Marty Custom Job: Anyone Familiar?

[knockwood]

Wondering, regarding Martin's custom shop, if anyone has any experience ordering a custom job... If so, how long did it take? Was it much more expensive than you'd have thought? How happy were you with the end result?

 

I'm not thinking of anything particularly ornate or packed with bling. Just can't find one guitar in Marty's stable that combines ALL the ingredients I'd want in the dreadnaught to end all dreadnaught GAS.

 

And... I'd be curious to hear opinions on neck joints. If you're ordering a custom guitar, what kind of neck joint would you want, bearing in mind the inevitable need for a reset?

[Freeman Keller]

Lots of folks at the UMGF have customs (and opinions about them). Generally I think it is positive, but you are looking at six months or so for it to be built. I doubt if you will be able to dictate neck joint to Martin - they use dovetail on their middle and top models and MT on their lesser ones. Don't fear the dovetail joint - just plan on spending 300 bucks in 20 years when it needs a reset (I think resets are free to the original owner). I guess if I were ordering a new Martin I would look into the TransAction neck joint. Or maybe not

 

And some things I doubt that they will do in just any custom (hide glue for instance). Bling can double the build time on any guitar.

 

Something else to consider is to buy something close to what you want and have it tweaked. Bryan Kimsey does a great business in modifying GE's (which is a great guitar to start with) and the mods that he did to both my old D-18 and D12-28 have made them better players.

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by Freeman Keller Lots of folks at the UMGF have customs (and opinions about them). Generally I think it is positive, but you are looking at six months or so for it to be built. I doubt if you will be able to dictate neck joint to Martin - they use dovetail on their middle and top models and MT on their lesser ones. Don't fear the dovetail joint - just plan on spending 300 bucks in 20 years when it needs a reset (I think resets are free to the original owner). I guess if I were ordering a new Martin I would look into the TransAction(tm) neck joint. Or maybe not And some things I doubt that they will do in just any custom (hide glue for instance). Bling can double the build time on any guitar. Something else to consider is to buy something close to what you want and have it tweaked. Bryan Kimsey does a great business in modifying GE's (which is a great guitar to start with) and the mods that he did to both my old D-18 and D12-28 have made them better players.

 

 

Thanks, man. That is helpful. Ultimately what I'm looking for is a significantly modified 18 - modified enough so it'd probably make sense to have Martin do it. Six to eight months wouldn't be a big deal. A GE almost does it except I'm not crazy about Adi tops.

[Freeman Keller]

Have you listened to the A/B/C test between the D-18A, GE and HD-28? Shoot out

They used the 28 as the benchmark (check out the guy's home studio!), then played the same songs on each guitar (same player, pick, strings, mics, mix). Note that the 28 is even Braz!

 

The GE in the test is Kimsey hot rodded so it is about as good as you can get, the Authentic is, of course, the talk of the Martin folks. The only thing that would have made it better is a real 1939 D-18.

 

The difference between r/w and hog is obvious, but how about the two mahogany guitars? Is it worth $3K for hide glue and a bit of hand assembly? This really got me GASing for a 000-18A.

 

If you spend some time on Bryan's page you'll see what he does and why. Both my guitars needed a reset so I had him work his magic - on the D-18 he did the bridge plate, scalloped braces, frets, nut and saddle of course, and some cosmetic work (he did not pop the popsicle). The 12 string got a new bridge plate, the bridge reglued, and a bunch of setup tweaks. Both were well worth the money and the time the guitars were away (about 3 months).

 

Bryan Kimsey lutherie

[tapeman1]

 

Originally posted by knockwood Thanks, man. That is helpful. Ultimately what I'm looking for is a significantly modified 18 - modified enough so it'd probably make sense to have Martin do it. Six to eight months wouldn't be a big deal. A GE almost does it except I'm not crazy about Adi tops.

 

 

 

If you like the GE but want a Sitka top check out the 18V. I have one and absolutey love it.

[JasmineTea]

I'd like a D-21.

[Cldplytkmn]

i listened to those sound clips... and for sure all three of those guitars sounded good... the authentic did sound better than the golden era to me... but good god, people are really dropping 6 grand on those?

 

congrats martin... you're good at what you do.

[jackwr]

From NY, take the drive to the factory. You'll be glad you did.

[knockwood]

Good clips. I agree with Cldplytkmn's assessment of the GE vs. the authentic... and re. the price for the latter... yikes.

 

The V someone suggested is close, but it's not the neck profile I'm looking for, plus I need the 1-3/4" nut width. If I could snap my fingers and make the guitar appear before me now, it'd look like this:

 

Sitka top

Scalloped braces

Mahogany b/s

Ebony board & bridge

1-3/4" Nut

Modified low oval neck profile

 

These basics are a pretty simple spec salad. Only prob is that Marty doesn't have a model that ties them together. Taylor does... Only problem there is I have one, and it sounds like {censored}.

[Cldplytkmn]

KW, i can't really get into that V neck shape either... its kinda a drag when i wanna play the GEs and Vs at the shop...

 

maybe you should check out collings... I think a D1 would fit your specs, and i'm sure they would do a 1 3/4 nut for you.

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn maybe you should check out collings... I think a D1 would fit your specs, and i'm sure they would do a 1 3/4 nut for you.

 

 

True, there is Collings.. and Huss & Dalton. It's just... I have a Marty D-1 that I'm crazy about. I see it as a kind of seedling version of THE dread. Would be nice to see what the people who put that much kickass tone in a $750 git can put into my specs. Before I actually pull the trigger on anything, though, I will definitely give Collings, H&D, others a hard look.

[Cldplytkmn]

you should be able to get what you want from martin, i just don't know how much a custom shop would cost you, even on something relatively basic.

[Freeman Keller]

Knock, you know that your specs are pretty close to the 12 fret D-18VS except that it is the vee-neck. Some people love the neck, some hate it (I'm pretty neutral but when I did my custom 000 I profiled the neck like my Taylor). What do you think about a slot head slope shoulder 12 fretter?

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by Freeman Keller Knock, you know that your specs are pretty close to the 12 fret D-18VS except that it is the vee-neck. Some people love the neck, some hate it (I'm pretty neutral but when I did my custom 000 I profiled the neck like my Taylor). What do you think about a slot head slope shoulder 12 fretter?

 

 

Never looked at the D-18VS specs, but it's pretty damn close. Beautiful guitar. I actually like slopes, very seldom venture beyond the 12th fret, have nothing against slotheads. I don't have enough exposure to V necks to hate them, but I do find the D-1 and the Taylor profiles - both essentially mod low oval - extremely comfortable. I will have to find one of these and give it a drive, try and gauge how I might feel about driving a V for the rest of my life. Thanks for pointing out this model.

[Freeman Keller]

Vee necks

To V or not to V

 

12 Fret dreads

12 Fret dreads

 

how about r/w instead of hog?

D-28VS

 

Knockwood, come lurk with us at UMGF

 

Freeman

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by Freeman Keller Vee necks To V or not to V 12 Fret dreads 12 Fret dreads how about r/w instead of hog? D-28VS Knockwood, come lurk with us at UMGF Freeman

 

 

I lurk there from time to time as "Select Hardwood." I tend to prefer the more varied subject meanderings of HC, though... Thanks for the links.

 

I have nothing against rose. The guitar I learned to play on, my only guitar until last August, is a Guild r/w dread (DV-52). I love the thing to death. But I've been having a bit of a love affair with mahogany over the last several months. Funny thing is, I'm not a tremendous fan of the "balance" most players seem to be so crazy about. I tend to like big, whopping, fatass bass, which is one reason I love my Guild so much. A lot of mahog dreads I've tried out - my Taylor is a good example - are too far on the other side of the fence: Too bright for my ear, treble-heavy, lacking presence. The D-1 is a total departure, and in fact I've noticed in general that there is something very special about Martin's way of putting together a mahogany dread... It's like the best of all possible worlds. They don't want at all for kickass bass - even to my bottom-heavy taste. I don't know if it's just a matter of the depth of their dread boxes or they have some secret mahogany potion in Nazareth... Whatever they're doing, it works for me. A year ago, if anyone had suggested I'd be considering mahogany for my dream dread, I'd have thought they were crazy.

 

Eventually I must have a D-28, just because I love the model and it's the blue blazer of the dreadnaught world. But if I'm going to have a dread built with my head where it is now, I'd go for hog. OM, different story - would probably look for rose. Like most other players who don't own one, I have a crush on the OM-21.

[JasmineTea]

 

Originally posted by knockwood Sitka top Scalloped braces Mahogany b/s Ebony board & bridge 1-3/4" Nut Modified low oval neck profile

Used Collings? First thing I thought of when I read these specs. I love a good mahogany dread. Still prefer it over rose.

 

The thing with a custom order is you can't play it first. That sucks. (more coffee..) Unless they can gaurantee a certain kind of tone. Most likely that'd be something you'd describe to them over the phone. Who knows, mabey that'd work.

 

I've come to the conclusion that specs are informative, interesting, but cannot determine the outcome of a git. At least not sound-wise.

[knockwood]

 

Originally posted by JasmineTea Used Collings? First thing I thought of when I read these specs. I love a good mahogany dread. Still prefer it over rose. The thing with a custom order is you can't play it first. That sucks. (more coffee..) Unless they can gaurantee a certain kind of tone. Most likely that'd be something you'd describe to them over the phone. Who knows, mabey that'd work. I've come to the conclusion that specs are informative, interesting, but cannot determine the outcome of a git. At least not sound-wise.

 

 

Yeah, Collings D-1 is definitely something I'll have to look at. As for the disadvantages of custom-ordering vs. buying off the rack, this is not a giant concern for me. Certainly there's a bit of a gamble involved; however, when you mix good specs with a good builder, it's pretty difficult to go wrong. Obviously I won't know exactly what I'm getting until it's done, but that's part of the fun. And frankly, my ear is not THAT sensitive. I know basically what I like, but a good builder would have to go pretty far out of his way to really disappoint me. And if I DO end up feeling like I've thrown my money away, I can always make it back by taking bets on how many Twinkies I can stuff in my Taylor.

[JasmineTea]

I like that approach to it.