Martin rep coming to the local guitar shop.

[sunvalleylaw]

Richard Starkey, a resident player, tech and set up expert is coming to the local guitar shop (Sunburst Guitar Gallery) next Tues. and is doing an evening clinic including some picking technique and, of course, Martin info. He is also doing free re-stringings in the afternoon. I hope to attend the clinic and will certainly take him up on the re-stringing of my acoustic. I am overdue.

[duhvoodooman***]

Careful, or you might own a D28 before the night is over!!

[r_a_smith3530]

That makes me think, my little Epiphone was last set up by the first factory certified Martin repair tech, John Calhoun. He was working out of a little shop in Evanston, IL called Hogeye Music. He was also responsible for the complete rework of "the one that got away," an early '60s Harmony Sovereign that I ended up giving away to one of my neighbors as we moved from Chicago. Boy, I wish that I could turn back the clock on that one!

John passed away some years back, and took to the grave his special process for taking old Harmony Sovereigns and making them sound as sweet as a Martin. He was one hell of a luthier!

[sunvalleylaw]

Careful, or you might own a D28 before the night is over!!

The Martin rep clinic was tonight. There were some really beautiful guitars there tonight, including a D-45 (Only $10,000.00. I played it a little after the clinci) and one of the Authentic models, a D-28 I think, made with Adirondack spruce and animal hide glue. Man, did that guitar ring out.

Yeah, DVM, I almost came home with a D-28! Well not really. I did come home with an earful of really good pickin' style playing, a free Martin T-shirt and some stickers (and catalogs), a better understanding of acoustic construction and effects (esp. bracing), the effects of different tone woods (along with more of an ear for it than I went in with) and a long range goal of getting a nice Martin down the road some day, after I learn more on what I have. The tech also restringed my acoustic and adjusted the neck and action, and made an inexpensive suggestion for an improvement down the road (new nut, a little higher). The guitar sounds and feels 100% better just after the re-stringing and adjustment.

Another, thing I came away with . . . one of the Martin techs (had been with Gibson before that for 10 years) said people would be a lot happier if they stopped worrying about what their guitar's backs, sides and tops, and even string pins were made of, and instead went to a store, played a few guitars, bought one they liked, and then just played the heck out of it. Sounds good to me!


Oh, by the way, Steve Miller was hanging out too. Asked a question about care for our guitars here due to the extreme cold and low humidity. He had a couple of his really nice guitars there, esp. a really nice D-42. He was just hanging with the folks talking guitar after. Pretty cool.