Anybody know anything or have an opinion about this particular guitar? I have a Blueridge that I love, and have been wanting a vintage Martin. There are fewer for sale right now...
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Anybody know anything or have an opinion about this particular guitar? I have a Blueridge that I love, and have been wanting a vintage Martin. There are fewer for sale right now...
Anyone know or have an opinion about this particular guitar? I own a Blueridge and have been lookin for a vintage tenor...
Well, I have a beat up 0-18t and I adore it. It’s going to be a very different sound to your blueridge. Age is one thing - but also, and I’m no technical expert on tenors, it’s lightly built meaning it’s a resonant little beast.
I would suggest.. if you tune CGDA on your current tenor, get the Martin (which you won’t regret if condition is good... and still won’t if it’s missing wood around the sound hole like mine!) and put it in GDAE.
Happy days. In my opinion the 0-18t sounds WONDERFUL and MELLOW but it’s not quiet - in GDAE.
Great little guitars.
Thanks for your encouraging response. I'm a violinist, so the Blueridge is in octave mandolin tuning. I was going to leave the Martin in CGDA, to play around with the sounds in that range.
I was a classically trained violinist, learned to play without notes in front of me a few years ago...tried mandolin (not for me), then tried a tenor ukelele, tuned like a violin, for a year. Finally, I learned about tenor guitars on this forum. I love my Blueridge. I pick and strum it, singing along all by myself. It is the joy of my life.
Well i admit I’ve never put the martin in C tuning. I think you would prefer it in that. I’ve got just one tenor in C tuning - my archtop electric. I find it hard to like the tone, but I’m persevering with it
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But in terms of sound, the martin will be a very different tone to your BR
? Its a tenor 4 string. With a skinny neck. Are you sure thats what your wanting?
Yes, I am aware it is a 4 string. I own a Blueridge tenor, tuned gdae, 8va lower than my violin.
I merged these two threads.
The bLueridge is a great guitar, whether a vintage Martin will sound or perform better may well be a personal opinion or may depend on the individual guitar.
There is for some people, a certain prestige or other meaningful emotion that come with owning a vintage guitar, i find that very justifiable in my mind.
Personally i much prefer a shorter scale for CGDA, i find the A to be very taut and problematic on 23’’ scales!
A mahogany top Martin will give a different sound and might be worth considering .
Of course you can buy several ‘off the shelf’ tenor guitars for the price of a vintage Martin and depending on your buget You are in the realms of second hand custom builds as well.
Martin guitars from the 1950's were consistently well made, and can be expected to be good instruments as long as they have been well-maintained.
If you decide to order it, be advised that Sylvan Music has reduced their asking price for this instrument to $1800 on their website. It appears that they want to move it. You might want to offer at least a little bit less than what they are asking. Or, at the very least, insist that they supply a hard case instead of a gig bag.
Thank you. I knew that they had it listed elsewhere for less. I have to admit that I have cold feet. They have had the instrument for years...their response, "Well, tenors aren't exactly flying off the shelf".
Interesting about shorter scale for cgda tuning. Recommendations for an excellent sounding instrument in that category? I am an older person, health not the best (probably the last instrument I will buy), retired professional musician, love playing my tenor and am motivated to own a nice tenor that I will love to play. I live on the road in an rv and already the instruments have taken over, not that I mind.
Looks like a nice tenor, $1,800 is more in keeping with what it is worth IMO.
Sylvan's initial asking prices on vintage instruments tend to be rather stiff, so there are reasons that many of their instruments aren't "flying off the shelf."
Have them measure the distance between the bottom of the strings and the top of the 12th fret. If it is more than 3/32", the instrument will need work to play well, and you may want to think twice before you order.
For your consideration, a Kala 21.5" scale tenor:Quote:
Originally Posted by LALASUTT
https://kalabrand.com/products/ka-gtr
Attachment 188876
Search this forum and I think you will find a positive consensus.
Good luck! I am enjoying your enthusiasm - thanks for sharing.
Huck
They claim that the neck has already been reset. There is a video of it being played, with high harmonics (but 4 years ago?). The man I spoke to, played it over the phone. Hard to tell. He said all frets sounded at pitch, were not worn. The center seam had been repaired with cleats (?) some time ago. No history on the instrument.
I've taken a moderately careful look at the photos of the instrument.
While the cleated center seam is what might be called a complaint, it is not a problem if the work was done well.
There is a chip in the wood on the treble side near the widest part of the guitar that appears to have been caused by some sort of impact. It looks like an attempt has been made to reinforce the damage. If the repair is secure, it is not a problem either, but it should be inspected by a competent repairman.
However, these scars do reduce the market value of the guitar a bit.
Because of that, I would not feel comfortable paying more than $1600 maximum for the instrument. $1400 would be better.
If they won't accept that and you still like the idea of getting a Martin, others will come along in time. And with Christmas coming around in 3 months, we should see some more instruments coming on the market soon.
I appreciate the time you took to assess the instrument from the available photos. The process of posting here, getting feedback has resulted in a firm decision to not pursue this particular guitar. Thank you all. I hope I may ask for advice and opinions again. You have all been wonderful.
There is, on Reverb, a 1958 0-18T at a small brick and mortar shop in Heber Springs, AR. From all that is visible in the limited pictures they have provided, it appears to have been well maintained, and in better condition than the Sylvan guitar. Pictures of the back, sides, and the back of the neck would be necessary to confirm this, though. If you decide to pursue it, I would ask them to furnish those pictures before making a purchase.
They are asking $1950, and have a return policy. I have no prior experience or financial interest with the shop.
Don't give up on finding one of these vintage Martin tenors... I have a 1950s Martin 018-T. I think they are great, and feel very fortunate to have this guitar. I had not played many before this one came to me. It was in very good shape and really did not need anything. I will see if I can find a sound file. There are always lots of options but there is something about vintage that is very appealing. L
Attachment 188881
So I misspoke, It's a 1947. Here's a rough recording but gives you an idea of the beautiful ringing tone.
Thank you, I needed those lovely sounds this morning. Truly beautiful.
This style 5 in the classifieds looks pretty sweet too...
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/160840#160840
NFI