Newbie's Martin

[waynebien]

I am new to the list so I wanted to post some pictures of my 1948 Martin style A. Are there any other vintage Martin fans?

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[JEStanek]

Looks nice! I dig those cant top Martins.
Jamie

[J. Mark Lane]

I can't top looking at it.

[waynebien]

Thanks! I really love this mandolin. I did some research on Martin's and Charles Johnson of vintagemandolins.com says, "I think these Martin Style A mandolins are one of the best deals out there in a quality built mandolin. They do not have a "chop" so they do not work well for bluegrass, but for everything else - old-time, Celtic, jazz, or just to put some mandolin in your next gig - they are excellent." That made me feel good since most of what I play is old-time, ala Norman Blake.

[Eugene]

Feel free to peruse the "Post a picture of your bowlback" thread (or click the link to my profile). I'm a great fan of Martin mandolins, especially their old Neapolitan styles. My main instrument is a one-of-a-kind 1908 Martin.

[Jim Garber]

Here is one I borrowed from another thread, courtesy of Charles Johnson.

Something to work toward...

Jim

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/uploads/post-15-54018-mandoset3a.JPG

[waynebien]

Thanks for the pic. I see at least one style B in their and maybe a C. I know he really likes Martins. He always has a few for sale.

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[Bob DeVellis]

Martins are very nice mandolins. Charles is right that they're not for bluegrass but they have a very sweet sound. My Martin flatback is currently strung with octave pairs on the D and G courses and it sounds very nice, if a bit unorthodox. The higher frequencies are the strength of these instruments and the octave stringing adds some complexity and brings that quality out. If it were my only mandolin, I doubt I'd string it that way but as a novelty I like it a lot. It was also a great instrument when it was strung conventionally.

[J. Mark Lane]

My Martin flatback is currently strung with octave pairs on the D and G courses
Bob, did you re-cut the nut to do this, or just put them on?

[waynebien]

When I first got the Martin it was strung with medium gauge bronze strings. Recently I restrung it with D'Addario J67 nickel strings. I too have noticed a higher frequency on the G and D string pairs. I don't know how old the bronze strings were, but the G string especially had a dull tone.

[Fliss]

Hi Wayne, just wanted to say welcome! Thanks for posting the pics of your Martin.

Enjoy!

Fliss

[waynebien]

Thanks!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Bob DeVellis]

Mark - I just slapped the strings on. There hasn't been any problem with the strings sliding around in the nut grooves.