Grain pattern on Martin D 18

Amwolf607 · #1 12-23-2019, 07:28 AM

Before I begin let me just say I am not trying to give Maury a bad name, he is great and I would recommend him to anyone, thank you Maury! So I just received my D 18 I ordered from Maury's Music. The description of the D 18 said the spruce top was supposed to be a higher grade, so I was expecting a tight grain pattern. But when I got it, it wasn't what I would consider a tight grain pattern. In fact, my custom DSR has a better grain pattern than my D 18. And I went to guitar center and checked out a D 28 - that had a very tight grain pattern. I guess that's what you get ordering online but it was at a price I couldn't refuse!

RP · #2 12-23-2019, 07:36 AM

Could you provide a picture so we can see what you mean? Maury is said to be a pretty straight up guy so as long as you haven't modified the guitar, you should have some recourse. Since you were fairly specific as to your wants, did you see a picture of the top before purchasing? I know that Maury provides those on his website. I really don't like runout (or bear claw for that matter) so I pretty much won't buy a guitar unless I can see pictures first...

Amwolf607 · #3 12-23-2019, 08:02 AM

I'll try to get a couple pictures posted on here. I did not see the top prior to purchase. I'm feeling kind of dumb now that I'm finding out I could've viewed the top online

Coler · #4 12-23-2019, 08:10 AM

Is it the aesthetic you're concerned with?

ALBD · #5 12-23-2019, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amwolf607

I'll try to get a couple pictures posted on here. I did not see the top prior to purchase. I'm feeling kind of dumb now that I'm finding out I could've viewed the top online

Nuff said! You’ll know better next time. Sorry you are disappointed by your purchase.

rokdog49 · #6 12-23-2019, 08:24 AM

Instead of posting your grievance here, maybe your first recourse would have been to contact Maury. Just sayin’.

Kerbie · #7 12-23-2019, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Instead of posting your grievance here, maybe your first recourse would have been to contact Maury.

Agreed. Maury has a great rep here and has been a valued sponsor for a long time. I think he'd be as helpful as he can. Just talk to him.

jaymarsch · #8 12-23-2019, 08:33 AM

I'm curious - did you want the higher grade top for cosmetic or sound purposes? Do you like the way the guitar sounds and plays? Obviously, if you wanted the tighter grain pattern regardless of the reason, you should get the guitar that you want. I agree that a call to Maury to see what your options are will probably serve you the best in this situation. I hope that it works out to your satisfaction.

Best,
Jayne

jim1960 · #9 12-23-2019, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amwolf607

So I just received my D 18 I ordered from Maury's Music. The description of the D 18 said the spruce top was supposed to be a higher grade, so I was expecting a tight grain pattern.

For many manufacturers, there's more than one grade of wood above standard, so "higher grade" isn't going to necessarily equate to Master Grade.

There are many factors that go into grading a spruce top including color, symmetry, run-out, knot shadows, grain curvature, etc. The higher you go in grain the more evenly spaced you should expect the grain to be, but that doesn't mean the grain is going to be tight in all cases.

SoCalSurf · #10 12-23-2019, 08:58 AM

I recently purchased a Martin from Maury after doing much homework on what I wanted. In addition to viewing the photos of the guitar online, I talked to him on the phone about, among other things, what appeared to be a cosmetic issue on the headstock in one of the photos. In addition to reassuring me that it was dust caught in the lighting, he texted me a close-up picture that he personally took subsequent to the phone call to make sure I knew what it looked like.

If you like the way the guitar sounds, I don't see any reason to consider the top anything more than an aesthetic issue. But that's your call and you should be 100% happy with your purchase. But in the end, I wouldn't in any way make it seem as if the guitar was misrepresented by Maury.

I hope everything works out for you and you can fully enjoy whatever guitar you end up with.

Amwolf607 · #11 12-23-2019, 09:29 AM

I am definitely not trying to bash Maury! Like I said this is definitely my mistake...I will call him and see what he can do!

brencat · #12 12-23-2019, 09:38 AM

I have found almost no correlation between tightness of grain and quality of tone. Unless there is severe runout or a bear claw knot you can’t live with, I’d keep and enjoy the guitar, especially if the tone is what you expected.

Osage · #13 12-23-2019, 09:58 AM

Something to note is that the grain on the highly sought after Martin 18 series guitars from the 20's through the 50's is typically wide and uneven with plenty of compression streaks and odd discoloration. Just google it and you'll be surprised at the wood used on some of these amazing sounding instruments.

lowrider · #14 12-23-2019, 09:59 AM

You've got to post a pic of the guitar top. I've played great guitars with wide grain and the same for tight grain. It would seem to have nothing to do with tone.

You should be happy with your new guitar though. If it bothers you, they will take it back.

zoopeda · #15 12-23-2019, 10:01 AM

Martin’s wood grading system is purely aesthetic. Higher grades are given to straight grain that is lighter in color and with fewer blemishes. Grain width has nothing to do with that. Luthiers will point out stiffness and stability are the key factors in choosing a top. You can find stiff examples of both wide and tight grain spruce as well as flimsy examples of both. There is no correlation between tone and grain width. Just pick the guitar you like, and don’t worry about imaginary problems with it. How does it sound?