Martin

Another story of a parent giving a kid a great instrument (and one they bought for $20 to boot). Alex Mandel even admits to kicking a hole in it as a rambunctious youth.  

Back with Jack Conte of Pomplamoose and VideoSong fame, conversation turns to his trusty Martin Acoustic Electric DC-16GTE. Conte has never been so excited about actual electric guitars; he's much more into modifying the sound of an acoustic instrument through pedals, string choice and packing material.  

Chris Ayers is "folkin'" across America this summer (I am thinking of trademarking that). The singer songwriter's second full-length comes out in August and he is playing dates-a-plenty. One thing you can count on seeing at an Ayers show is his Martin HD-28 and KISS-like pyrotechnic displays (I made the last part up).  

The ever-chatty Dave Evans from Martin Guitars has brought the new Martin OMC-160 GTE to the Gearwire studio, and it's got Roland electronics. Holla! Dave and Owen team up via the magic of video editing to give discerning Gearwire viewers what they want: all the specs and all the actual sound of the instrument. You may need to take a break halfway through this one!  

Dave Evans from Martin Guitars graces us with a visit and a sonorous demonstration of the Martin D1. This dreadnought features all solid wood, even on the sides, for a full, rich tone. Hang out with Dave and hear what this modest but elegant axe has to offer.  

First introduced in 1993, the Martin 1 Series acoustic guitars are affordable, solid wood "D"- and "OM"-style guitars that hearken back to a simpler time, when I was getting into Pearl Jam's VS., dominating Earth Sciences, and probably wouldn't have have cared about Martin's use of IUCN-designated "threatened" woods in their manufacturing.  

Tony Lucca joins us in the now-famous basement at Schuba's, where he waxes all giddy about his Martin 1934 Golden Era D-18. He likes it loud, he likes it bottom heavy, and he's not ashamed to lets us know about it.  

Every once in a while, company like C.F. Martin likes to give the nod to an up-and-coming guitarist who's paving the way for a new generation of musicians to carve their own voice out in the tapestry of popular culture by presenting them with their own signature model. On the other hand, here's two new Martin 00-28 Eric Clapton models.  

NEWS FLASH: your parents did drugs. Need proof? The custom shop "Psychedelic Martin." If a luthier as stoic and hoary as C.F. Martin & Company would condone the making of such a celebration of psychotropic substances, no one is safe from the accusation of "dirty, long-haired junkie."  

If I had a guitar that looked as nice as the Martin D-50 Koa, I probably wouldn't let anything touch it either. Literally nothing.  

Craig "The Wine" Lavin has a few interesting hobbies, including pearl inlaying, marine biology and exploding guitars. Luckily, this beautiful Martin Craig Lavin Custom Acoustic only reflects two of those endeavors.  

Q: What takes four years to build and costs $110,000?

A: A four-year-old child!

We also would have accepted "The Martin D-100 Deluxe" as an answer.  

Ever hear the one about the guitar that scavenged the graves of the dead, exhuming body parts that it would then assimilate onto its own, thus achieving a sort of assembly-line immortality? No? Then you've never heard the tale of the Martin Style 45 Conversion.  

Everyone loves the sound of a 12-string guitar, but with twice as many strings, you'd need to play with four hands to be as adept on a 12-stringer as you would on a six. That is, until now!  

No, that's not a ventriloquist -- it's the Martin OM Chris Hillman edition. Though its body is only 000 sized, it plays with the voice of a much deeper guitar.  

Based off a 1941-built guitar that resides in Martin's Nazareth, PA museum, the Martin 1941 Museum Edition is almost an exact replica. Of course, due to the depletion of the rainforest, that almost means the Brazilian Rosewood has been replaced with Madagascar Rosewood, but regardless, it's a sweet ax.  

Maybe you've seen the famed Martin D-18s of yore -- even with your own eyes -- and if you have, check out the Martin D-18 Authentic. This new guitar remains true to one of the most famous acoustics ever issued in a very detailed way.  

Everyone knows that Linda Ronstadt has a heart like a wheel, but did you also know that she has a guitar like a Martin 00-42? GW stopped by the always classy Martin booth at Winter NAMM to check out the Martin 00-42 Linda Ronstadt artist model acoustic guitar.  

Feeling his paternal urges more strongly than normal, Owen O'Malley goes all "Lone Wolf And Cub" on the diminutive Martin S-O Ukulele, by which we mean he carries it on his back through Feudal Japan, all the while going medieval on fools with his katana. Fatherhood seemed so AWESOME back then.  

Earlier Reed Waddle talked about his love affair with a certain Martin D-28. This time around he is stepping out with his 2006 Martin J-40.  

Reed Waddle didn't just go out and buy his D-28. He grew up with it. Waddle talks about the guitar and how he gets the best out of it.  

Elizabeth Webb and Nicholai Johnson may comprise only a part of the epic instrument section that is Midwest Dilemma, but they are two very integrals players in the band. Elizabeth helped pen the majority of the instrumentations, while Nicholai is one of the other core six members who tours with the group.  

Midwest Dilemma's album, Timelines and Tragedies, has the sound of a very intimate recording. Yet, this chronicle of Justin Lamoureux's family from Canada to Omaha is both epic in it's conceptual scale and in the sheer size and range of it's lineup.  

L.A.-based Hayley Taylor chats about her choice of a Martin 000-18 from the mid-70s.  

Martin teams up with Christie's in New York City to sell a fascinating group of rare guitars -- including the D-50 -- to benefit The Martin Charitable Foundation.  

For close to a decade C.F. Martin has been tinkering with aluminum guitars (they have patents on several). The new 000CE AL is their latest effort at a sustainable material instrument.  

Mike Mangione's new CD, Tenebrae, due for release August 3, is a departure for the normally acoustic-minded artist. He talks about the departure and the gear he uses.  

Equinox Sounds releases Looped Atmosphere FX, and if you have no idea what it takes to loop an atmosphere, try not to think about it too hard. There's a one in four hundred billion chance that the right conclusion will suck us all into a black hole.  

We get a whirlwind tour of more limited edition guitars at Martin Guitar's booth at Summer NAMM 2008. We've got several special artist editions including guitars for Steve Earle, Elvis and more.  

Has anyone thought of producing Guitar Talk, a show dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of classic guitars and basses but with a humorous slant? Have you listened to Crosstalk lately?