Other thing abouit Ed and his tone, he does play with vigour. A soft pick and a gentle stroke won't produce the same tone. There is a lot of lacqer missing from the bottom half of his Martin where he has been giving it the welly.
Other thing abouit Ed and his tone, he does play with vigour. A soft pick and a gentle stroke won't produce the same tone. There is a lot of lacqer missing from the bottom half of his Martin where he has been giving it the welly.
Yeah, I don't know for sure, but the boots I have sound like he is stroking pretty hard, I'm thinking of Thumbing my Way in particular, also Gimme Some Truth. I don't know what gauge strings he uses either, or if they are bare or coated, which makes a big difference.
The acoustic I see ed with the most (such as the pictures in this thread), is a small bodied Martin with a mahogany top, and mahogany back and sides. Most likely a 0-17 or 00-17 (I can't tell without measuring or holding it). I also seem to recall seeing him play a spruce topped version of this, which would be the 18 series.
While quite expensive, 17 and 18 series Martins don't command the premium that the 21, 28, 42, and 45 series do. Possibly part of this reason is that the 17 and 18 always used Mahogany instead of Braz. for the sides and back, thus making their value as a collectible quite less.
As a general rule of thumb, you can get pretty nice prewar 17 and 18 series for $3-5k. Once you start looking beyond that in the vintage market, the prices get out of hand quickly ($20-100k).
The 17 series is no more, so if you want that, you'll have to go vintage. But if your not looking to spend $3k on a 60 year old guitar, I would reccomend getting a brand-spanking new 00-15 or 000-15. These 15 series are basically* the same thing and you should be able to get them for under $1000, possibly more if you get an electrified one.
-steve
*the 15 series has a satin finish, the 17 series was a bit glossier.
I had typed this up, so I thought I would include it if anyone was interested. As I see it, there are two major points in the Martin timeline that collectors pay attention to, 1945 and 1969.
All Martins made up to 1945 are considered to be "prewar". The reason these are so highly sought after are because of the materials, construction methods, and the bracing pattern on the top of the guitar. Martin has, in recent years, begun creating guitars that replicate some of these features and labeling them as "GE" (Golden Era) or "A" (Authentic) models.
1969 is an important year because it is the year which Martin discontinued the use of Brazillian Rosewood as the standard wood for the backs and sides of their 21, 28, 42 and 45 series guitars. Braz is considered to have a better sound, but was phased out due to ecological reasons. It is true that after '69 this they did make guitars with Braz on them, but they were rare and had a hefty price tag to compensate for the scarcity of the wood. So if your looking for a nice guitar, but don't want to go prewar, a 1946-1969 should keep you in the $7-$15k range and still sound great. If I'm not mistaken, I think in an interview (w/ToneQuest) that Larry Cragg said Neil Young's Martins are in this range (1950's I think).
Comments
How is there a cable going into it if it's "pre WWII"..... this is gonna bother me till someone explains
You can equip any acoustic with a pickup.....so it can plug in to an amp.
...wooden?
*NYC 9/28/96 *NYC 9/29/96 *NJ 9/8/98 (front row "may i play drums with you")
*MSG 9/10/98 (backstage) *MSG 9/11/98 (backstage)
*Jones Beach 8/23/00 *Jones Beach 8/24/00 *Jones Beach 8/25/00
*Mansfield 8/29/00 *Mansfield 8/30/00 *Nassau 4/30/03 *Nissan VA 7/1/03
*Borgata 10/1/05 *Camden 5/27/06 *Camden 5/28/06 *DC 5/30/06
*VA Beach 6/17/08 *DC 6/22/08 *MSG 6/24/08 (backstage) *MSG 6/25/08
*EV DC 8/17/08 *EV Baltimore 6/15/09 *Philly 10/31/09
*Bristow VA 5/13/10 *MSG 5/20/10 *MSG 5/21/10
You can put in electronics into any acoustic...old or new.
Thank you
I thought Ed used thins or medium-thins.
Maybe I'm wrong...
Yeah, I don't know for sure, but the boots I have sound like he is stroking pretty hard, I'm thinking of Thumbing my Way in particular, also Gimme Some Truth. I don't know what gauge strings he uses either, or if they are bare or coated, which makes a big difference.
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
While quite expensive, 17 and 18 series Martins don't command the premium that the 21, 28, 42, and 45 series do. Possibly part of this reason is that the 17 and 18 always used Mahogany instead of Braz. for the sides and back, thus making their value as a collectible quite less.
As a general rule of thumb, you can get pretty nice prewar 17 and 18 series for $3-5k. Once you start looking beyond that in the vintage market, the prices get out of hand quickly ($20-100k).
The 17 series is no more, so if you want that, you'll have to go vintage. But if your not looking to spend $3k on a 60 year old guitar, I would reccomend getting a brand-spanking new 00-15 or 000-15. These 15 series are basically* the same thing and you should be able to get them for under $1000, possibly more if you get an electrified one.
-steve
*the 15 series has a satin finish, the 17 series was a bit glossier.
I had typed this up, so I thought I would include it if anyone was interested. As I see it, there are two major points in the Martin timeline that collectors pay attention to, 1945 and 1969.
All Martins made up to 1945 are considered to be "prewar". The reason these are so highly sought after are because of the materials, construction methods, and the bracing pattern on the top of the guitar. Martin has, in recent years, begun creating guitars that replicate some of these features and labeling them as "GE" (Golden Era) or "A" (Authentic) models.
1969 is an important year because it is the year which Martin discontinued the use of Brazillian Rosewood as the standard wood for the backs and sides of their 21, 28, 42 and 45 series guitars. Braz is considered to have a better sound, but was phased out due to ecological reasons. It is true that after '69 this they did make guitars with Braz on them, but they were rare and had a hefty price tag to compensate for the scarcity of the wood. So if your looking for a nice guitar, but don't want to go prewar, a 1946-1969 should keep you in the $7-$15k range and still sound great. If I'm not mistaken, I think in an interview (w/ToneQuest) that Larry Cragg said Neil Young's Martins are in this range (1950's I think).