Nice Little Guitar

[TKennedy]

I have a Martin Dred Jr in with multiple humidity related cracks that I repaired. It has a 14” lower bout and 24” scale. Scalloped braces. Interestingly the fingerboard which is synthetic Richlite is stable with no sharp fret ends as I would expect as dry as it was. The Richlite bridge didn’t lift either.  The bridge pins are slanted in line with the saddle. I have not seen that on a Martin but it’s a good idea. 

After repair and setup it plays great and sounds good. Nice neck and good fretwork. I was impressed. It would make a great travel or campfire guitar.  

[Marshall]

Nice, except the bridge is flipped 180 degrees the wrong way.

[theevan]

Synthetic fretboard material should be standard issue on all guitars, especially as a replacement for ebony. Pleeeese.

[drlj]

Mar 5, 2024 11:58:52 GMT -5 theevan said:

Synthetic fretboard material should be standard issue on all guitars, especially as a replacement for ebony. Pleeeese.

You are probably correct but I still have a prejudice against synthetic fretboards. There is no good and logical reason for it, but when I see it listed on a guitar, I find I want to look no further. I need to get over that. It looks great.

[Marty]

Martin used black Micarta on a lot of models. It's quite stable but sounds a bit dark which works fine for a smaller guitar. Micarta has no "grain" like Richlite.

[Shannon]

I've played a bunch of Martins with Richlite fingerboards. They look fine and play great.

[Marshall]

Speaking of nice little guitars, I decided to donate a couple to Guitars for Vets. That Eastman OM I waxed on about a month or so wasn’t working for me. It wasn’t going to break into the front line, so I decided to donate it. I payed only $265 so I get a tax credit receipt. And a year ago I bought a Yammy as an inclement weather beater. You’ll remember it has a bridge doctor in it. I did install a Fishman Powertap Earth in it. It plays quite well And the pickup works very well. But it too was never going to break into the front line. So I decided to donate it. It only cost me $225 plus the pickup.

I also thought of selling my GS-mini, but decided it worked better than the Y and the E, as a travel or bad weather instrument. Plus there’s more sentimental attachment to it because of the homemade sunburst.

So there.

[PaulKay]

Mar 5, 2024 14:50:46 GMT -5 Marshall said:

Speaking of nice little guitars, I decided to donate a couple to Guitars for Vets. That Eastman OM I waxed on about a month or so wasn’t working for me. It wasn’t going to break into the front line, so I decided to donate it. I payed only $265 so I get a tax credit receipt. And a year ago I bought a Yammy as an inclement weather beater. You’ll remember it has a bridge doctor in it. I did install a Fishman Powertap Earth in it. It plays quite well And the pickup works very well. But it too was never going to break into the front line. So I decided to donate it. It only cost me $225 plus the pickup.

I also thought of selling my GS-mini, but decided it worked better than the Y and the E, as a travel or bad weather instrument. Plus there’s more sentimental attachment to it because of the homemade sunburst.

So there.

Good for you Marshall. Guitars for Vets originated in Milwaukee and I was involved quite a bit in those early years, when it was ONLY in Milwaukee. I taught vets at the VA center for around 3 years or so and was the secretary for the organization for a while as well. The program from what I remember was very popular among the veterans.

[Marshall]

I heard about it from you, Paul.

[John B]

Mar 5, 2024 14:50:46 GMT -5 Marshall said:

Speaking of nice little guitars, I decided to donate a couple to Guitars for Vets. That Eastman OM I waxed on about a month or so wasn’t working for me. It wasn’t going to break into the front line, so I decided to donate it. I payed only $265 so I get a tax credit receipt. And a year ago I bought a Yammy as an inclement weather beater. You’ll remember it has a bridge doctor in it. I did install a Fishman Powertap Earth in it. It plays quite well And the pickup works very well. But it too was never going to break into the front line. So I decided to donate it. It only cost me $225 plus the pickup.

I also thought of selling my GS-mini, but decided it worked better than the Y and the E, as a travel or bad weather instrument. Plus there’s more sentimental attachment to it because of the homemade sunburst.

So there.

You're able to itemize? I'm either impressed by your generosity or worried about your interest expense State taxes are a draw...

[Marshall]

I turn it all into my accountant and he does his magic. Of course this will be a part of next year's charity contributions. First time for a music oriented one. We do a bunch of charities like Feed My Starving Children, the Heifer Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, our church, and a handful of others. (Sue usually handles that).