#1
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The first L-00? Anyone really know
On the UMGF a topic is on the "Meet CF martin" and Q&A. This was one of CF Martins contentions...can any of you verify it?....On the CEO-7 .....
"Line of the night – He described the instrument as a "Martin copy of a Gibson… copy of a Martin" and noted that [paraphrase] "Even some folks at Gibson might not have known that theirs was a copy of an old Martin" |
#2
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Does not seem to be that much of a mystery. Here is an article from last year on it.
http://www.vintageguitar.com/19622/1933-gibson-l-00/
__________________
"You start off playing guitars to get girls & end up talking with middle-aged men about your fingernails" - Ed Gerhard |
#3
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That part we all know. It's the "Martin" claim to have the original prototype I'm looking to find out about. |
#4
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An L-00 isnt really a copy of a martin. But its VERY much inspired by martin. Thats pretty much what the early gibsons were, they took martin designs and gave them their own spin, just enough so that they seemed like totally new designs. Really almost all steel string x braced guitars could be said to be Martin copies in a way.
Here the comparison L-00 1932 00-18 No, the L-00 isnt an exact copy, but similar in alot of ways. similar body shape, similar bracing. Those round shoulders and wide lower bout. 12 fret neck (the original L-00s had 12 fret necks. later changed to 14) |
#5
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This is more of what I'm looking to find out. But it's the claim by CF martin that a Martin was "copied" that has me searching for an answer. |
#6
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The L-00 at least started out, as a copy of a 12 fret martin 00 |
#7
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I gotcha. Just thought he was pinpointing a specific Martin. |
#8
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Clearly Gibson has a long history of copying Martin but the L-00 is not a tracing of a Martin guitar. The first Gibson steel string guitars had a shape like their mandolins, sort of round but in 1930 I believe it was they changed their shape to the flat bottom shape of the Martins. So the concept was a copy but the guitar was not. This is easily documented if you care to do the Inet searching. You might start with early, say 1928 through 1932, Gibson catalogues.
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#9
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Great answers to my question from everyone. I think I took the quote to seriously, and literally. But I sure would like to hear CF himself elaborate on that topic!
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#10
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Sometimes I can be stubborn, part way through this I was wondering if it was worth it. Probably not but I did it anyway. Found a picture of a 1932 Martin and Gibson, and with a bit of Photoshop (old program that I hardly know how to use) scaled the bodies the same length and then transposed the Gibson on the Martin. Looks rough but at least the differences can be seen.
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#11
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Thats great, thanks. Youve shown exactly what the two guitars look like.
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#12
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Not sure if they have the same length, maybe should have looked it up first.
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