The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #31  
Old 01-06-2021, 12:59 PM
jt1 jt1 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,062
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by justonwo View Post
Knowing Matthew, he was just trying to annoy people. I’m offended I wasn’t included on the list as one of the forum’s foremost authorities on back seat luthierie.
Knowing Matthew, I'm confident he had no idea what he was trying to accomplish.

Thankfully, he managed to offend Juston.

Congratulations, Matthew!
__________________
John
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 01-10-2021, 09:24 AM
CoolerKing's Avatar
CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
FKA matthewpartrick :)
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Havana
Posts: 5,344
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rmccamey View Post
I don't understand the end result you are looking to achieve. You come up with a list of lutiers who build Martin inspired guitars or Martin clones. So...........what would I do with such a list? If I call a luthier not on the list and ask if they could build a Martin clone and they say "Yes" does that then qualify them to be on the list? If I call a luthier not on the list and ask if they had ever built a Martin clone in the past and they say "Yes" does that qualify them to be on the list? If I call a luthier on the list and ask if they build Martin clones and they say "No" would they get taken off the list? Is the list luthiers we, the general public, "think" build Martin clones or luthiers who actually state that they build Martin clones?

Sorry, it just seems like this list could or should contain the vast majority of luthiers who build or who have ever built a steel string guitar. I appreciate the discussion and viewpoints given, I just do not see much purpose for this long list of luthiers that will never be completely accurate.
I was hoping to compile a "best of the best" list. I know in my own head who I'm commissioning, but because of this list I contacted a luthier and he is not taking commissions right now. And I was already in the Queue with one other luthier on the list. And I thought it might be helpful for those who frequent the custom shop. No other ulterior motive whatsoever, with the possible exception of alienating and offending Juston and JT.
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 01-10-2021, 09:26 AM
CoolerKing's Avatar
CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
FKA matthewpartrick :)
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Havana
Posts: 5,344
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jt1 View Post
Knowing Matthew, I'm confident he had no idea what he was trying to accomplish.

Thankfully, he managed to offend Juston.

Congratulations, Matthew!
Your knowledge of my thought process has brought you to the correct conclusion through a completely tangential and invalid process. Solid work.
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 01-10-2021, 09:35 AM
M Sarad M Sarad is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bakersfield!!!
Posts: 2,037
Default

Ralph Bown and Robert Anderson are both outstanding

I own a Merrill. It isn't for sale. I had to sell my Franklin to pay the IRS.

Of the 2 Kim Walker mahogany and Adirondack OM 18s I've played, one was stellar, the other just average.

Everything on the original list is desirable.
__________________
rubber Chicken
Plastic lobster
Jiminy Cricket.
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 01-10-2021, 10:26 AM
steveh steveh is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,748
Default

Another vote for Ralph Bown; far better than any real Martin OM I've ever owned / played, both in terms of build and sound.
Unfortunately, on average, not comparable in terms of price either, so perhaps not a fair comparison?

Cheers,
Steve
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old 01-11-2021, 12:35 PM
vanceen vanceen is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 137
Default

A definition of "best" is pretty important when we're talking about Martin replicas.

Collectors and players have different values about guitars. A Martin or a Martin replica can fall into either category.

A collector would put value on hot hide glue construction, nitrocellulose finish, no adjustable truss rod, a dovetail neck joint, slotted bridge holes with slotless pins, a long "through" bridge, etc. etc. Any deviation from the above pretty much ruins a guitar for a collector of Martin-like vintage guitars.

And in my opinion and experience (though it's smaller than many on here), a spectacular guitar can be made without any of those things. I'd be willing to bet that something very much like an excellent vintage Martin can be made without any of those things.

Les Paul purists have these issues as well.
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Old 01-11-2021, 03:32 PM
justonwo's Avatar
justonwo justonwo is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 7,120
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by vanceen View Post
A definition of "best" is pretty important when we're talking about Martin replicas.

Collectors and players have different values about guitars. A Martin or a Martin replica can fall into either category.

A collector would put value on hot hide glue construction, nitrocellulose finish, no adjustable truss rod, a dovetail neck joint, slotted bridge holes with slotless pins, a long "through" bridge, etc. etc. Any deviation from the above pretty much ruins a guitar for a collector of Martin-like vintage guitars.

And in my opinion and experience (though it's smaller than many on here), a spectacular guitar can be made without any of those things. I'd be willing to bet that something very much like an excellent vintage Martin can be made without any of those things.

Les Paul purists have these issues as well.
Hmmm. I’m not sure I agree with you there. Most people I know of are happy with some modern deviations from the Martin recipe, and I haven’t see that impact the value of those guitars. I know of almost no builders that follow all aspects of the original formula. But I agree with you that there are many approaches that yield great tone.
Reply With Quote
  #38  
Old 01-11-2021, 04:05 PM
CoolerKing's Avatar
CoolerKing CoolerKing is offline
FKA matthewpartrick :)
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: North Havana
Posts: 5,344
Default

The most detail-oriented repro that comes to mind someone above mentioned, Frankie Montuoro's bench copies.

Juston's Circa OM-28 may be the most detail-oriented guitar I've ever seen; I have yet to play it. Bar frets ebony rod banjo tuners etc.

I think we all can agree that a guitar can be successful without being exacting in terms of closeness to original. 90% of what I like about the old guitars is probably visual.

The one seemingly (at least to me) irreproducible feature of all "great" old Martins that I have played is that they all felt feather-light, like the dry-aging process loses a few molecules a year, so that they all lose weight
Reply With Quote
  #39  
Old 01-11-2021, 05:57 PM
Jimmy Caldwell Jimmy Caldwell is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Horseshoe Bay, Texas
Posts: 340
Default

I’d love to see one of Frankie’s bench copies, but they seem to be rather elusive. Anyone on the forum actually play one that could give us details? I know he makes his own tuners and cases that are supposed to be pretty much period correct, but even he makes substitutions, the most obvious being back & sides material. He describes it as consecia silva, a wood that mimics BRW, but as far as I can tell doesn’t really exist at least by that name. I’d love to know more.

If anyone has personal experience with one, let us hear from you!
__________________
Jimmy Caldwell
www.barfrets.com
Reply With Quote
  #40  
Old 01-11-2021, 06:31 PM
GWF GWF is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 178
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolynS View Post
My vote goes to Kim Walker.

And if we weren’t already on Kim’s list, I would commission a guitar from John Slobod.
I have both. They both make great guitars, but I think John goes more towards a Martinesque copy than Kim.
__________________
GWF

a few too many
Reply With Quote
  #41  
Old 01-11-2021, 06:37 PM
GWF GWF is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 178
Default

I have a Montuoro OM-28 bench copy on order. I have a D-28 with his mystery wood. He builds an AMAZING guitar.
__________________
GWF

a few too many
Reply With Quote
  #42  
Old 01-16-2021, 11:45 AM
vanceen vanceen is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 137
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by justonwo View Post
Hmmm. I’m not sure I agree with you there. Most people I know of are happy with some modern deviations from the Martin recipe, and I haven’t see that impact the value of those guitars. I know of almost no builders that follow all aspects of the original formula. But I agree with you that there are many approaches that yield great tone.
You may be right and I may be wrong. Judging from people on the Martin forum, someone who's going to invest a large sum in a Martin clone will be expecting all the traditional Martin touches. (Or at least what are considered the "traditional" touches.)

And we agree, not all those "touches" are necessary to achieving a legendary guitar. I'm a huge fan of bolt-on necks.
Reply With Quote
  #43  
Old 01-16-2021, 12:13 PM
vanceen vanceen is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 137
Default

DELETE: duplicate
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Custom Shop

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:36 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=