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Old 10-17-2012, 07:23 AM
brothers brothers is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman View Post
What's left of the 1966 specs that make it a conversion, the back & sides?
Yes, as you can see in the initial pics, the back, sides, front block, rear block, back bracing, and kerfed ribbon lining remain intact. It has a new top and a new neck. Conversions have been around a while now and it's commonly understood that this is what is usually assigned to a conversion.


Here's a response to a similar inquiry that someone had on another forum...

The original question was... "That's a lovely looking guitar, Todd, and I enjoyed reading the account of its rebirth. But, I do have to ask - should it really be labeled a Martin, when all that remains of the original are the back and sides?"

Todd's response...

"You can ask anything you wish. And your question is quite valid.

But if your Martin had the neck break off in an accident, you could have a new neck put on...

Besides, the custom of converting or restoring Martins in this manner and still putting Martin logos on them is at least as old as the 1960s, when Mike Longworth was converting D-28s to D-45s, before Martin hired him to do the pearl work on the actual D-45s when they re-introduced them in 1968.

But in all such cases, be the conversion done at the factory or by an independent craftsman, the guitar retains its original Martin model stamp and serial number. Someone just needs to look in the sound hole to see it is actually a D-28, not a 45, or see that my guitar is a 1966 D-28, and not some magically preserved 1940 D-28.

While many non-Martin personnel do this kind of work, my guitar is still a Martin in pedigree more than most.

Few people know how to make an Authentic-style Martin like Dave Strunk. He was part of the team of three or four craftsman who personally made the first batch of D-18 Authentics at the factory, and trained the employees who make them now.

The fingerboard and neck blank were purchased from Martin. The neck wasn't shaped and put on the guitar at the factory. But the work was done by someone who worked there longer than most of the people working there today.

So as far as I am concerned, it is accurate to say my guitar is still a Martin D-28 that has been converted to pre-war specs." - Todd

- Rich

Last edited by brothers; 10-17-2012 at 07:45 AM.
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