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MK- 72 Guitars


billyboy

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I am very interested in how many of you out there own a Gibson MK-72 or any guitar from the MK series. And what do you think of it. It is my favorite guitar to play by far. Have been told that is sounds better from a distance then from the guitar while you are actually playing it. I've been told that only a few of them are left because of they way they were designed, apparently a lot of them collapsed because of lack of support under the bridge and they just collapsed after a period of time. Mine is holding out well and looks like it did when I bought it in 1976.There is a little lifting behind the bridge and a very slight dip in front of the bridge. Any recommendations on how or who to take it to that could actually straighten that out. Otherwise the action is nice and low and plays very true. I've been quite disillusioned about some of the comments and value of the guitar as I had chosen it over a J-200 and many D-45 Martins that were priced considerably higher and have no regrets over that decision even to this day. Played one Martin D-45 that was unbelievable but my cousin bought it before I came back to pick it up once I had enough money for it.Oh to be a starving musician again.

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KSDaddy once gave me a schooling in this type of guitar. There ARE things that you need to be aware of, like loose neck blocks, collapsing bracing on the top, etc. etc. Best to ask him, he has all the info on them. I, too, am attracted, and if I get to play a nice one, maybe I'll add that some day......good luck!!!

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KSDaddy once gave me a schooling in this type of guitar. There ARE things that you need to be aware of, like loose neck blocks, collapsing bracing on the top, etc. etc. Best to ask him, he has all the info on them. I, too, am attracted, and if I get to play a nice one, maybe I'll add that some day......good luck!!!

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Since you've had yours so long with no issues, I doubt you'll have any trouble. As to the distortion in the top... hard to say. I wouldn't get too worried. I have a '58 Gibson classical and the top looks like an old 45 rpm record that sat in a hot car. If you don't have any braces that are loose, don't sweat it.

 

My only sage advice when shopping for a MK applies basically to any 70s Gibson. Not bashing them, just pointing out what I've encountered:

 

1. Twisted necks. Sight down it like a gun barrel. Some guitars do have a slight twist, even the best of them. But some 70s Gibsons are much worse than others. I don't know of any fix.

 

2. Make darn sure the truss rod works. Guitar 101 I know, but I've seen more than one snapped 70s rod.

 

3. Neck set (Guitar 101 again). Neck sets on 70s Gibsons are more complex due to the weird extra dovetail tounge under the fingerboard extension. The reset is the same, but removing the neck is horrendous (so I'm told).

 

4. Ebay language: "Minor crack in top along fingerboard". Look closely at the top where the 14th fret is.... see a dip there? Also look at the soundhole rosette. See any distortion by the crack? Danger. The top has cracked alongside the fingerboard extension and the neck is shifting forward. I've fixed them but I won't let you watch. I have to be part chiropractor. This seems to be a 70s thing but I recently did some work on a '57 LG-1. I think every brace had popped loose. There was also a crack on the treble side of the fingerboard where the pickguard had shrunk. The crack went all the way from the sound hole to the binding. I glued and cleated it without issue but if it had gone another year it could have done some serious damage.

 

30 years ago we could walk into a music store with the luxury of browsing a half dozen old Gibsons or more and we could turn our noses up if an old J45 had Grovers rammed into it or if it had a half dozen repaired cracks. We don't have that luxury now. We find a 50s J45 in any condition and it's a good day. Well, we haven't quite reached that point with the Mark Series. There are plenty of MK35s marked "2nd" with missing pickguards and as of right now we CAN turn our noses up. I haven't gotten mine yet; I want a blonde MK53. It'll happen, it's just not on the front burner. If I were to find a clean original one that passes the "70s Lookout!" checklist, I'd probably whip out the Visa.

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I had not seen one of those Mark Series guitars for years and then ran into three of them over a span of about six months inlcuding an MK-72 with a bridge doctor in it. Let's just say they were not my cup of tea. Of those I played I agree with ksdaddy, the best was the MK-53 which if I recall had a maple body.

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Since you've had yours so long with no issues, I doubt you'll have any trouble. As to the distortion in the top... hard to say. I wouldn't get too worried. I have a '58 Gibson classical and the top looks like an old 45 rpm record that sat in a hot car. If you don't have any braces that are loose, don't sweat it.

 

My only sage advice when shopping for a MK applies basically to any 70s Gibson. Not bashing them, just pointing out what I've encountered:

 

1. Twisted necks. Sight down it like a gun barrel. Some guitars do have a slight twist, even the best of them. But some 70s Gibsons are much worse than others. I don't know of any fix.

 

2. Make darn sure the truss rod works. Guitar 101 I know, but I've seen more than one snapped 70s rod.

 

3. Neck set (Guitar 101 again). Neck sets on 70s Gibsons are more complex due to the weird extra dovetail tounge under the fingerboard extension. The reset is the same, but removing the neck is horrendous (so I'm told).

 

4. Ebay language: "Minor crack in top along fingerboard". Look closely at the top where the 14th fret is.... see a dip there? Also look at the soundhole rosette. See any distortion by the crack? Danger. The top has cracked alongside the fingerboard extension and the neck is shifting forward. I've fixed them but I won't let you watch. I have to be part chiropractor. This seems to be a 70s thing but I recently did some work on a '57 LG-1. I think every brace had popped loose. There was also a crack on the treble side of the fingerboard where the pickguard had shrunk. The crack went all the way from the sound hole to the binding. I glued and cleated it without issue but if it had gone another year it could have done some serious damage.

 

30 years ago we could walk into a music store with the luxury of browsing a half dozen old Gibsons or more and we could turn our noses up if an old J45 had Grovers rammed into it or if it had a half dozen repaired cracks. We don't have that luxury now. We find a 50s J45 in any condition and it's a good day. Well, we haven't quite reached that point with the Mark Series. There are plenty of MK35s marked "2nd" with missing pickguards and as of right now we CAN turn our noses up. I haven't gotten mine yet; I want a blonde MK53. It'll happen, it's just not on the front burner. If I were to find a clean original one that passes the "70s Lookout!" checklist, I'd probably whip out the Visa.

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Hey nice to hear from you Ksdaddy. Appreciate your quick reponse, expertise and insight on the MK-72 and 70's Gibson's neck twisting issue. I have a few Les Paul's and a blonde 335 ESTD with the phase out switch or whatever it is called and half of them have that twisted neck. They play fine but it is uncomfortable at times chording at the end of the neck. I have been told that the neck can be steamed and put in a "neck brace" to correct that problem. Have you heard about anything like that to correct the twisting. The Les Paul Custom has no twisted neck syndrome at all and is a dream to play, by far my favorite solid body electric(Black). Not too sure of the year somewhere between 73-75.The Les Paul Deluxe was purchased new in 1969. Can't remember when I purchased the 335 maybe around 78-80. Boy there's a lot more to these guitars then I ever could have imagined. I just bought them at different times cause I liked the way they sounded or played at the time in the store. You are so right about how many guitars one had to chose from just hanging from the racks like 30-40 years ago.

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  • 3 months later...

Hey Billyboy,

 

I have a MK 72 that I bought in the mid 70's. I just love this guitar. Like yours, I have the little wrinkle aroung the bridge also, but that is the only issue I have. Does you MK have the three inlay ebony on the neck? My guitar is spotless and I play it everyday. Do you know off hand what they are worth?

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I love these guitars.

 

However, they don't sound "like a Gibson" to my ears whatsoever...a completely different beast entirely, but one that I'd love to own.

 

I'm not fussed on the MK35 (the Mahogany one) but the Maple MK53 or Rosewood MK72 are definitely appealing.

 

Kasha and Schneider were onto something, and apparently their early prototypes are among the best sounding acoustic you'll find, but the bracing system was a delicate beast and, as was the Gibson way in the '70s, the company overbuilt the delicate bracing system to avoid warranty backlash.

 

As such the MKs don't sound exactly as Kasha and Schneider intended, and don't sound like a classic, thumpy, woody Gibson.

 

They do, however, have an entire vibe of their own...which I really dig.

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However, they don't sound "like a Gibson" to my ears whatsoever...a completely different beast entirely,

 

That's very accurate. Perhaps 15+ years ago when I was buying/selling guitars lot I got a MK-35. It played very well--'fast' action--& construction was good; I didn't have the problems ksdaddy points out. It was loud & clear but did not sound like a Gibson & that's why I sold it or traded it for yet another guitar.

 

Gibson was doing something new w. the MK series and in some ways they succeeded. I've heard the MK-72s were very nice guitars. I think if one wasn't looking for classic Gibson tone the MK series did other things very well. An interesting marketing effort by Gibson & I always appreciated the fact that they tried.

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  • 4 months later...

About three years ago, I bought a MK 72 from a local shop. It had spent a lot of its life in someone's closet, so it was in good condition visually. When I first played it in the shop it seemed muffled, but I liked the design so much that I bought it on the chance that it would open up. It turned out to be a good bet. The MK 72 really came to life after being played for a few weeks. Some of it, of course, was my ear becoming accustomed to the sound of the instrument, but in this case there was something more as well -- the increase in volume and warmth was undeniable. It may be that the more extensive Kasha top bracing needs to to be worked in order to loosen up. I wonder if that was part of the reason these guitars weren't better received when they were first sold.

 

Over the past three years, I've really had no trouble with it other than some buzzing that was cured by leveling the frets. I had a pickup installed under the bridge and it sounds spectacular through a Roland Chorus amp. The construction quality is excellent (This 72 was made in 1977 in Nashville; so it's one of the later ones). The tone, particularly in the upper registers, is bell-clear with much more sustain than the Martin D18 I've had for 41 years. Based on my limited experience, I'd say these guitars are quite undervalued.

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A guy I sold a guitar to, has an MK that has Brazillian Rosewood Back and sides!!! I'm not sure what his model number is, but I heard they made a few of them...

 

 

That was a Bourgeois Vintage D and the person you sold it to would be me. A lovely instrument (still have it). And yes according to my sources the Mark 72 is made with Brazilian Rosewood although I understand the MK81's and 99's had highest grade woods.

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That was a Bourgeois Vintage D and the person you sold it to would be me. A lovely instrument (still have it). And yes according to my sources the Mark 72 is made with Brazilian Rosewood although I understand the MK81's and 99's had highest grade woods.

Hi Paul!! LOL....small world!!!! That is ONE guitar I wish I didn't sell!!!!! That Bourgeois had such great tone and "feel"....are you still enjoying it????

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Hi Paul!! LOL....small world!!!! That is ONE guitar I wish I didn't sell!!!!! That Bourgeois had such great tone and "feel"....are you still enjoying it????

 

Absolutely. It's a wonderful instrument. I do have to confess that I added an anthem pickup to it. It didn't seem to have any perceivable effect on the tone when played unamplified, but it really works beautifully when the D is played through an acoustic amp.

 

Let me know if you're coming up this way. It would be great to get together and play a little.

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Absolutely. It's a wonderful instrument. I do have to confess that I added an anthem pickup to it. It didn't seem to have any perceivable effect on the tone when played unamplified, but it really works beautifully when the D is played through an acoustic amp.

 

Let me know if you're coming up this way. It would be great to get together and play a little.

Will do, Paul...Glad you are happy with that one...it is a good one!!! I've heard good things about the Anthem, my friend installed it on his Harmony Sovereign!!! Sounds great! I will be up this summer to Healdsburg some time...will try to see you then!

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My then close friend C bought one MK something around 1980. He did study architecture and the lines of the guitar kinda fitted his image. It sounded rather good by the way. I was just out of my Norlin tunnel and had a solid skepticism about acoustic Gibsons. The MK changed that considerably. I don't recall it as a rock/folk guitar at all. But it had a pretty grand sound and automatically called for respect. Admit I didn't play it much – he did. Some time later, we started a garage or should we say bigcitydampcellarband and he traded the MK for a sax and a tape-loop-echo-machine – maybe also a black copy LP and a green-eyed Teisco amp. We spent a hard working year, maybe more, getting' a very fast loud original rock repertoire together. Had one success and one failure then began to corrode. He zoomed back to the academy. Is an up'n'goin' architect now – own business and stuff, , , , but no Gibson.

 

 

 

Funny coincidence between wily and pbailiff there – short-storyish. . .

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi All - I'm new to this forum, but I discovered it through a Google search on Gibson MK72s.

 

The thing is, I have one I got about 20 years ago (when I was just out of school) and loved it for such a long time - such a full balanced sound - before I noticed movement (which improved the action to a point, and then just created buzzing on the upper frets). What's really interesting about it, though, is...

 

It's a 12-string!

 

My research on MK's suggests that the only commercially-produced 12 string MK's were the MK35-12's. Does anyone know anything about other MK 12-strings? I think it may be a prototype, and would be interested to know its rarity and potentially, its value?

 

Any comments or thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

John.

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  • 2 months later...

I know that there have been several threads on the MK Series, I have a MK-35 & a MK-72. After gibson abandoned the Kasha design, other builders picked up on it & made high end guitars using the same bracing design. I ran into these on ebay..........

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Steve-KLEIN-Classical-Nylon-String-Guitars-/190440986665?pt=Guitar&hash=item2c572ad829

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  • 2 years later...

I am sorry to revive this thread but I do have my opinions about the Mark guitars:

 

I think the failure of the Mark guitars was due to the wrong Marketing by Norlin.

 

they marketed the guitar to Nashville hillbillies who couldn't tell the difference between a refined instrument and a plain guitar,

they marketed them to the type of "guitar player" who can only play basic guitar chords in the first three frets.

So what can you expect from a school of thought that dictates that "Martins" must be the best guitars because someone plays a Martin at the Opry?

 

they also should have been marketed in New York and California, not in Nashville for heaven's sake. In 1980, music stores in

Los Angeles did not know what a Mark guitar was. I know, I was there in 1980, they had never seen one. There was no internet in 1980.

 

it should have been marketed as an upscale instrument, the equivalent of a fine "violin", (not a hillbilly fiddle), as a Jazz guitar,

as a "Django" kind of guitar, as a "Modern Steel String Acoustic for the discerning guitarist", as a refined guitar like Richard Schneider intended, not as a bonfire bargain guitar sold at Montgomery Ward's stores!

 

then, if that wasn't enough, they decided on 5 (repeat FIVE) Models of the same guitar. The old "good to best" Sears Roebuck and General Motors marketing gimmick which only led to confusion at music stores, (not to mention at the factory), and music store owners eventually said: "I ain't got time for this crap". MK-35, 53, 72, 81, 99, it was absurd! Who needed that?

 

had they concentrated on just ONE model of the Mark guitar, ( the "Less Is More" marketing approach), in this case the top-of-the-line model, in either Natural or Sunburst, it would have been a different scenario, because after all is said and done, the Mark 81 guitars are the best-sounding acoustic guitars ever made, second to none. Norlin spent lots of money on Research & Development, (ask Bruce Bolen), lots of time, lots of energy to design this guitar and make something really special out of it.

 

the Mark guitar was Richard Schneider's "baby", he was one of the 20th Century's foremost guitar designers and builders, second to nobody, some of his prototype guitars ended up in the hands of Segovia and other famous players, who would not return them once they got them on "loan", and many of his Mark guitar innovations are being copied by other luthiers even today.

 

The MK guitars are not "Country Music" guitars for 3-chord Opry players, they are way ahead of that for heaven's sake. Schneider knew that, but Norlin didn't.

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they marketed the guitar to Nashville hillbillies who couldn't tell the difference between a refined instrument and a plain guitar,

they marketed them to the type of "guitar player" who can only play basic guitar chords in the first three frets.

So what can you expect from a school of thought that dictates that "Martins" must be the best guitars because someone plays a Martin at the Opry?

Wow....

 

they also should have been marketed in New York and California, not in Nashville for heaven's sake.

New York and California have a higher class of guitar players?

 

it should have been marketed as an upscale instrument, the equivalent of a fine "violin", (not a hillbilly fiddle)

The only difference between a violin and a fiddle is whether you're buying it or selling it.

 

a "Modern Steel String Acoustic for the discerning guitarist"

Translated = snob

 

Norlin spent lots of money on Research & Development, (ask Bruce Bolen), lots of time, lots of energy to design this guitar and make something really special out of it.

Ford spent a lot of time and money on the Edsel too.

 

The MK guitars are not "Country Music" guitars for 3-chord Opry players

I think I'll go downstairs to my fleet of "country music" guitars and pull every fret out above the first three.

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Wow....

 

 

New York and California have a higher class of guitar players?

 

 

The only difference between a violin and a fiddle is whether you're buying it or selling it.

 

 

Translated = snob

 

 

Ford spent a lot of time and money on the Edsel too.

 

 

I think I'll go downstairs to my fleet of "country music" guitars and pull every fret out above the first three.

 

 

 

LOL! Hilarious.....................................(Hillbillies!)...................................

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