zombywoof Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 My wife is very loyal when it comes to guitars. Since we have been married she has played a 1960 Gibson J-200. This box has taken on a ton of really nice guitars and not one of them has even dampened her enthusiasm for the Gibson. But I finally walked in the door with something that she seems to really like - a Martin D-7. It is one of those Roger McGuinn signature 7 strings that Martin made for a two years about ten years back. It has an octave G string added and in my opinion it really does give the guitar a unique sound. Anyway, I just brought it home to kick the tires or a couple of days. But if Lil' Darlin' wants the Martin it will be hers. And nobody needs to get their hopes up because the Gibson ain't goin' nowhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbaroque Posted May 21, 2016 Share Posted May 21, 2016 Zomby, When you hadn't been round here for a short while there was word on the street that you had sold up all your battered vintage orphans to buy a shiny new Taylor.! I for one never believed those scurrilous rumors . Post a photo of the 7 string if you get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 21, 2016 Author Share Posted May 21, 2016 Zomby, When you hadn't been round here for a short while there was word on the street that you had sold up all your battered vintage orphans to buy a shiny new Taylor.! I for one never believed those scurrilous rumors . Post a photo of the 7 string if you get a chance. Such scurrilous rumors are nothing new to me. If we buy the guitar I will post pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Nothing wrong with a good Martin. They make some real sweet instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Gibson forum: "Martins are nice!" Martin forum: "Gibsons sound like socks!" Both forums: "Taylors are... ... ... uh.... mmm... nice..." I remember reading about that 7-string, and next to a baritone guitar of some type (and a "banjitar"!), it is the "unique" guitar I could consider owning someday. I just worry I'd get sick of the 7th string. You'll have to let us know if it's non-intrusive. I'll be in England mid-July. I guess I will not be taking that 1960 J-200 home to the US with me after all. (Speaking of photos, I'd actually love to see that one even more than the D-7. Can't remember if you've ever posted photos.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 I can't remember how to embed videos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 First guy I saw play this style of 7-string was Spider John Koerner, back in about 1967. the original guitar he set up this way was an old Gibson, maybe one of the early L-1's. We were fascinated by it, but none of us had the guts (fortunately) to do it to our good guitars. I did try it on an old cheap Spanish guitar that I had put steel strings on, but it was not a successful experiment. Don't know if Koerner got this from McGuinn, McGuinn got it from him, or they both stole it from someone else. It is a great set-up for blues, because you can bend the double G-strings in a way that makes people pay attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 22, 2016 Author Share Posted May 22, 2016 I'll be in England mid-July. I guess I will not be taking that 1960 J-200 home to the US with me after all. (Speaking of photos, I'd actually love to see that one even more than the D-7. Can't remember if you've ever posted photos.) Here is the '60 J-200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 First guy I saw play this style of 7-string was Spider John Koerner, back in about 1967. the original guitar he set up this way was an old Gibson, maybe one of the early L-1's. We were fascinated by it, but none of us had the guts (fortunately) to do it to our good guitars. I did try it on an old cheap Spanish guitar that I had put steel strings on, but it was not a successful experiment. Don't know if Koerner got this from McGuinn, McGuinn got it from him, or they both stole it from someone else. It is a great set-up for blues, because you can bend the double G-strings in a way that makes people pay attention. Oh, yeah.... And you can't even approach Koerner' s sound without the seven string. Not that I can duplicate it, but I've seen folks who could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Here is the '60 J-200. Jeez, that's a looker. Was that the last year they used the open-moustache before closing it up and then moving to the boomerang in the '70s? I'm secretly pleased that this one has the open bridge; not that the others are unattractive, but that to me is how a moustache bridge ought to look, and I pity George Harrison that he did not get that bridge. Not that it held him back much or kept me from idolizing a J-200 thanks to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 23, 2016 Author Share Posted May 23, 2016 Jeez, that's a looker. Was that the last year they used the open-moustache before closing it up and then moving to the boomerang in the '70s? 1961 was the last year for the open moustache bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 1961 was the last year for the open moustache bridge. And the first year for the extra tone bar, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 What year did they bring the open bridge back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 What year did they bring the open bridge back? shot in the dark here.. 1984 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 What year did they bring the open bridge back? shot in the dark here.. 1984 ,85 being the celebrity.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDawg007 Posted May 23, 2016 Share Posted May 23, 2016 Jeez, that's a looker. Was that the last year they used the open-moustache before closing it up and then moving to the boomerang in the '70s? I'm secretly pleased that this one has the open bridge; not that the others are unattractive, but that to me is how a moustache bridge ought to look, and I pity George Harrison that he did not get that bridge. Not that it held him back much or kept me from idolizing a J-200 thanks to him. Does she want to sell the SJ200? I got a Martin CEO -7 that she might also like, Maybe we could do a trade. Message Me, BigDawg007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Here is the '60 J-200. Phew! Wasn't it yours originally, ZW? Do you get it back? Wife can have the finger mangler with extra string! The things are hard enough with 6 strings. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpbiii Posted May 24, 2016 Share Posted May 24, 2016 Wives must have good guitars! It is the nature of things. And if a wife needs an extra string -- I am sure she more than deserves it. My wife and I have a lot of guitars together, but she claims several that she uses regularly for various internal and external musical pursuits. Her brands include Gibson, Martin, Larson Brothers, and Rhyne. (She also has a lot of basses). IME, the key to your personal instrument needs being over-met is to make sure your wife's needs are over-met as well. Words to live by. Here she is with her custom BRW silver inlaid Rhyne custom. One of her nicknames is AJ, so here she is with "her" 1936 AJ (never did totally understand that reasoning, but ours is not to reason why ...) Another good rule for familial bliss is to never say something like "do you really need three vintage Kay 5-string standup basses" or "a Monteleone mandolin is probably better than what you actually need." Just remember in musical and life partners, if it is good enough to do, it is good enough to overdo. Like I said -- words to live by -- 49 years and counting. Let's pick, -Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin 1940D28 Posted May 26, 2016 Share Posted May 26, 2016 Great topic, we are in our 53rd year. She has her piano, Gibson 1933 TGO, Senior Chorus, and me. DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Wives must have good guitars! It is the nature of things. And if a wife needs an extra string -- I am sure she more than deserves it. My wife and I have a lot of guitars together, but she claims several that she uses regularly for various internal and external musical pursuits. Her brands include Gibson, Martin, Larson Brothers, and Rhyne. (She also has a lot of basses). IME, the key to your personal instrument needs being over-met is to make sure your wife's needs are over-met as well. Words to live by. Here she is with her custom BRW silver inlaid Rhyne custom. Great pics. The 1960 J-200 was actually mine when I met my wife. After we married she claimed the J-200 as her own. Her Gibson though needs to have a top crack repaired. When I said she could take her pick of my instruments as a backup, the one she latched onto was of all things one of the Harmony Sovereigns. On the Martin, we could not agree on a price tag which is actually an unusual thing in my dealings with this guy. But I have hatched a new plan. I am planning to add a banjo tuner to the headstock of the other Sovereign and convert it to a 7-string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse_Dylan Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 On the Martin, we could not agree on a price tag which is actually an unusual thing in my dealings with this guy. But I have hatched a new plan. I am planning to add a banjo tuner to the headstock of the other Sovereign and convert it to a 7-string. Is that part of the haggling process? "Look, mate--I don't really need your Martin. I can make a 7-string myself with a banjo tuner. See?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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