![]() ![]() #Gryphon stringed instruments installI took this guitar to Gryphon Stringed Instruments and asked them to install an L.R. If I could, I would never tinker with my toys, but good golly Miss Molly I just can’t stop that itch. Recorded using an SM7B Microphone Modifications: LR Baggs Anthem Pickup I recorded the following sound bite using Presonus Studio One Artist 4, Presonus’s AudioBox iTwo, and a Shure SM7Bmicrophone. Take a listen, and let me know what you think in the comments. If I’d paid 2.5x more for a guitar, I’d expect it to sound better too. Now, if there were a D18 or D28 in the room, I’m not sure I would stick to the 8/10 rating, but those guitars are also 2.5x or almost 3x more expensive. As of this writing, this is the best Made in USA acoustic guitar I’ve heard for a $1,000 or less. The guys at Real Guitars in San Francisco worked with me on the price, and for $868, this guitar cannot be beat. Even before I lowered the action, this guitar sounded great. I’m giving the, “as received from the factory” action a 6. I’d give it an 8 or a 9 in it’s current condition, but I don’t want to mislead you when you pick up your first Custom D off a wall or out of a box. Now the action is fantastic, and the guitar plays easily. The guys at Martin did a great job making the slot in the bridge for the saddle, because when you put the saddle back in, you can hear it *click* into place. Once I had removed about an eight of an inch, I put the saddle back. I removed the bridge saddle and sanded the back of the saddle VERY carefully. ![]() I removed the strings, inspected the bridge saddle and found the saddle was not glued into place. Out of the box, the action on the strings was a bit high. 38mm rounded triangle pick.Ĭustom D Classic Ratings (- out of 10, 10 being the best score)Īction – 6. Usually I’m just strumming and banging on this thing though, so most of the time I’m using a Clayton USA. I like Fender Heavies for my electric guitar playing, and sometimes when I’m flatpicking. Strings – I play my Martin Custom D Classic Rosewood guitar with D’Addario. Hats off to the guys at Martin for stripping their high end guitars down to the bear bones and getting a simple and affordable option out to the masses. It’s got the personality of a classic Martin guitar, and that’s why this guitar shines. It really does sound great, so don’t let the guitar’s ‘no frills’ look fool you. This thing can project in a room, and if you can strum in time and carry a tune, you’ll turn some heads. When it comes down to it, looks don’t matter. And when you run your fingers across it, you can feel it’s raised. “Where’s the high gloss finish? What about the beautiful Martin bindings and inlays? How am I supposed to look cool playing such a plain looking guitar?” I got more bad news for you, the Martin logo on the headstock I’m pretty sure is gold foil tape. The body has a tortoise shell binding, and the neck has pearloid dot inlays. That’s right! The good ol’ US of A! She’s constructed using all solid wood with a Sitka Spruce top, mahogany neck, Indian rosewood sides and back, and a rosewood finger board, and in a a satin finish. The Martin Custom D Classic Rosewood is a Made in USA guitar. This is reflected in our wide range of instruction books and videos on everything from Leo Kottke to Romanian Folk Violin.Hey there! Today I’m going to be reviewing my Martin Custom D Classic Rosewood guitar. For those who live in the South Bay, we’re as much a music school as a retail store. The extra space allowed us to invite Carol McComb to join us, and her Folk Guitar Workshops were the beginnings of an extensive calendar of both group and private instruction at Gryphon. We moved from our first shop on El Camino Way to our current location at the corner of Lambert Avenue and Park Boulevard in 1975. Gryphon quickly became the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading source of mandolins, banjos, and both nylon and steel-string acoustic guitars. ![]() Once we opened a storefront in 1973, the combination of retail and repair put a quick end to luthiery. The initial focus was on building instruments, and from 1969 to 1973 Gryphon built about 40 steel-string guitars, a few F-style mandolins, and dozens of banjo necks.įrom the beginning repair work just seemed to stream in, and by 1972 we were spending more time fixing old guitars than we were building new ones. ![]() But it was a long time ago, way back in the Fall of 1969. It all began in an enchanted land far, far away… well, not quite Gryphon Stringed Instruments started in a garage about three blocks away from our current location. ![]()
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