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Show Mel Gause: Where'd'ya Find That? Making Sense Out Of The Marlin Alphabet The model designation system of the C.F. Martin Co. reaches back into the last century and continues to evolve to the present day. It can often seem overwhelming to the uninitiated but can be simplified a great deal with some explanation. There are three criteria which form the basis of the system used to designate Martin guitar models. First is the size of the instrument; second is the shape and third is the type of wood used for the back and the sides of the instrument. There are some lesser designations us to signify type of bracing, ornamentation, a cutaway model, etc, and we'll get into those in a bit. Generally speaking, larger model Martin's will be designated "D" style, which stands for "dreadnought", such as the D-18, D- 28, D-35 and so on. The smaller size guitars, with more rounded, figure-8 style bodies, begin with a "0" designation, with "000" being the largest, proceeding to the smaller sizes "00," "0" and "5", with the latter being the smallest-bodied Martin now available. This designation will be followed by a dash and a number which is designed to give the level of ornamentation and the types of wood used in the Martins - a D-18 or 000-18 being the least expensive of their respective body sizes, while a D-45 or 00-45 would be the fanciest model. This series of letters and numbers is sometimes followed by another letter which would denote the type of wood used, such as the D-17K, which was a dreadnought style guitar built with koawood back and side. The following is a list of the Model numbering and options designations, as listed in Martins own history book, written by their historian Mike Longworth: Model Prefixes: D: Dreadnoughts (25.4" fret scale length) HD: Herringbone dreadnought. This designates a model using herringbone binding and having scalloped bracing. OM: Orchestra Model. A 000 body style with a "D" scale fret scale length, which is .5" longer than the normal 000 scale length. M: Grand Auditorium. Rounded body, wider and shallower than a dreadnought. With scalloped bracing. J: Jumbo M. A scalloped braced "M" body shape with a dreadnought depth. N: Modem Spanish-shaped nylon stringed classical. Other size and shape codes: 12 before the dash means a 12-string model. C before the dash means cutaway. C after the dash means classical style, nylon strings. G after the dash means gut, an old classical designation replaced by the C. S after the dash means oversized dreadnought body with a neck that joins the body at the 12th fret, a slightly wider fretboard and a slotted open style peghead. It also means special. T after the dash means Tenor (4-string) guitar. LE means limited edition; Custom is self-explanatory. Styles 35, 36 and 76 have three-piece backs. All other styles have two-piece backs. Woods: Since the tum of the century, Martin models 15 -20 have used mahogany for backs and sides, except when noted by a special letter suffix. Styles 15 and 17 also had mahogany tops, as opposed to the standard spruce. Rosewood has been used in all steel-string model styles 21 - 45 for both back and sides, and rosewood is also used in theN- 20 classicals. Brazilian rosewood was used prior to 1969, when because of limitations on its import and a dwindling supply, East Indian rosewood became the standard. Post-1969 models offering Brazilian rosewood are all limited-run special editions. Martin has also offered models in maple, and in koa wood, along with a rare ash or walnut model. Brltl:sl] Mytl)ology * Celtic :-.tystt?rlt?s IMst) F'atry tpales * Welst) Folklore flrtt)llMaf} i!Sagas * i!St)akf'speare Celtic HHrp~ 'o Ordvr "Where Team Flowerchildren Han s Out" {{;Jf©O®~ g~ Dfil fPJ ~ ff(J Fat Chance • Mountain Goat Ibis • Marin • Bianchi ((;'j'f©U®£~ rJ©ff fftJfiJW®fliJiJ®fliJ (J Eisentraut Framesets • Bianchi Rspairs "If we're not fixing one, we're probably out crashing our own" tfiL:Vc1/ !F@@(/~®~ff~ Vigorelli, Bellwether, Nlke Specialized, Oakley P~ll~ IA©©@~~®!10®~ IA\@lwD©ra 702 Third Avenue SLC, UT 84103 A Two Minute Drive from the Great Basin Financial District 533-8671 13 |
