Obe-wans new Martin OM-21 !!

[teh]

Nice thing about the OM-21 you have is that you don't have to stand in the shower next the the bathroom scales to make it sound great. I am sure it resonates anywhere in the house.

Chris Martin spoke at a Martin Clinic I attended in July and he said the secret to building a great guitar is to build it as light as possible almost to the point of breaking and back off a couple of steps. That's why scalloped bracing is so popular. He said anyone can overbuild a guitar that feels heavy in your hands and is indestructible. If you pick up a guitar and it feels light in your hands you can tell the difference immediately.

He was also asked to describe the difference between mahogany and rosewood. He said that mahogany is less forgiving than rosewood I.E. if you miss a note or hit a clunker on rosewood it is less noticeable than the same clunker on mahogany. I thought that was a pretty astute comment. Laurence Juber once said that Rosewood is like chocolate but he can only eat so much chocolate (rosewood) before he has to stop.

[obe-wan]

She goes in to my local tech on Monday to have the L.R. Baggs Element fitted. 

[ffinke]

Chris Martin spoke at a Martin Clinic I attended in July and he said the secret to building a great guitar is to build it as light as possible almost to the point of breaking and back off a couple of steps. That's why scalloped bracing is so popular. He said anyone can overbuild a guitar that feels heavy in your hands and is indestructible. If you pick up a guitar and it feels light in your hands you can tell the difference immediately.

I was once in the presence of a Merrill Dreadnought and the salesman said that a tech once told HIM that if the guitar is light and feels like it's about to explode you really have a winner. The Merrill did.

Hope your '21 does, too.

f

[Danny]

Gday Penner, just did the bathroom scale thing, it weighs 2.1 kilograms or 4.6 pounds. Does that sound right? I dont know how accurate that method is, it'd be nice to put it on some butchers scales or something. I unfortunately dont know what the larrivee weighed, anyone care to weigh there OM-03R? Tuffy?

I suppose an update is in order too. Im very impressed to say the least, the little Martin is a sweet sounding guitar. Im happy to say I think Ive made a good decision, its definately a worthy replacement for the Larrivee, and then some!
Im not trying to bash the -03 series Larrivee, I am still a big fan, but the Martin OM-21 is kinda in a different league than the OM-03R. It should be too, it costs around twice as much!
A good comparison might be an OM-60. That'd be a great shoot-out!

Cheers, Scott.

Scott my OM-21 wieghs 4 lbs. 8 ozs. It does have the Baggs pickup in it with a battery so I guess an ounce or two could be deducted.
                My F-III came in at 4 lbs. exactly. They do feel very light. Mine has larger tuner buttons so it's slightly more than stock.
                Even my smaller Gibson B-25 is slightly heavier than the F-III.

      I think the balance of the Martin OM is what gives it a lighter feel when it's waist is resting on your leg.

[GA-ME]

When considering the weight of particular guitars, in comparison, understand there is a discernible difference in density and mass between tone-woods. You could have a rosewood guitar with a thinner top and lighter bracing still come in heavier than a mahogany guitar with a thicker top and thicker bracing. BTW, the JND (just noticeable difference), for weight, is a remarkably consistent 5% increase over the initial stimulus.

[obe-wan]

Guys, I think it was actually a balance thing. The Martins neck has less mass than the Larrivees, so the neck would feel heavier I guess in my hand on the Larrivee leading me to believe the whole guitar was heavier. Maybe....


Cheers, Scott.

[obe-wan]

Hey guys, she's been in the shop all week getting an L.R. Baggs Element fitted, and is due home tomorrow! It been hard having my new toy out of my hands for so long I can tell you!



Cheers, Scott.

[Denis]

I've always liked Martin's 21 guitars.  They do rosewood so well.  I can't remember, did you try one before buying one?

[obe-wan]

I've always liked Martin's 21 guitars.  They do rosewood so well.  I can't remember, did you try one before buying one?

Hey Denis,
Ive been playing every Martin OM-21 Ive had the chance to for about the last 15 years! Its one of those models Ive always had at the top of my hit list.  When I was ready to buy it was actually the 3rd one I played in a couple of days, and obviously the best sounding one to me.

Despite lusting for the OM-21 I used to be a mahogany guy and always owned Hog guitars, but my OM-03R really got my ears tuned in to Rosewood.
She's a real sweety mate, I love to ba able to hand it to you and let you put it through its paces! But theres that distance thing. You know, all that water between us.  

Cheers, Scott.

[DJ in FL]

You have TWO beauties...the guitar and your lovely young daughter!  Both are keepers for sure!!!

Congrats.

[Johnny M]

You'll be a happy guy tomorrow 

I've had my D-18 for about 9 months and is played daily.  It took me about 6 months to get comfortable with it, but it turned out to be worth the extra effort.  Martin make some really nice guitars and I'm sure that it could supply you with a lifetime + of joy.  I struggled with the 1 11/16 inch neck after playing 1 3/4 inch exclusively.  Now I can go back and forth without thinking, but it took a while.

My Eichelbaum GC is rosewood/engelmann and is a wonderful guitar that loves to a controlled touch.  Doesn't take heavy strumming too well, but you should hear it on fingerstyle pieces.  These days I'm really liking mahogany and gets 90% of the playing time.  I guess that's why you need more than one guitar 

Remember to tickle her strings daily 

John

[Zohn]

Hey guys, she's been in the shop all week getting an L.R. Baggs Element fitted, and is due home tomorrow! It been hard having my new toy out of my hands for so long I can tell you!



Cheers, Scott.

Hey Scott - So you made the bald step hey? (pickup) - good choice mate.
Hey, I'm for sure going to check out the OM-21's next year in the States (on yours and Danny's recommendations) - I know Jim has one in his shop - can't wait. I find that my liking for a neck profile has changed somewhat due to a certain incident, and I think the low oval might just do the trick there.
Then, if modified V is the preferred profile of choice, there's always that tasty old time favourite: 000-18 GE.  

[lyric_girl]

Congratulations Scott. She's a real looker (your daughter and your new git). So, does it feel any different being Larriveeless?

[SMan]

  

[ncognito]

Scott--

I had the pleasure of trying a Martin OM-21 once.  You made an excellent choice!  Congratulations.   

      DAVE

[obe-wan]

Scott--

I had the pleasure of trying a Martin OM-21 once.  You made an excellent choice!  Congratulations.    

     DAVE

Thanks Dave, Im a pretty happy camper!  

Hey Scott - So you made the bald step hey? (pickup) - good choice mate.
I find that my liking for a neck profile has changed somewhat due to a certain incident, and I think the low oval might just do the trick there.
Then, if modified V is the preferred profile of choice, there's always that tasty old time favourite: 000-18 GE.  

Yeah mate, I just thought "use it or lose it"! Shes got a slightly thinner, wider profile than the typical Larry mate, so who knows, maybe another closet OM-21 owner for the Larrivee Forum? Id just buy the 000-18GE just to look at, even if i didnt like the neck...

Congratulations Scott. She's a real looker (your daughter and your new git). So, does it feel any different being Larriveeless?

Thanks Lynda, my daughters the better looking of the two, of course !  

It is kinda weird being without a Larrivee. Ive mentioned this in another thread, its not so much the guitar itself, but the fact that my interest in them led me here. That guitar was kind of a gateway to a great community of people that I feel really comfortable with. That guitar will always remain special to me because of that (also that it was a great guitar in its own right), its just a pity I couldnt keep them both.

Im looking at getting a P-03 next year though....

Cheers, Scott.

[SMixon]

Dude,
  That is a sweet looking guitar.  Congrats!!!
Mix

[obe-wan]

Hi all...OK, she's home from the shop, with the Baggs fitted. Always an anxious time for me. I dont really trust anyone. Maybe Im paranoid. But I dont think so...

The action is now too low on the high E side, also giving very little string break angle, the pickup sounds great, but is quieter on the middle 2 strings than the rest (concave bottom to the saddle?) and theres a couple of tiny little scratches where theyve done up the end pin nut. I was really at my wits end deciding to take it to someone or not, the only thing that kept me from doing the job myself is that I didnt have the heart to drill that 1/2" hole in the end of it. I should have got the hole done and finished the rest of myself.

The end result will be this: I will now make a Bone saddle for it at the CORRECT height, it'll be flat (well angled as per L.R. Baggs spec, eh Danny  ) I will live with the tiny little scratches, I may even polish them out, and this shop will lose me as their customer. ARE THERE NO DECENT GUITAR TECHS IN MELBOURNE????

Cheers, Scott.

[BenF]

That sucks Scott - did you pay for the work?  Sounds like they made a bit of a mess of it all to be honest.

[obe-wan]

That sucks Scott - did you pay for the work?  Sounds like they made a bit of a mess of it all to be honest.

Yeah mate, I paid. I picked the guitar up late in the afternoon, had the kids with me, gave it a quick play and headed off home. This is a shop I have been frequenting for years. Ive never had work done here before but my usual guy has got some other dude doing setups now and I had a similar experience last year with my Larrivee.

I wouldnt take it back anyway. I can fix it myself properly with out risking anymore shotty work. The scratches are the only thing that may or may not be fixable. They only stand out to me because its a brand new guitar, theyre pretty small really.

As they say, if you want it done properly....


Cheers, Scott.