What finish does Martin guitars use?

martin uses a product called chem sheen , it is a satin finished lacquer. A gloss finish still requires buffing and polishing to get the gloss as shiney as they do . for a year or two, santa cruz french-polished (with shellac) the tops of a few guitars.

Does Martin use nitro finish?

yes Martin uses Nitro on the standard series , The X series uses a poly wipe on finish . The satin finishes are also nitro with an additive to kill the gloss. Yes.

What is the finish on a Martin D-28?

According to the 1935 Martin catalog both style 45 (000-45) and 28 models (000-28 and D-28) received 'hand polished lacquer finish' (full gloss), whereas style 18 came with a 'hand rubbed lacquer finish' and style 17 came with a 'semi gloss lacquer finish' .

What kind of wood does Martin guitars use?

The most common top tonewood is Spruce. Martin uses a variety of different types of Spruce including Sitka, Engelmann, Adirondack, Red and Italian Alpine, each with their own distinct tonal characteristics.

What are Martin guitars made of?

Martin & Co. has built its reputation on guitars made of rosewood, mahogany and other desirable woods. In the next 170, it may become just as famous for using Stratabond, Micarta and other, less familiar man-made materials.

The Finish

Is Martin Road solid wood?

Built in Martin's plant in Navojoa, Mexico, and featuring solid-wood builds of sitka, sapele and koa, with Fishman MX-T electronics throughout, the Road Series is positioned as a pro-quality range for gigging musicians whose appearance fee can't quite stretch to Martin's US-built models, which, if we are honest, is ...

Why are Martin Guitars so hard to play?

The problem is that every Martin I've played has been orders of magnitude more difficult to play than the comparable Taylors. The person at the music shop says that it's because Martin ships their guitars with high action and heavy strings opposed to Taylor who ships them with lower action and lighter strings.

What kind of mahogany does Martin use?

The Central American mahogany is the species used by Martin on the pre-World War II golden era instruments. This wood is of the same genus, but a different species than the South American mahogany most commonly used today.

Where does Martin get its wood?

The wood is quite valuable but the paper pulp industry buys and harvests Sitka spruce in the Pacific Northwest and sometimes they harvest trees that have no business being made into pulp.

Which is better rosewood or mahogany?

Mahogany is usually strong in the middle, rosewood touches a wider tone palette. In your hands, a guitar with a rosewood body often feels a little different when you play. Due to the higher density, rosewood is usually a bit heavier and subtly reacts to your playing. Mahogany is often lighter and very direct.

What lacquer does Martin use?

martin uses a product called chem sheen , it is a satin finished lacquer. A gloss finish still requires buffing and polishing to get the gloss as shiney as they do . for a year or two, santa cruz french-polished (with shellac) the tops of a few guitars.

What does 000 mean in Martin guitars?

000 = Auditorium. The 14-fret version introduced 1934 (see below.) 0000 = Grand Auditorium aka size M. Introduced in 1977 as a flattop guitar that uses the body shape from Martin's Size F archtop Jazz guitar from the 1930s.

What does HD stand for on Martin guitar?

Originally all 28 Series guitars had Herringbone inlays. The H in HD actually stands for Herringbone. Originally the herringbone binding was taken off of the D-28 as a cost saving measure to keep the guitar affordable to everyday players.

What guitars have a nitrocellulose finish?

Which Guitars Have Nitro Finishes? These days, this type of guitar finish is used almost exclusively by Gibson and Fender's Custom Shop divisions. As these departments mostly produce premium time-honoured instruments, they therefore use nitro finishes to recapture the essence of their older vintage models.

Does Gibson use nitrocellulose lacquer?

Gibson instruments are finished with several coats of a high-quality nitro-cellulose lacquer. This finish is hand-buffed to a high-gloss, mirror-like surface. Unlike other less expensive finishes, nitro-cellulose does not detract from the tone of the instrument and ages beautifully.

Is nitrocellulose the same as lacquer?

Nitrocellulose was adopted quickly by the car industry and remained the finish of choice through to the late-1950s. Furniture and musical instrument manufacturers also switched to nitrocellulose lacquer, and mostly it was referred to simply as 'lacquer'.

When did Martin Guitars stop using Brazilian rosewood?

Supplies grew extremely thin in the late 1960s, however, and Martin and others stopped using Brazilian rosewood in 1969, moving over to Indian rosewood, then other varieties. In 1992, Brazilian rosewood was added to the CITES treaty, strictly banning its exportation.

Is the Martin 16 series solid wood?

Based on some of the more popular Standard Series models, the Martin 16 Series takes these designs and makes them more affordable and accessible. Featuring solid wood sound boxes, time tested bracing patterns and the same attention to detail found in every Martin guitar, they are a value that's hard to beat.

When did Martin start using Sitka spruce?

In 1946, as supplies of their preferred sources of spruce dried up, and Martin had used the last smaller pieces to create four piece tops, Martin began switching to Sitka spruce from the Northwest.

Where does Martin guitars get their mahogany?

"Big-leafed Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla, also known as American Mahogany, is distributed from the south of Mexico throughout Central and South America to Bolivia and Brazil, including large portions of the Amazon Basin.

What is Sapele wood for guitars?

Sapele is a hardwood tonewood with fine grain. It offers a warm tone with sustaining lower-mids and pronounced high-end. Sapele is popular in the sides/backs of acoustic and hollowbody electric guitars but doesn't see much use in solid bodies, fretboards or necks.

Is Taylor better than Martin?

Taylors are generally known for having a very bright yet rich sound, with more clarity but perhaps less body than a Martin. The company is also praised for guitar-to-guitar consistency and build quality.

What is the easiest Martin to play?

The Junior Series was designed to be comfortable and easy to play so Juniors are the perfect first guitar. They even include some full-sized Martin features like scalloped X-bracing.

Do Martin guitars sound better with age?

Why is the tone of older Martin guitars more robust than those fresh off the shelf? One key reason is that the tonewoods will gradually lose moisture as they age. As a result, they become lighter, and more resonant.