This probably is the most incredible mada RW I've ever seen in my entire life... gorgeous Per!!!

This was an incredible read and I am blown away by this level of craftsmanship and artistry. Absolutely incredible guitars!

Goodness, right!
 

The waiting is indeed the hardest part!

OK - question answered: it sounds great!

Clearly they sound as good as they look.Would love to have one in my hands.

Cheers,
Steve

You ever get that feeling just by looking at craftsmanship that it will sound great? That's how I felt from the beginning. :)

Brad, remind me: Do any of these three have bar frets?

Yes. The OM will have the bars frets and ebony rod ( I couldn't resist...). The only difference from your's is your pick guard is under the finish, mine, on top. The 42 and 45 are specced w/ cf and t frets.

It should be interesting to play w/bar frets, as it will be the first time for me. If I really like it better than the 42 carbon fibre and t frets combo, since Per hasn't started the 45 neck yet, I could go that way on the 45, which would be more in line w/ a original 1933 D-45S anyway.

The top brace carve should be very similar. to your's though. Here's mine.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps01ea794a.jpg


Hope to see your finished OM soon!

Me too! As for the photo, that is such clean work.

The wait is basically killing me at this point. :0 I'm ecstatic to have the Meridian, but one can never be too impatient :)

45 Update
 

Per has been busy doing some pearl work turning these strips...

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...psjhw1qylq.jpg

Into this trim...

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...psdafwpnlt.jpg

A little more colorful than your run of the mill pre-war 45 back and side trim, but I like it!

Thanks Per!

Looking good! Glad to see he's picking back up on the 45. Why was the pearl supply on the 45 different than the 42 I wonder?

Matthew,

Since the original orders went in, as you know, much research has been done on Per's part to make these as good as they are turning out to be. That includes getting as many of the specs right as possible. That includes the pearl purfling on the 45.

John Arnold wrote; " Martin used narrower pearl on the back and sides (0.047 vs. 0.062) at least into the 1980's, because I have some that was sourced from them in that period."

Chainsaw Chuck AKA The Duke of Pearl wrote; " Martin’s top pearl is .063”, side and back is .047”.

Willi of B&H wrote; " As John explained ... The old pre war models had narrow strips of about 1.2 mm at the sides and back while the top had 1.6 mm

When Per made the initial order for the pearl strips he was unaware of the difference in size. When his research found the size differential, he wanted to make it right and by that time that size wasn't available from that source until just recently.

Fast forward to today and this batch of pearl is the smaller width and of course being a natural product ,will differ from the older wide strips in some ways.

There'a a great thread on this over on UMGF here:

http://theunofficialmartinguitarforu...1#.Vb96AIs-Bz8

Hope my answer is what you were after? ;)

Definitely! Thanks especially for the link to the UMGF thread.

#15 is here!
 

Got it on Friday. It was packed very well, and arrived safe and sound.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...psopd00zk3.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...pst3ibcngn.jpg

First impressions.

This was on Friday, guitar tuned up for the first time in a week.

The fit and finish is excellent, comparable to any guitar I own. A couple of fine scratches only seen by close inspection are the only marks I could see in a very nice glossy thin finish.

The sound... well, you all heard the recording. It is a very sweet sounding guitar that I expect to sonically age very well. It has a slightly tight sound that I like in a new guitar. All my new Martins w/RS tops were like that at first and just got fuller and deeper as they were played in. Bottom line, I think it sounds wonderful in person too! It's on my Tonerite rack now as I write, staying warmed up for the night.

As far as neck ergonomics...It has the thickest neck of any guitar I own. Now that doesn't mean it's uncomfortable, just thick, like I expect some of the old ones were too. Some say it contributes to tone.
Would prefer a little less depth (on the next two, in the first few frets anyway).

Per nailed the neck shape though (thank goodness), which makes it very comfortable to play. Good one Per.

Second day impressions...

I woke up early this morning when all is quiet and calm around here (read before the birds and others wake up), and got to spend a few hours with #15.

After being played yesterday for a couple of hours and spending the night on my Tonerite rack, this mornings playtime with a woken up guitar made a world of difference how I hear it.

I started with fingerstyle and found how wonderfully responsive it is to a light touch. Using just the fleshy part of the fingertips the notes really ring out. Using a pick really highlights the headroom it has. For an 00 12 fret short scale, it certainly has a lot of headroom. A lot more than my Martin 00-37 all Koa has.

The other thing I notice is that I have to be really careful how I play. It really highlights bad technique, which I have in vast quantity. I have to really concentrate while playing. When I do, this guitar really rewards me with balanced smooth tone. Most of the time, I play while reading, and I definitely noticed the mistakes this morning when I wasn't paying a lot of attention. Never noticed that with the 00-37 as much...

Also, the neck thickness was transparent to me this morning, I didn't even notice it or think about it until just now. I usually play the 00-37 in the morning, which has a low profile neck, so if it was a problem I would have noticed.

I'm sure I'll have other thoughts to share as we go along.

Then today...

Sounds even better this morning after another night on the rack. I feel really fortunate to have gotten on Per's build list. The waiting was tough, but well worth it. I can't wait for the next two!

Thanks Per!

Congrats Brad!

Thanks Matthew,

It was certainly worth the wait. It sounds divine, and I can't quit looking at it.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...psqui949dn.jpg

Your's should be on the way soon?