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MGR/David Hidalgo « Martin D-28 »
Published on 12/16/03 at 15:00The story of this guitar goes back to 1975 when my favorite traveling companion, a 1940's vintage,LG-2 Gibson was stolen out of my Bus on a foggy, depressing evening in San Francisco.
I was heartbroken and without much forethought I replaced it with a brand- new, shiny and very, very expensive Guild dreadnought. I was on the rebound so to speak.
Friends, that Guild spent the next ten years in its' case because It (with no fault of the folks at Guild) and I just weren't meant for each other. Kind of like a whirl-wind, Las Vegas romance. You wake up next to that Special Woman (that you met three hours previously) and, yes she's attractive and has a great body, but you've got nothing in common, and you will never under no circumstances ever mix Tequila and
an unknown frothy, green liquid together again.
The Martin came into my possession when a luthier friend in Santa Monica told me that someone had consigned an old D-28 with him and would I be interested in trading my Guild? Its' lacquer was dull, but the neck was fairly straight and I was told that this particular Martin had spent time as a studio instrument. I picked it up and strumnmed a Gmaj chord; what a voice. It rang, it was like a chance meeting of an old friend that you haven't seen in years. I guess the Guild was worth, maybe $1500.00 in 1983 and I've never regretted the trade.
What's not to like about an old guitar? Sure it's not as pretty as the newest D-45 for $15K, but then again I don't have to treat it like a museum piece.
Occasionally, the ancient Grovers slip, and she goes out of tune when I'm trying to channel some obscure Mississippi John Hurt tune, but the same thing happens to me when I forget where I put my keys.
Vintage Martin. A different feel than a contemporary guitar, even a new D-28.
The market in vintage guitars has skyrocketed to a point that their value as collectibes overshadow what they were manufactured for in the first place, to be played. Not to disappear in some climate controlled wherehouse in London or Tokyo.
I remember hearing an old 78, years ago, of Huddie Leadetter (Leadbelly) playing his version of "Midnight Special". He was playing an old Stella 12-string which had an action that could make your fingers bleed, and what we'd consider a plywood guitar. It goes to show you that in the hands of a virtuoso, it's the man not the instrument.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
I was heartbroken and without much forethought I replaced it with a brand- new, shiny and very, very expensive Guild dreadnought. I was on the rebound so to speak.
Friends, that Guild spent the next ten years in its' case because It (with no fault of the folks at Guild) and I just weren't meant for each other. Kind of like a whirl-wind, Las Vegas romance. You wake up next to that Special Woman (that you met three hours previously) and, yes she's attractive and has a great body, but you've got nothing in common, and you will never under no circumstances ever mix Tequila and
an unknown frothy, green liquid together again.
The Martin came into my possession when a luthier friend in Santa Monica told me that someone had consigned an old D-28 with him and would I be interested in trading my Guild? Its' lacquer was dull, but the neck was fairly straight and I was told that this particular Martin had spent time as a studio instrument. I picked it up and strumnmed a Gmaj chord; what a voice. It rang, it was like a chance meeting of an old friend that you haven't seen in years. I guess the Guild was worth, maybe $1500.00 in 1983 and I've never regretted the trade.
What's not to like about an old guitar? Sure it's not as pretty as the newest D-45 for $15K, but then again I don't have to treat it like a museum piece.
Occasionally, the ancient Grovers slip, and she goes out of tune when I'm trying to channel some obscure Mississippi John Hurt tune, but the same thing happens to me when I forget where I put my keys.
Vintage Martin. A different feel than a contemporary guitar, even a new D-28.
The market in vintage guitars has skyrocketed to a point that their value as collectibes overshadow what they were manufactured for in the first place, to be played. Not to disappear in some climate controlled wherehouse in London or Tokyo.
I remember hearing an old 78, years ago, of Huddie Leadetter (Leadbelly) playing his version of "Midnight Special". He was playing an old Stella 12-string which had an action that could make your fingers bleed, and what we'd consider a plywood guitar. It goes to show you that in the hands of a virtuoso, it's the man not the instrument.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com