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Jeff Tweedy GAS...(Martin content)


sbpark

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I've been a big Jeff Tweedy fan for a very long time. I've been wanting a smaller body 00 12-fretter for a long time, and I guess BluesKing777's post about the Sunrise pickup fueled the GAS since we starting discussing Jeff Tweedy, and then I saw him at the Fillmore this past Friday in SF and he was playing his 1930's 00. Came home last night from the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and took a quick peek on Reverb, and found a custom shop 00-18 slot head 12-fretter for a really great price. Apparently the owner bought it new, wanted to experiment with finger style playing, never really got into it and is selling it to help fund a Les Paul purchase. It's originally from a shop in Indiana that apparently spec's a small number of these a couple years ago.

 

Here's the Reverb listing with the specs: https://reverb.com/item/15328664-martin-00-18-12-fret

 

Not too stoked that it has a strap button installed, but it's obviously not a deal breaker, and if I bond with the guitar and the strap button still bugs me I can have it removed and filled in.

 

I think I did pretty good with this one, even though I said I'd never buy another acoustic guitar that I haven't seen in person and played first. Seller has already shipped it, so I'm hoping it will be here by the end of the week!

 

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Very sweet guitar! I had the Recording King copy of this model, the RP06. £250 guitar with poly lacquer and lam sides and back, but it sounded stellar and the shape and size was just exquisite.

 

I can only imagine (having never played one) how good the real thing is...sip it and savour it!

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Very sweet guitar! I had the Recording King copy of this model, the RP06. £250 guitar with poly lacquer and lam sides and back, but it sounded stellar and the shape and size was just exquisite.

 

I can only imagine (having never played one) how good the real thing is...sip it and savour it!

 

Several years ago I had a Recording King ROS-06 (came out a couple years before they came out with the RP-06_ and can attest that that sub $300 guitar after a proper set-up sounded incredible, but it had a MASSIVE neck that was chunky and just a bit too wide for me at 1 7/8". I've played RP-06's and the neck is so much easier to play at 1 3/4" and the slimmer profile as well. Great guitars for sure.

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if you want a guitar like his buy an old one, modern guitars resemble vintage but will NEVER be as good imo.The woods used, the drying method, and the skills of people, the factory,just aint the same.

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if you want a guitar like his buy an old one, modern guitars resemble vintage but will NEVER be as good imo.The woods used, the drying method, and the skills of people, the factory,just aint the same.

 

 

Blah, blah, blah.

 

Nobody said I wanted one exactly like his, or one that sounds just like his.I've been wanting a small-body Martin for a while given my other acoustics are all dreads. Jeff Tweedy also plays with absolutely dead strings, which is a big thing that contributes to his signature sound. Never said I was going to do that either. I also dont want to fork out the asking price for a 30's 00-18, and possibly fork over even more for the repair work involved in getting it in optimal playing condition (neck reset, new frets, possible crack repairs, etc.)

 

I'm influenced and inspired by the artist, but I didn't say I wanted a guitar EXACTLY like his. Nor do I have his playing style or fingers, either, but great job attempting to buzzkill the forthcoming NGD!

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Jeff Tweedy also plays with absolutely dead strings, which is a big thing that contributes to his signature sound.

 

Bwahaha - a follower of the Dave Van Ron school of guitar. Van Ronk used to leave his strings on until they would no longer intonate trying to kill off his guitar's sustain.

 

On the vintage thing. I have a house full of old guitars, including some 12 fret slotheads. It would in no way stop me from buying something new/newish if I liked it.

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Blah, blah, blah.

 

Nobody said I wanted one exactly like his, or one that sounds just like his.I've been wanting a small-body Martin for a while given my other acoustics are all dreads. Jeff Tweedy also plays with absolutely dead strings, which is a big thing that contributes to his signature sound. Never said I was going to do that either. I also dont want to fork out the asking price for a 30's 00-18, and possibly fork over even more for the repair work involved in getting it in optimal playing condition (neck reset, new frets, possible crack repairs, etc.)

 

I'm influenced and inspired by the artist, but I didn't say I wanted a guitar EXACTLY like his. Nor do I have his playing style or fingers, either, but great job attempting to buzzkill the forthcoming NGD!

blah blah blah sums up your continuously dumber posts - my opinion laid out

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blah blah blah sums up your continuously dumber posts - my opinion laid out

 

I am not one to argue about old instruments. And yeah, there are certain guitars which have in my opinion never been duplicated. Gibson 12 strings come to mind. Although not all that old, there is nothing out there like those made from 1961-1964. But that is because Gibson did not have a clue how to build them and turned out 12 strings with the same bracing as 6 strings. Great for sound but not the best structure if you want a guitar that would not implode or twist itself apart. Not a good or a better thing just different. But that difference is enough to keep me playing them.

 

And you put too much stock in the hands making the guitars or the factories they were built in. By the 1960s probably the guitars being built with the greatest amount of hand work were Harmonys. Hemmed in, they were never able to expand. These guys were still using much of the same belt-driven machinery, clamps and such that they had in the 1890s. About the only automated process Harmony employed was the spray booths (the same as Gibson started using in 1965). Kind of kills off the romantic image of guitar building.

 

Then there are those who do not want to deal with the hassles of old guitars - glue that has become brittle, inky necks and such. I have never minded but that is me. My Banner Gibson J-50 spent a full year in the shop running up a $900 repair bill. Then throw in what the originals can run you. A pre-War Stella jumbo 12 string can bring north of $10K today and a 1930s Gibson AJ a whole lot more than that. I have been wanting to get my hands on another late 1930s Gibson J-35. Not exactly what I would call a cheap guitar. But I can get say a Collings version (which was copied from an original loaned them by Mass Street Music) for a whole lot less. While it may not be a spot on sound alike, it will be close enough to sail me right up next to an original.

 

In the end there are only two kinds of guitars out there. Those you like and those you do not. If we all had the same taste it would get awful boring awful quick around here.

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if you want a guitar like his buy an old one, modern guitars resemble vintage but will NEVER be as good imo.The woods used, the drying method, and the skills of people, the factory,just aint the same.

 

But is it really safe - thinking of neck resets and stuff?

It's not like guitars just get better without maintenance.

 

Had 12 year old D16 at Martin Service Center this spring - since saddle left no more room to bridge compound.

Not sure what they did - but it's alright now - and no charge. Rehydrating was part of it as I understand.

So good people at Martin.

 

Looking at nice smaller body(0-size) - Recording King RP1-16C is one. Torrified adirondack top. Sounds even nicer tuned down half a step with 012-053-set. Put KKsound Pure mini in it and works really well.

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this is a place for opinion, why is it if folks dont like one names get called, buzz thrills die ? Im just an guy in the cloud, your buzz should not die from letters on your screen even if I disagree with you. enjoy yer git, enjoy many, but dont get down on cloud dwellers who disagree Jim

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I have a couple of lovely vintage instruments, but my “working” guitars are all relatively recent-last 30yrs at least.

 

Steve Earle said that he’s always watching his bandmembers for cases of “Silvertone Fever”, as he puts it...that lust all professional musicians feel at times towards funky old kit that is emotive but ultimately not tough or reliable enough for road use.

 

SBPark, you could throw a pickup in your new Martin and confidently take it onstage anywhere-it’s going to sound and feel great, night after night. No need for neck resets, brace regluing or any of the other stuff that elderly guitars are prone to, at least not for a long time.

 

I’m not bashing vintage instruments AT ALL, I adore them, but there’s as much of a place for modern reissues in a picker’s arsenal as there is vintage guitars.

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My Martin OM Authentic is a great example - the original rare model in like condition could be worth $40K, where a used one of my Authentic are very reasonable. (Except my soundhole pickups don't fit. Rats).

 

That said, the 00-17 all mahogany Authentic like this one in the link arrived at my local guitar shop and I am not game to go there.... [mellow] . Though I would love to try that next to a Waterloo 12 fret all mahogany...

 

 

 

https://www.elderly.com/catalog/product/view/id/145180/s/martin-00-17-authentic-1931-guitar-case/

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I have a couple of lovely vintage instruments, but my “working” guitars are all relatively recent-last 30yrs at least.

 

Steve Earle said that he’s always watching his bandmembers for cases of “Silvertone Fever”, as he puts it...that lust all professional musicians feel at times towards funky old kit that is emotive but ultimately not tough or reliable enough for road use.

 

SBPark, you could throw a pickup in your new Martin and confidently take it onstage anywhere-it’s going to sound and feel great, night after night. No need for neck resets, brace regluing or any of the other stuff that elderly guitars are prone to, at least not for a long time.

 

I’m not bashing vintage instruments AT ALL, I adore them, but there’s as much of a place for modern reissues in a picker’s arsenal as there is vintage guitars.

 

I agree 100%. Couple months ago I picked up a 43 year old D-28 and it’s currently getting a neck reset and refret. I’m not against vintage instruments either. But for $1,550 this little custom shop 00 seemed like a no brainer.

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I enjoy both vintage and new instruments.

 

The connection can be on a number of different levels, but if it's there, the year of manufacture makes no difference. I get one heck of a kick out my oldest instrument, a 1922 Gibson mandolin, every time I pick it up - and the same is true of my most recent, a 2015 J-50 Custom Shop model.

 

We're incredibly fortunate to have such a variety of desirable choices.

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