2004 Martin J-41 Special

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by lowrider

Bruce, you are the Jumbo King, do you see them in the stores around you?

I don't live near any big cities, halfway between Melbourne and Sydney, but there's a great store in Melbourne that lists the J-40.

Here's their jumbo selection https://www.acousticcentre.com.au/collections/jumbo

They sold my Martin JDP II. Grand J12-40ES and Huss & Dalton MJ Custom on consignment last year and I bought my Epiphone IBG Hummingbird from them.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by Dropq

Hey guys,

I recently came into possession of two Martins -A J-40 that will be staying with me and a J-41 Special that I’m curious to know if there’s any more info you fine folks might know about.

I’ve seen claims that there were 173 produced, with no actual backup. I know that there’s a difference in the necks and the abalone between the two models as well as some vintage appointments such as the tuners.


Any aficionados out there with knowledge on this particular bird?

The only thing that separates her from dead mint is some polish swirl and some light string rash around the D string tuner that I could see.

J-41 special is an exceptional and special guitar. if you post it for sale, I’ll bet it will go really quickly. It’s basically a Fancier J-40 with string spacing and a long saddle bridge like an OM. It’s a combination of tone and playability rarely found.
I dislike the narrow saddle string spacing of the typical contemporary Martin (2 5/32) which is narrower than most other makers, the J-41 solves that.
To give you an indication of both my love for the j-40 tone and playability of the OM neck specs, as well as my general frivolity: I have sent my J-40 back to Martin for a similarly spec. custom neck replacement.

[Dropq]

Thank you all for the info and for sharing your beauties!

I’ve got the entire picture of her now, she was more or less what I was expecting. The aging toner used was completely unknown to me!

[NotALuth]

Originally Posted by Dropq

I’ve seen claims that there were 173 produced, with no actual backup.

173 doesn’t seem unreasonable- they were in production summer 2004 - 2006. Total production figures for 2004/5 were 126 (Martin Guitars: A Technical Reference).

Regards,
Clive.

[Stevien]

Originally Posted by Dropq

Thank you all for the info and for sharing your beauties!

I’ve got the entire picture of her now, she was more or less what I was expecting. The aging toner used was completely unknown to me!

This gal will likely be going up FSOT in the coming days!

Just an added note; your J-40 has the same aging toner that the 41 Special has. The 41 will be darker mostly due to age, & the amount of toner they used that day.
Steve

[Dropq]

Interesting note, again I hadn’t the slightest. I’m well versed in electric guitars, but not so much in acoustics yet. This forum has already inspired me to dig in!

I’ve always had trouble picking out the “better sounding” acoustics out in the wild. The only one that spoke to me was a 70s Morris W-80s special. Then of course came my 1982 Guild D-55NT, but these are obviously older instruments.

[TennesseeWalker]

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

Taylor Dimensions
......................Grand Symphony......Dreadnought........Grand Auditorium.......Grand Concert..........Jumbo
Body Width: .....16 ¼ inches............16 Inches...........16 Inches...................15 Inches.................17 Inches
Body Depth: .......4 5/8 Inches.............4 5/8 Inches........4 5/8 Inches...............4 3/8 Inches.............4 5/8 Inches
Body Length: ...20 Inches................20 Inches............20 Inches....................19 1/2 Inches..........21 Inches
Overall Length: 41 Inches................41 Inches............41 Inches....................40 1/2 Inches..........43 Inches

Martin Dimensions
...........................OO 14-Fret ...........................OOO (OM, Orchestra) 14-Fr...............Dreadnought........Jumbo
Body Width..........14 5/16" ..............................15"................. ...................................15 5/8".............16"
Body Depth..........3 1/4", 4 1/8", 4 5/8" ................4 1/8"............................................. ...4 7/8"...............4 7/8"
Body Length.......18 7/8" ..................................19 3/8"...............................................20 ".................20 1/8"
Overall Length....38 5/8" ..................................39 13/16"............................................4 0 1/2".............40 5/8"

Martin calls this their grand auditorium size
.........................OOOO (also M)
Body Width.........16"
Body Depth..........4 1/8"
Body Length........20 1/8"
Total Length........40 5/8"

From an old post above, I think one will find the Martin 0000/J somewhat similar to the Taylor GA/800 series in size.
Don't have the upper bout measurements handy, maybe someone else does.