Guitars guitars.
I write articles for a number of magazines- mostly about acoustic guitars, but also on general health topics. This is a review for 2 prewar D18's I played one hot summer sunday. It needs a good tweak, but most of what I want to say is there. When someone buys the finished article, I'll have to take it off the blog for 6 months.
Imagine.....
Imagine 2 D18's from 1939. Back then,in the shop, fingerboards and bridges were being switched from ebony to rosewood, the necks needed a little more slimming to 1 11/16", but otherwise, the 18's were built with the same mahogany and same adirondack to the same formula- light scalloped braces, thin back and sides, muselin side re-enforcement as they had always been done.
Yet, despite that, the 2 I played, a mere 20 serial numbers apart have turned out to be very different sounding guitars.
But before we talk about the differences, let's talk similarities and assign them names. Okay, Junior and Senior are both from 1939 which means they have serial numbers between 718867-74061. They both have ebony bridges and ebony fingerboards with the standard decoration scheme- dots to the 15th fret, 3 ring rosette and, unusually, tortoise shell celluloid headstock veneers. Tortoise celluloid headstock veneers are rare on Martins and only occur when they were using tortoise shell celluloid- from 1936-1967. Even then, I have only seen them on this feature on a handful of the earlier D's.
Junior is a 90% original D18. Rough, but original. The adirondack top has 2 long cracks below the bridge, 2 from the fingerboard to soundhole and another on the treble bout. The back has a long crack from the bottom and has been oversprayed giving the oil on top of water refraction effect when viewed in good light. Now for the good news, the overspray is limited to only the back and the finish on the remaining real estate is in good shape. The cracks have been fixed and the whole instrument had been recently set up.
It plays like a greased bobsled with good string clearance, enough to avoid dreaded buzz when pushed with a rendition of All Along the Watchtower.
Notes are quick to exit and the response is good for a large body. Fingerstyle is emminently possible on Junior, with a comfortable setup, producing a smooth tonal profile with overtones predominating in pleasing mids and trebles. The sustain was superb with a long, tapering decay. Although I played a large variety of fingerstyle tunes on it, it's really excels in Jazz and Blues. Mama just wants to Barrelhouse makes me want to go to one to grab a long hard drink with effortless transitions between the chords and a mellow, rounded tone.
When I took a flatpick to it, this guitar picked up the pace, pushing out more sound without losing that level, smooth tonal profile. When pushed harder, the bass started to crunch nicely, but the treble and mids retained their character. It's a very credible note to note picker- again he helped by a smooth note transition and the tapering sustain. The treble notes never compressed even when I went all the way up the board, which is impressive. Chord work on it is effortless thanks to good melding of overtones . This is a guitar I would recommend to a backing player as the smooth and mellow chord work blends nicely with bass and adds texture to the rhythm.
All in all, Junior is a good versatile instrument although not the loudest I have heard in a prewar D18. The tone is a little too nice, the smooth profile and tapering decay is pleasing enough, but never got my pulse racing. The lack of higher volume and excitement is the reason behind my tonal scoring of 6.5.
Cracks on the back and multiple very visible and open cracks on the top with cleats and a overspray don't endear me to it's condition. Condition: 5
Overspray yes but original tuners in original case hence Originality: 9.
Senior is unlike Junior, a 70% original D18 in good cosmetic condition. Clean, but messed with. The adirondack top has prominent bearclawing matched symmetically and the entire guitar is crack free except for 2 short keys-in-pocket cracks on the treble side and a small patch repair just in front of the bridge. The whole guitar has been refinished competently, but the result is a slightly thicker finish than what I would consider good.
The bridge had been shaved and the long saddle converted to short. The guitar hadn't had a neck set but the action was acceptable. There was a loose brace inside and on inspection, the bridgeplate was rosewood- clearly a replacement. The luthier workshop beckons!
It plays well with good string clearance, (also enough to avoid dreaded buzz when pushed with my energetic version of All Along the Watchtower.)
Notes are faster to exit and the response is very quick with awesome pop. Fingerstyle is possible, and the notes have great seperation withl ots of snap to the trebles. The bass and mids have a pleasing bell tone and the decay is longer but sharper.
This makes for an altogether playing experience- this is a ragtime guitar with a few tricks. The fast exit and long but distinct decay suit it to a T. Modern fingerstyle tunes like Turning- Turning back sounded out very well and even old Celtic standards benefited from the crisp treble 'pop.
When I took a flatpick to it, this guitar matched the pick stroke for stroke. The headroom was good, pushing out more sound and it started to loose some clarity on the bottom but screamed out on the top end. Great stuff for solo chord work and even better for cutting through the mix. Senior .
It's a mean note to note picker- again helped by razor clarity and lots of zip this box held up to fast bluegrass sequences. Treble notes compressed from the 15th fret upwards but retained good volume.
All in all, This is a one for the I would recommend to a soloist who demands clarity and cut. A moderately loud prewar D18, this guitar is still quite tight- I had to push it to get a lively tone. All that zip and cut can grate and it hasn't really a huge amount else to offer- the bell of the bass and mids helps with modern tunes, but the tightness and spring in the treble can get away from you. Tonal scoring 6.5.
A few cracks, refin and a patch isn't horrible but not great. Condition: 6.5
Where do I start? Originality: 6.
Both guitars are good in their own right although they have issues tonal and structural potential owners will need to address or accept. The Junior has more a bounce to it's tone- a smooth even tone whereas, Senior has more pop- a quickfire, quicksilver tonal character.
Imagine.....
Imagine 2 D18's from 1939. Back then,in the shop, fingerboards and bridges were being switched from ebony to rosewood, the necks needed a little more slimming to 1 11/16", but otherwise, the 18's were built with the same mahogany and same adirondack to the same formula- light scalloped braces, thin back and sides, muselin side re-enforcement as they had always been done.
Yet, despite that, the 2 I played, a mere 20 serial numbers apart have turned out to be very different sounding guitars.
But before we talk about the differences, let's talk similarities and assign them names. Okay, Junior and Senior are both from 1939 which means they have serial numbers between 718867-74061. They both have ebony bridges and ebony fingerboards with the standard decoration scheme- dots to the 15th fret, 3 ring rosette and, unusually, tortoise shell celluloid headstock veneers. Tortoise celluloid headstock veneers are rare on Martins and only occur when they were using tortoise shell celluloid- from 1936-1967. Even then, I have only seen them on this feature on a handful of the earlier D's.
Junior is a 90% original D18. Rough, but original. The adirondack top has 2 long cracks below the bridge, 2 from the fingerboard to soundhole and another on the treble bout. The back has a long crack from the bottom and has been oversprayed giving the oil on top of water refraction effect when viewed in good light. Now for the good news, the overspray is limited to only the back and the finish on the remaining real estate is in good shape. The cracks have been fixed and the whole instrument had been recently set up.
It plays like a greased bobsled with good string clearance, enough to avoid dreaded buzz when pushed with a rendition of All Along the Watchtower.
Notes are quick to exit and the response is good for a large body. Fingerstyle is emminently possible on Junior, with a comfortable setup, producing a smooth tonal profile with overtones predominating in pleasing mids and trebles. The sustain was superb with a long, tapering decay. Although I played a large variety of fingerstyle tunes on it, it's really excels in Jazz and Blues. Mama just wants to Barrelhouse makes me want to go to one to grab a long hard drink with effortless transitions between the chords and a mellow, rounded tone.
When I took a flatpick to it, this guitar picked up the pace, pushing out more sound without losing that level, smooth tonal profile. When pushed harder, the bass started to crunch nicely, but the treble and mids retained their character. It's a very credible note to note picker- again he helped by a smooth note transition and the tapering sustain. The treble notes never compressed even when I went all the way up the board, which is impressive. Chord work on it is effortless thanks to good melding of overtones . This is a guitar I would recommend to a backing player as the smooth and mellow chord work blends nicely with bass and adds texture to the rhythm.
All in all, Junior is a good versatile instrument although not the loudest I have heard in a prewar D18. The tone is a little too nice, the smooth profile and tapering decay is pleasing enough, but never got my pulse racing. The lack of higher volume and excitement is the reason behind my tonal scoring of 6.5.
Cracks on the back and multiple very visible and open cracks on the top with cleats and a overspray don't endear me to it's condition. Condition: 5
Overspray yes but original tuners in original case hence Originality: 9.
Senior is unlike Junior, a 70% original D18 in good cosmetic condition. Clean, but messed with. The adirondack top has prominent bearclawing matched symmetically and the entire guitar is crack free except for 2 short keys-in-pocket cracks on the treble side and a small patch repair just in front of the bridge. The whole guitar has been refinished competently, but the result is a slightly thicker finish than what I would consider good.
The bridge had been shaved and the long saddle converted to short. The guitar hadn't had a neck set but the action was acceptable. There was a loose brace inside and on inspection, the bridgeplate was rosewood- clearly a replacement. The luthier workshop beckons!
It plays well with good string clearance, (also enough to avoid dreaded buzz when pushed with my energetic version of All Along the Watchtower.)
Notes are faster to exit and the response is very quick with awesome pop. Fingerstyle is possible, and the notes have great seperation withl ots of snap to the trebles. The bass and mids have a pleasing bell tone and the decay is longer but sharper.
This makes for an altogether playing experience- this is a ragtime guitar with a few tricks. The fast exit and long but distinct decay suit it to a T. Modern fingerstyle tunes like Turning- Turning back sounded out very well and even old Celtic standards benefited from the crisp treble 'pop.
When I took a flatpick to it, this guitar matched the pick stroke for stroke. The headroom was good, pushing out more sound and it started to loose some clarity on the bottom but screamed out on the top end. Great stuff for solo chord work and even better for cutting through the mix. Senior .
It's a mean note to note picker- again helped by razor clarity and lots of zip this box held up to fast bluegrass sequences. Treble notes compressed from the 15th fret upwards but retained good volume.
All in all, This is a one for the I would recommend to a soloist who demands clarity and cut. A moderately loud prewar D18, this guitar is still quite tight- I had to push it to get a lively tone. All that zip and cut can grate and it hasn't really a huge amount else to offer- the bell of the bass and mids helps with modern tunes, but the tightness and spring in the treble can get away from you. Tonal scoring 6.5.
A few cracks, refin and a patch isn't horrible but not great. Condition: 6.5
Where do I start? Originality: 6.
Both guitars are good in their own right although they have issues tonal and structural potential owners will need to address or accept. The Junior has more a bounce to it's tone- a smooth even tone whereas, Senior has more pop- a quickfire, quicksilver tonal character.
posted by T Monster at 7:33 AM
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