Myths regarding Martin Guitars

[ken cierp]

John Greven is a premier vintage guitar replicator with a luthier career resume second to none. Aside from what I have published about Martin Myths I had not seen much that reveals the real world facts about Martin design choices be it materials, adhesive, methods and for that matter structure itself. Preston Thompson tipped me off regarding John's insight on the subject --- this is a real eye opener!

MartinMyths.pdf

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[Dave Bagwill]

Very very interesting.

[Tim Benware]

That was an awesome article. I especially liked the part dealing with hot hide glue and its supposed superiority. Now, duplicate all the components and structures that went into those 30's guitars.

[George]

Good Stuff!!

I was about to buy a glue pot. Saved me some cash that can go towards other things I need.

Thanks for sharing,

George

[ken cierp]

Welcome George

I don't want to de-rail this thread, we do have a adhesive section where alternatives to an expensive glue pot are discussed -- nothing evil about hide glue just a bit over rated. As you get more involved in the hobby most likely it will become clear that there are really no "bests" in the art of guitar making, just personal preferences. And the real magic is when we complete a guitar using our favorites and "lo and behold" it sounds just as good as others where guys and gals used there preferred woods, glues and construction method ---- its all great fun in the end.

[Woodyok]

I agree with you Ken. It is all great fun in the end. That's why I do it, John does bring some interesting things to the table. For me it is all about what can I do with the guitar and how does it sound. Mario Proulx uses Elmer white glue for bindings because it dries clear. I tried it on my Koa wood guitar and it is fine.
Thanks again Ken

[TonyinNYC]

Interesting opinions, but most of what he says is just his opinion. Not all of it, but a lot. There are a million myths in guitar building and few people trying to dispel them. A few guys, Brian Burns, Al Carruth, Mario Proulx, Trevor Gore, actually do scientific style testing to gather data and either confirm or dispel a myth. When people say hot hide glue is better, the first thought in my head is, "What makes you say that?" The answer is generally something along the lines of, "Pre-War Martins used it and they sound better" or some variation of that. I believe it was Franklin, the makers of TiteBond who actually did a test to determine glue strength. That is real proof, not hearsay. If a guy tells me he likes HHG better because it is easily reversible, well then I have no qualms with that because it is more easily reversible than TiteBond or most other glues.
Well...I got a phone call in the middle of writing this post and I was away from the computer for 45 minutes. NOw I have forgotten what my point was, but I had one, and I bet it was a good one. Anyway, that article was a good read.