Fingerstyle Guitarists Will Enjoy The Martin OMC Red Birch Acoustic-Electric

Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by amauto.

The Martin OMC Red Birch Acoustic-Electric made with sustainable and rescued woods is no longer in production. Sustainability as defined by the World Commission (Bruntland 1987) has defined sustainability as “development that meets needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. In the case of tonewood this means that we don’t use up future generation’s wood to satisfy this generation’s guitars.

Red Birch, the first of three sustainable tonewoods used in this OMC is only occasionally seen in the guitar stores yet has been used by luthiers for years.Maple and Red Birch have similar properties when used by luthiers. It is a cheap hardwood that is quite functional when used, as in the case of the this guitar, as  body back and sides. Did I mention that the Red Birch is a solid tonewood. The OMC Red Birch uses two other sustainable tonewoods, Cherry and Katalox, an Ebony substitute. The fingerboard is Katalox and the Cherry is found in the center on the back and in the rosette.

The OMC stands for Orchestra Model Cut away. The balanced tone from low to high because of the orchestra model’s smaller body is what is so attractive to the fingerstyle guitarist. Less bass more evenly matched to the mid and high ranges make this guitar perfect for solo guitar styles. This is also a great type of guitar for vocal accompaniment. The extra wide 1 ¾ inch nut width catches the eye of fingerstyle guitar players. The wide nut sits at the top end of the 25 4/10 inch Katalox (did I mention sustainable) fingerboard with 14 frets clear of the body. Solid rescued (next best thing to sustainable) Sitka Spruce is the tonewood used for the sound board. The solid woods used in the sound board and body of the Martin OMC Red Birch contribute to the overall awe inspiring Martin sound that will be an asset to any musicians performance.

The Martin OMC Red Birch is no longer in production but there is still some inventory on hand  at select guitar sales establishments. Even thought the Martin OMC Red Birch is no longer being made it can still be found in some guitar stores.

Continue Reading

Can An Acoustic Guitar Make Sound If No One Is There To Listen?

Posted on 08. Sep, 2010 by amauto.

There is another side of acoustic guitar buying that I seldom hear discussed. It could be called the supernatural method.
I am one of those new age types that believes the life of the wood worker is crafted into the instrument.Often you can sense the guitar even before you see it. An instrument made by a life in gloom and dispair will have that could of deppression hanging over it for ever!” Might be a good choice if your strictly into the blues. A guitar born of the heart will live heartily.

Just because a guitar is not hand made does not meant it is lifeless. There is not a guitar anywhere that was not first a thought in a mind. The guitar was crafted from exotic woods grown in exotic lands. How many years of sunshine and rain are stored in that dreadnought or solid body? Perhaps hundreds of men and women around the world helped to get that guitar to you? If many of us were investigated we would be found guilty of choosing a nice guitar store over an exibition by dead Van-whoever. OK, I do enjoy looking at dead Van’s work but give me a well stocked guitar gallery any day.

I remember a time when I stopped into a guitar store in our town.  I had about $400 in my pocket and was ready to buy a guitar. I had my mind set on a Takamine guitar. I picked it up and played it again, for the umpteenth time. I liked the looks, the sound, and the feel of this instrument but I was somehow not satisfied with it. There was this very small feeling of buyers remorse starting to set in. I left the guitar on its stand and meant to exit the store with out making a purchase. I was about to exit the building but I felt compelled to look towards the used instrument section. I was in that area of the store a few minutes before. I had looked at an interesting electric guitar but had no intention of buying one.
When I returned to the used instrument department I was immediately aware of a beautiful sunburst Crafter. I had wrongly thought that Crafter made inferior guitars. This one looked pretty nice. I knew immediately this was my soul guitar. I made that guitar mine. that guitar played music to my spirit before I saw it with my eyes.
There I said it, the guitar called to me. Now I am revealed to be a crystal hugging new age kind of guy.

You can call it Zen, Synchronicity, or dumb luck, or you can call it what ever. I personally believe music is a spiritual device and the whole process can be as deep as you want to go. Even while shopping for a fingerstyle  acoustic guitar.  Happy shopping!

Continue Reading

12 Fret Acoustic Guitars For Fingerstyle

Posted on 03. Sep, 2010 by amauto.

Guitars were originally made with 12 frets clear of the body.

The 12 fret design remains the standard for the nylon string classical guitar.

Think about the classical guitarist.

The orchestrations are often meant to be played without accompaniment.

Classical music demanded and received instruments designed to produce optimum tone.

Hence the classical guitar was the ultimate possible design.

Guitars became more prevalent in the bands and orchestras of the 1920s as musical styles evolved.

Instrumental soloing increased as roots and jazz music blended and evolved in the popular venues.

The guitarist found the magic zone on the upper frets.

The repsonse of the luthier was a guitar with 14 frets above the body.

After “Muddy Waters invented electricity,” the guitar player began to step into the spot light.

Double cut aways on electric guitars launched the guitarist into the strat osphere.

In response to the musicians request for higher altitudes the luthier cut away the lower bout of the acoustic instrument body in order to imitate the shape of an electric guitar.

Where does the current interest in 12 fret acoustic guitars come from?

Guitar players are looking to the luthier for instruments of a more classic design.

Guitars made for classical music rarely have 14 frets.

Perfection in sound and playability are the continued goals of the craft of the guitar.

Recent 12 fret guitars have been made with a single cut away on the lower bout.

This blends the the tonality of the body with access to the upper fretboard.

The 12 fret body style is especially appreciated by fingerstyle guitar players.

12 fret acoustics will often have a wider neck which fingerstyle players like.

The necks are commonly 1 3/4 inches at the top of the neck.

You will find up to a 2 1/2 inch nut on classical guitars.

The optimum design of the 12 fret acoustic guitar will always be in demand.

Continue Reading

A Martin Signature Guitar For Acoustic Blues Fingerstyle Master Jorma Kaukonen

Posted on 03. Sep, 2010 by amauto.

A life time of personal evolution music is contained in the M-30 Jorma Kaukonen Custom Artist Edition Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar.
Jorma Kaukonen is an expert acoustic fingerstyle blues player that added rock band lead guitarist to his resume in the late 60s. You may have heard of Jefferson Airplane who flew straight out the of Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco as part of the vanguard of the psychedelic  movement. Jorma and fellow blues
buddy, bassist Jack Cassidy, were the backbone of Jefferson Airplane, infusing blues roots into the  60’s music scene. Before he joined the Jefferson Airplane, acoustic fingerstyle blues was Kaukonen’s only interest. The possibilities that guitar amplifiers and effects provided for the musician captured his attention. He jumped in with both feet. Jorma turned on the power and took it to the people.

Surrealistic Pillow was Jefferson Airplane’s second album. Among the most memorable songs in comtemporary music history, two of them, White Rabbit and Embryonic Journey came from that album. Jorma blended his acoustic fingerstyle skills with his feel for the psychedelic direction of the contemporary music scene and wrote Embryonic Journey. Jefferson Airplane tours
would often include performances by Jorma and Jack’s side project, Hot Tuna. Hot Tuna was a band based totally on Mr Kaukonen’s love for acoustic
fingerstyle blues. The guitar technique of Rev Gary Davis became his inspiration in the early years and remain a part of his performance. Hot Tuna might show up as an acoustic band or it might show up electric and blow your socks off. Sometimes all the members of Jefferson Airplane would be on the stage performing with Hot Tuna.

When his run with Jefferson Airplane was over Jorma returned to his roots. Fingerstyle blues guitar. He started Fur Peace Ranch
where aspiring and veteran musicians can get together and share in the love of the art of the guitar. His interest and love of Martin guitars
inspired the guitar manufacture to build an instrument to Mr Kaukonen’s specifications. He wanted the wider 1 and 3/4 inch neck with a solid spruce
top and mahogany back and sides. Jorma requested a larger sound hole to enhance mid range and treble which is preferred amongst acoustic fingerstyle
guitar players. As a life accomplishment Jorma Kaukonen has successfully blended acoustic fingerstyle blues with rock and roll. The M-30 Jorma Kaukonen Custom Artist
Edition  Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar will be a legacy to that life.

I feel compelled to mention that Hot Tuna is still performing and will be on stage in 2010 this coming December celebrating Jorma Kaukonen’s 70th
birthday. Still rocking at 70. God bless you Jorma Kaukonen!

Continue Reading

The Martin OMC-28E Acoustic Electric Guitar For Fingerstyle Players

Posted on 02. Sep, 2010 by amauto.

The Martin OMC-28E has an orchestra model body. Requests for a 14 fret guitar brought about the development of this model. The flat top acoustics of today are pretty much the image of the first Orchestra Model gutiars. The singular difference between an OM and a dreadnought is that the OM is slightly smaller. The smaller body size balances out the sound from low register to high. The bottom, mids, and highs are more evenly pronounced.
This  makes the OM a great guitar for instrumentals and soloing.

The quality of the tonewoods used in the Martin OMC-28E greatly contribute to it’s appearance and performance. Vibration from the strings flows more easily through solid wood used on the guitar body than it would if laminated woods were used. Solid Sitka Spruce makes up the top. Historically steel string guitars have been crafted with spruce sound boards.
The size and availability of the timber makes Sitka Spruce the number one choice for sound boards.

The OMC-28E uses solid East Indian Rosewood for the back and sides. The resonating characteristics of specific tonewoods are the reason they are chosen for musical instruments. Rosewood is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear.

Solid Black Ebony is used for the fingerboard on the Martin OMC-28E. The nut at the top of the 25 4/10 inch finger board scale has a width of 1 3/4 inches. This is something that is appreciated by the fingerstyle guitarist.
Wider nut width allows the finger picker more room for finger pickin fingers. The lower end of the fret board and therefore the upper scale register is made more accessible by the cut away on the upper bout, hence the C in OMC.

The electronics on the OMC-28E are covered by the Fishman Elipse Aura pickup system.
This is where Martin’s time honored method of guitar crafting blends with state of of the art technology. The Elipse Aura is designed for reproduction of the sound of the guitar with uncolored sonic accuracy.
Assorted acoustic images can be applied to the on board sound system through the USB port. Phase switching, volume, pickup-image blend, and anti-feedback, can be controlled from the on board panel.

The Martin OMC-28E is a limited production, stage ready, fingerstyle friendly guitar that will not disappoint.

Continue Reading

The Martin OMC-LJ Pro Acoustic Guitar For Fingerstyle Players

Posted on 30. Aug, 2010 by amauto.

The Martin Custom Artist Series OMC-LJ Pro Acoustic Guitar was built to the specifications of the 5th Beatle. Maybe Laurence Juber was not Beatle number five. Wait for it, wait for it, he is the 6th Beatle. Hey I am allowed my opinion. Mr Juber was lead guitarist in Wings for Paul McCartney. Paul had found him in England. Mr Juber has released many Beatle tunes in his career as a solo fingerstyle guitar artist. He has acknowledged his Beatles influence by covering the Meet the Beatles album cover on his LJ Plays the Beatles release. Yes that was the first album by a famous group that I ever purchased. The impact Mr Juber is having on the fingerstyle guitar world is similar to what the Beatles did to Pop music.

Mr Juber is also well thought of by CF Martin the number one name in acoustic guitars. The Martin Company has crafted five different guitars with the Laurence Juber signature. Laurence Juber’s name is on the OMC-LJ, the OMC-18, the OMC-18VLJ, the LJ OMC-28B-OMC-28, and the LJ OMC. Eric Clapton is the only name listed more than Laurence Juber in the Martin Artist Signature Series Catalog. Wow! based on this endorsement alone you could argue
that Laurence Juber might be at least the worlds second greatest acoustic guitarist.

The latest guitar engineered for Juber is the Martin Custom Artist Series OMC-LJ Pro Acoustic Guitar. After working with stringed instruments on some music he was writing for a movie Juber thought up this instrument. He realized that most of the orchestra’s string section consisted of instruments made with maple. Rosewood and maghogany produce more harmonics than maple which is clearer and projects better as well. Laurence wondered why maple was not used more often in the
making of flat top guitars. Mr Juber asked the luthiers at Martin to put together a guitar with a maple body and neck. The vintage Martin tonal quality comes from the solid Adironback Spruce top. Laurence Juber requested a D-tar pickup which enhances the transparent sound of the guitar. For the fingerstyle guitar player this means the Martin Custom Artist Series OMC-LJ Pro Acoustic Guitar is a superior instrument on stage and in the studio.

Continue Reading

Is There Such A Thing As A Fingerstyle Guitar?

Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by amauto.

Fingerstyle Guitar is the method by which the music is played and not the instrument itself. Fingerstyle is just that, a method of playing music with the fingers. It is a style of playing the guitar.
A guitar player might use all of the fingers on the right hand when playing fingerstyle. Using a pick is still the preferred method amongst gutiarists to sound the strings. A piece of music arranged for fingerstyle guitar will usually consist of a melody, harmony, and a bass line. You can play fingerstyle on any guitar but some are more preferable to to the design specifications.  A fingerstyle guitar is usually but not always an
acoustic guitar. Fingerstyle guitar players such as the late and very great Chet Atkins often use electric guitars in their craft. You will most often find steel strings used in music that is not classical.

Fingerstyle Guitar is often used as accompaniment for singing which makes it a popular form with folk, blues, country and pop singers because it works well for the solo artist that does not travel with a band.Jazz, smooth jazz, and new age music are all perfect for fingerstyle guitar playing. Classical guitarists have been playing solo instrumental music for centuries.

Now we have returned to the matter of what is a fingerstyle guitar. If there is such a thing, a classical guitar is it. This guitar was crafted to be played with fingers. The classical instrument  has always been a nylon string (or cat gut before there was nylon) acoustic guitar. You can find a nylon string electric classical guitar being manufactured these days. The tonewoods, that is the woods that make up the top, sides, and back of the guitar, are selected for the way they enhance the classical fingerstyle playing. The neck is often much wider than that of a steel string guitars so that the artists picking fingers can grab
individual strings. Classical guitars can have necks up to 2 1/2 inches wide at the nut. Usually a steel stringed instrument set up for the fingerstyle player measures 1 3/4 inches at the top of the neck. Most other steel string guitars are slightly smaller, usually 1 11/16 inch nut width. You need to understand that there are no hard and fast rules to guitar construction for fingerstyle players. Hopefully this has given the reader an idea as to what constitutes a fingerstyle acoustic guitar.

Continue Reading

Fingerstyle Guitarists Will Enjoy The Martin OMC Red Birch Acoustic-Electric

Posted on 18. Aug, 2010 by amauto.

The Martin OMC Red Birch Acoustic-Electric made with sustainable and rescued woods is no longer in production. Sustainability as defined by the World Commission (Bruntland 1987) has defined sustainability as “development that meets needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. In the case of tonewood this means that we don’t use up future generation’s wood to satisfy this generation’s guitars.

Red Birch, the first of three sustainable tonewoods used in this OMC is only occasionally seen in the guitar stores yet has been used by luthiers for years.Maple and Red Birch have similar properties when used by luthiers. It is a cheap hardwood that is quite functional when used, as in the case of the this guitar, as  body back and sides. Did I mention that the Red Birch is a solid tonewood. The OMC Red Birch uses two other sustainable tonewoods, Cherry and Katalox, an Ebony substitute. The fingerboard is Katalox and the Cherry is found in the center on the back and in the rosette.

The OMC stands for Orchestra Model Cut away. The balanced tone from low to high because of the orchestra model’s smaller body is what is so attractive to the fingerstyle guitarist. Less bass more evenly matched to the mid and high ranges make this guitar perfect for solo guitar styles. This is also a great type of guitar for vocal accompaniment. The extra wide 1 ¾ inch nut width catches the eye of fingerstyle guitar players. The wide nut sits at the top end of the 25 4/10 inch Katalox (did I mention sustainable) fingerboard with 14 frets clear of the body. Solid rescued (next best thing to sustainable) Sitka Spruce is the tonewood used for the sound board. The solid woods used in the sound board and body of the Martin OMC Red Birch contribute to the overall awe inspiring Martin sound that will be an asset to any musicians performance.

The Martin OMC Red Birch is no longer in production but there is still some inventory on hand  at select guitar sales establishments. Even thought the Martin OMC Red Birch is no longer being made it can still be found in some guitar stores.

Continue Reading

12 Fret Acoustic Guitars For Fingerstyle

Posted on 16. Aug, 2010 by amauto.

Guitars were originally made with 12 frets clear of the body.

The 12 fret design remains the standard for the nylon string classical guitar.

Think about the classical guitarist.

The orchestrations are often meant to be played without accompaniment.

Classical music demanded and received instruments designed to produce optimum tone.

Hence the classical guitar was the ultimate possible design.

Guitars became more prevalent in the bands and orchestras of the 1920s as musical styles evolved.

Instrumental soloing increased as roots and jazz music blended and evolved in the popular venues.

The guitarist found the magic zone on the upper frets.

The repsonse of the luthier was a guitar with 14 frets above the body.

After “Muddy Waters invented electricity,” the guitar player began to step into the spot light.

Double cut aways on electric guitars launched the guitarist into the strat osphere.

In response to the musicians request for higher altitudes the luthier cut away the lower bout of the acoustic instrument body in order to imitate the shape of an electric guitar.

Where does the current interest in 12 fret acoustic guitars come from?

Guitar players are looking to the luthier for instruments of a more classic design.

Guitars made for classical music rarely have 14 frets.

Perfection in sound and playability are the continued goals of the craft of the guitar.

Recent 12 fret guitars have been made with a single cut away on the lower bout.

This blends the the tonality of the body with access to the upper fretboard.

The 12 fret body style is especially appreciated by fingerstyle guitar players.

12 fret acoustics will often have a wider neck which fingerstyle players like.

The necks are commonly 1 3/4 inches at the top of the neck.

You will find up to a 2 1/2 inch nut on classical guitars.

The optimum design of the 12 fret acoustic guitar will always be in demand.

Continue Reading

The Martin OMC-28E Acoustic Electric Guitar For Fingerstyle Players

Posted on 14. Aug, 2010 by amauto.

The Martin OMC-28E has an orchestra model body. Requests for a 14 fret guitar brought about the development of this model. The flat top acoustics of today are pretty much the image of the first Orchestra Model gutiars. The singular difference between an OM and a dreadnought is that the OM is slightly smaller. The smaller body size balances out the sound from low register to high. The bottom, mids, and highs are more evenly pronounced.
This  makes the OM a great guitar for instrumentals and soloing.

The quality of the tonewoods used in the Martin OMC-28E greatly contribute to it’s appearance and performance. Vibration from the strings flows more easily through solid wood used on the guitar body than it would if laminated woods were used. Solid Sitka Spruce makes up the top. Historically steel string guitars have been crafted with spruce sound boards.
The size and availability of the timber makes Sitka Spruce the number one choice for sound boards.

The OMC-28E uses solid East Indian Rosewood for the back and sides. The resonating characteristics of specific tonewoods are the reason they are chosen for musical instruments. Rosewood is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear.

Solid Black Ebony is used for the fingerboard on the Martin OMC-28E. The nut at the top of the 25 4/10 inch finger board scale has a width of 1 3/4 inches. This is something that is appreciated by the fingerstyle guitarist.
Wider nut width allows the finger picker more room for finger pickin fingers. The lower end of the fret board and therefore the upper scale register is made more accessible by the cut away on the upper bout, hence the C in OMC.

The electronics on the OMC-28E are covered by the Fishman Elipse Aura pickup system.
This is where Martin’s time honored method of guitar crafting blends with state of of the art technology. The Elipse Aura is designed for reproduction of the sound of the guitar with uncolored sonic accuracy.
Assorted acoustic images can be applied to the on board sound system through the USB port. Phase switching, volume, pickup-image blend, and anti-feedback, can be controlled from the on board panel.

The Martin OMC-28E is a limited production, stage ready, fingerstyle friendly guitar that will not disappoint.

Continue Reading