Re: Another Martin AK thread ('23'edition)
1. Get a reliable hygrometer (humidity measurement gauge), keep it near where the mandolin is kept. Try to shoot for 40-50% relative humidity. If you find it reads much lower than that, get an in-case humidifier, wet it with distilled water, and re-wet it every couple days. Make sure that the absorbent material is saturated, but the rest of the humidifier is wiped dry, and keep it from any contact with the instrument's finish.
2. I am a loud-mouthed advocate of keeping instruments cased when not in use. Many an unforeseen event has damaged one left out on a stand or hung on a wall. Plus, it's much easier to control the environment within a case, than throughout an entire room.
3. If you have a 1923 A-K, I'd amplify it with a microphone, not install a piezo. You could use a clip-on mic on the sound hole, if you're careful about abrading the finish. The koa Martins weren't common, they have a very nice sound, and they fall into the "collectible" category, as well a being great players' instruments -- so I"d try to keep it as original as possible.
Just my 2¢.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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