It’s not often that a luthier has the opportunity to work on a pre-war Martin. This little 1932 Parlor 0-18 came to the shop in very rough condition. It took a tumble down some stairs, resulting in a long crack in the treble side of the body and several smaller cracks. In addition to this damage the guitar had several issues including a very bad neck angle. The wood and the finish were extremely dry and fragile, but hey- this guitar is 80 years old! I did the work for a family friend (the guitar belonged to her grandfather) and the goal was to make the guitar playable and to restore the structural integrity while keeping the cost as affordable as possible. Check out the photo gallery below for photos of the work.
Technical Articles
Voicing and Tap Tuning of Acoustic Guitars
Voicing and tuning are important elements of great tone. A great guitar has great tone, great playability, and great appearance, in that order. Fancy wood, a high gloss finish, and lots of Abalone inlay are visually beautiful but have … [Read More...]
Viewpoint Articles
Why Buy a Handmade Guitar?
There are a lot of choices out there for the prospective buyer of a fine guitar. It's no secret; a handmade instrument can cost a lot. For that matter, any of the better guitars purchased from a quality manufacturer is going to command what most … [Read More...]