The Totally Miscellaneous non-Alembic Guitar and Bass Thread

[David Houck]

Don't think I've seen an all Spruce guitar before.

[edwardofhuncote]

Here's one I've looked at online two or three times recently; it's local and way out of my price range and my ability to play.

https://www.dreamguitars.com/shop/instruments/guitars/steel-string-guitars/flattop/2019-beneteau-m-honduran-rosewood-spruce/
...

Here's one that the player, who works at that same store, thinks is the best guitar he's ever played; and I think sounds pretty good.
...

It's a Ken Walker.  The notes below the video are pretty interesting, and include remarks from Ken Walker as well.  He worked for George Gruhn and Guild Guitars.
...

A trip to Dream Guitars would be very educational. Those folks aren't very far from you I don't think, probably an easy day trip. That Honduran rosewood guitar has some charm. 

Kim Walker has quite the reputation. I feel like we've discussed him somewhere here at the Club? 

[David Houck]

... A trip to Dream Guitars would be very educational. Those folks aren't very far from you I don't think, probably an easy day trip ...

Up in Weaverville, and yes, they have a lot of nice stuff; all of it out of my price range.  Visits to their store are by appointment only, and I wouldn't want to waste their time.  I'm still studying acoustics that are more my price range; and really, I need to improve my playing significantly so that I have a better idea of what I really want in an acoustic.

[cozmik_cowboy]

I can only (ahem) dream of spending 0.01% of the time there that I spend listening to their demo videos; very few pieces that I wouldn't like to take home - and none that I could come close to.

Peter (who appreciates that they leave up the demos of sold items; guitar porn almost without limits!)

[edwardofhuncote]

... [from earlier]
Mickey says he just goes where they point him. Answer the questions, give them a guitar, make sure it's in tune and a quiet corner to play it. He said he like to give them at least one similar guitar to compare it to, just puts it in a stand close by. John said he trys to figure out what guitar people want by what music they are playing. Basically, he's profiling customers for sales purposes. Jack has Mondays off, and that's who I really want to ask. That kid outsells everybody. Kinda' quiet, just has a gift for matching people up with guitars. Good player himself too. He's the youngest of the sales crew too, and perceptive about a good many things, so I'm curious what he thinks the attitudes are of the guitar-buying public. 

Thus far all I've gotten from my little social experiment is; they've got something for everyone.

I had a few minutes to plug Jack for his thoughts yesterday while dropping off this week's repairs and picking up a couple jobs.

Fret Mill Music is Martin and Taylor dealer, has been for decades, and used to be a Gibson dealer too. (another great story for another day) So Jack goes on to tell me, about the new Martin 16 Series... overall, a pretty good value. It's a bunch of different models that are a lot of guitar at those price points, if you want those appointments. I agree, full stop. Not necessarily something I want, but I can see them selling. Jack pointed me to the Guitar Player hyped article announcement. https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitars/acoustic-guitars/martin-shakes-up-its-16-series-with-five-new-guitars-were-going-to-get-weird-with-it-brother The store's Martin rep was going to send them a handful of the new 16's before they hit the market, so they could pick off the menu.

"So we talked about them" he said. That Cherry Cola (the red) wasn't gonna' sell. Neither was the Blue Denim. Jack chose the 1935 Burst on a DSS and a 00L and they also got one in a Black Smoke and a GPC in Natural. They're definitely getting attention.

Jack had also taken note of the trend, especially the unnatural colors, but he sees it as just that, rather than a bite at trying to emulate an older Gibson thing. He hadn't really thought about it that way until I said something. For my part, they're nice guitars. I kinda' get it after reading the article. What they say there at the end, is a conclusion I'd already reached; you'd never want to see these finishes on a legacy model like D-28 or D-18, so logically it made sense to roll out the sassy stuff on a 16 Series. I dread the day one comes in with a top center-seam separation... there ain't no earthly way to touch that up. On the other hand, that finish might have more appeal once it had some wear and tear. There's always a Martin Penguin, if the Gibson Dove or Hummingbird doesn't do it for ya'. 🤪



I did enjoy getting Jack's perspective... he's a sharp one. Here's the latest FB commercial post where the sales guys poke a little fun with each other. It's Jack's ad.
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1660198592442057&id=1730565185739697

[edwardofhuncote]

This is a good Saturday morning geek-out. Skip forward to [12:00] if you just want to hear what one sounds like. 

[cozmik_cowboy]

Interesting article on the 16s - but I'm not sure Joey O knows enough Martin history to be speaking in public; if memory serves they built the first dreads for Charles H. Ditson & Co., a music publisher & instrument seller.  They carried the Ditson name.  I have never in all my born days heard of Martin making something for Gibson.
And here's some fun trivia: (Greg can skip this part, as I'm sure he knows it; probably David, too) they had arms races back then, too, but the weapon platforms involved weren't ICBMs, they were battleships.  And when Martin was designing their big honkin' guitar, the British had just launched a behemoth - a battleship so much bigger than any other that it need fear nothing.  Or, in other words, dread naught.  They put it right in the name:  H.M.S. Dreadnaught.
And Martin said "Aha!  There's what we'll call it!"
Much like Epiphone, in 1935, named their newest, biggest archtop the Emperor in honor of the Silver Jubilee of George V.

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

I just figured Joey was either misunderstood or misquoted. Or the AI editor swapped in Gibson for Ditson. But yeah, the first Dreadnought was made for Oliver Ditson, Boston, Mass. (son of, I think...)

This may be one of the prototypes. (there are some nice detail pics here) https://guitars.com/archived-inventory/deichmanD/AA5532.html

Martin reissued the Ditson 111, 222, and 333 about 20 years ago, complete with the Oliver Ditson stamp. I got all sweaty about them until the price list surfaced. (technically the 333 was a concept guitar built on specs of a guitar that no original examples have ever been discovered)

Here's a good read on them. http://www.earlymartin.com/MartinDitson.html

Then a couple years ago they did it to me again, and introduced the Major Kealakai guitar, the K-1 and K-2, supposedly a "missing link" between the 12-fret 000 and Dreadnought. It's a deeper-bodied 12-fret 0000... a one-off custom from 1916 that just never caught on. It's not a coincidence that I re-platformed it for my custom 0000-36/38.

They aren't selling well. I'll hafta' buy me one in a few years.