on Ebay the difference in sets between Indian and Brazilian is maybe $300)...instead of admitting that the guitar designs of the 70's might not have been the best. Some people claim to hear a difference between a D-28 and D-35 and attribute it to the back and side woods. In reality the D-35 might have a little more bass based on bracing differences between the 2 models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted March 10, 2009 Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 so a d-35 will have a little more bass than a d-45 because of the 3piece back in the 35? I think the 45 will have more bass due to the forward shifted bracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar_stringer Posted March 10, 2009 Members Share Posted March 10, 2009 A 3 piece back may add some treble, but not bass to a guitars tone. The reason is due to being braced a tad differently, and therefore stiffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted March 11, 2009 Members Share Posted March 11, 2009 A 3 piece back may add some treble, but not bass to a guitars tone. The reason is due to being braced a tad differently, and therefore stiffer. Yea that's the irony. In theory if the back contributed to tone much, that's what you'd get...but since the back construction contributes very little, what you hear is mostly the bracing of the top, which is more bass. Personally I find drednaught guitars kind of balanced toward bass a little too much already, and you really don't need more of that by changing the bracing of the soundboard. I like the high E strings to ring like a bell, not twang loosely so that you can have that huge boomy sound. It's just a guitar style preference on my part but I don't like the sound of D-35s and the even more boomy HD-35 with it's scalloped bracing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kwakatak Posted March 11, 2009 Members Share Posted March 11, 2009 Actually the CITES restriction on international trade in Brazilian rosewood didn't begin until 1991. Personally I don't think Martin was so stressed out They just had a lot of smaller pieces of nice Brazilian rosewood that they wanted to use... so they decided to use it and the D-35 was born. Also Indian rosewood was getting to be cheaper than Brazilian (being from Asia where labor makes everything cheaper...not really due to rarity) so Martin switched over due to a bigger profit margin. When guitars that they made in the 70's didn't sound as good as ones made in the 60's, consumers were eager to point to the species of rosewood (when in fact it was things like heavier bridgeplate and bracing...and the fact that the 60's guitars were older and benefitted from that soundwise)In the 80's Martin jumped on the bandwagon cheering for Brazilian (when probably in the 70's they were just hoping no one would notice)...happy to direct attention to a wood material they could charge a huge premium for (3 GRAND upcharge even though on Ebay the difference in sets between Indian and Brazilian is maybe $300)...instead of admitting that the guitar designs of the 70's might not have been the best.Some people claim to hear a difference between a D-28 and D-35 and attribute it to the back and side woods. In reality the D-35 might have a little more bass based on bracing differences between the 2 models. Good points all around, GC. I agree and will append my beliefs accordingly since I was just paraphrasing what I'd heard elsewhere. I have a lot to learn and apologize if I was spreading misinformation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rickoshea Posted March 11, 2009 Members Share Posted March 11, 2009 when I had the choice between the D35 and the D28 I played them both side by side and actually thought the 28 was more bassy with the 35 sounding a bit more defined. Not a massive amount in it tho I have to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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