Getting Close (Martin content)

Started by Mikeymac, October 11, 2018, 03:47:34 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

I learned the other day that two Martins I've ordered are getting close to being finished! They should both arrive within a few weeks of each other, probably early-mid November!

I ordered a custom shop J-18 and then a Standard Series J-40 - so both are the same body style; the 18 is hog and the 40 is rosewood.

They sent me a couple pics of the J-18, which is waiting to have its bridge glued on, then go to final set up. Then they let them set for a few days under string tension and do the final set up on them.

Gas is increasing; concentration is shot!
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

That is some gorgeous looking mahogany on that J-18.   You are going to love these I think.


That will be one sweet pair of guitars.

The J-18 has been delivered to the dealer...I'll pick it up on Monday! (It's around a 3 1/2 hour drive for me.)

They're putting in a K&K Mini. Can't wait to play it - review and pics coming in a few days...

:+1:
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

My Custom Shop J-18 arrived in the shop last Thursday; I was able to finally (!) pick it up on Monday this week! Was it worth the nearly one year wait?

Oh, YEAH. Nice, nice, nice. Simple (as you'll see below), but looks, feels, plays and already sounds great. I'm impressed.

It's based on the Martin Jumbo body, with 18 style specs with a few changes to try to grab the big tone of the Martin JDP II Signature model. So it has a rosewood bridge, 2 5/16" string spacing), and a large soundhole. I had the shop install a K&K Pure Mini and that also sounds excellent.

There's beautiful silking in the Sitka top, very even consistent grain lines and absolutely NO sign of run-out.  The Mahogany b/s are perfectly straight grained, which I think looks perfect. No blems, knots or unusual grain patterns anywhere (body OR neck).

Other stuff: looks like it has a 1 piece neck, no wings that I can see. Would love for someone to take a guess at what wood this is (spec sheet says "select hardwood"). Also noticed that the bridge pins line up with the belly bridge body, not the saddle like on the Reimagined guitars. CF Martin branded tuners - they're fine, but I may put on a set of Schaller Grandtunes that I ordered a while back.

When I picked this up, I sat in the shop for 2-3 hours (while my wife shopped elsewhere!) and just played it (unplugged mostly, but then plugged in for awhile through a Fishman Loudbox - very natural sounds straight into the amp). Then I compared it to 6-8 Martins hanging on the wall, everything from an HD-28 to a couple OM sized Custom Shop guitars with maple b/s, to an M-36. It held it's own up against all of these - slightly different tones, sure, but nothing really bested it (some of those guitars needed new strings though)!

Set up was excellent - I asked the tech who put the pickup in if he did anything to the nut slots - he said he couldn't remember (he'd worked on it before the weekend). If it came set up this way from Martin, it's the best set up I've received so far. If I was going to play loud bluegrass on it, I'd have to raise the set up some, but for what I play, even with some occasional aggressive strumming, it holds up well.

Okay, enough talk - time for a few pics
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

Just a few more pics...

2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

It was modeled after this signature model. It already sounds somewhat like this one - as it opens up it will get there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6pLqcsB8ek

:bowdown:
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

Cool. If there was an L-02, it may look like that.   :thumb

Powered by EzPortal