Question re: Martin Custom Guitar

[FeliceTaylor]

My dilemma is as follows: I would really love to purchase a JMOM - it is precisely in my price range, the pairing of engelmann and rosewood would be a fantastic addition to my arsenal, the 11/16 neck is perfect for me, and I just love the aesthetics - In fact I find it a prettier guitar than the jm 000-28 - something about that simplistic blue rosette is just lovely. Ok, so, the problem.... I don't want that sexist idiot's signature on my lovely new guitar nor his initials on the case. Indeed, I don't ever want to associate the guitar or any other possession of mine with him and just generally speaking, I don't understand signature models in the adult world; I get Taylor swift's signature Taylor - it's for little girls who want to be taylor swift. Adult musicians are constantly finding our own voices in the manner we play and signature models strike me as anathema to that concept. tangent finished, now on with the question: how much more do you suppose it would cost to have Martin un-Mayerize a JMOM guitar by, eg, putting only simple dots on the fretboard? I am wholly unfamiliar with the custom ordering/BTO process. Oh, I am also a lefty. Thanks for reading

[Jarlaxle]

Just order a custom OM that has the exact components you want, no need to jump through hoops trying to modify a JMOM.

P.S. There are several forum sponsors that can help you design exactly what you want including Ted at LA Guitars, Jon at My Favorite Guitars and Maury at Maury's Music.

[HHP]

Go to a Martin dealer, tell them the specs you want and they will give you a price and estimated delivery time. Don't be surprised if it actually costs more with the deleted features.

[FeliceTaylor]

Thanks guys. I will do that - work with a dealer to customize it. Just hope it doesn't cost too much more. One last question related to customizing; as a fairly new player, I have great difficulty wrapping my thumb around my taylor 214'(and other Taylor's) so as to mute the top strings, etc. can you experienced martin players tell me what neck shape would be the smallest/ easiest to really wrap my hand around?

[Brucebubs]

Your surname is Taylor.
Check your family tree for a possible link with Robert Taylor.
Hit on long-lost Uncle Bob to make you a guitar.

Well, it was worth a try.

[joelhunn]

I know what you are saying. I played a JMOM in a shop and thought it was a wonderful guitar but could not deal with his name on my guitar

[zmf]

Originally Posted by FeliceTaylor

I have great difficulty wrapping my thumb around my taylor 214'(and other Taylor's) so as to mute the top strings, etc. can you experienced martin players tell me what neck shape would be the smallest/ easiest to really wrap my hand around?

Not experienced, but I do a lot of thumb wrapping. I found that the most difficult guitar to thumb wrap was a Taylor GA. The shallow neck profile is fast and plays easily, but the sharp bend to the fret board made the wrap difficult. My thumb knuckle would pop sometimes.

A more rounded neck profile helps. I have a Martin with the fattest neck of my guitars, but the more rounded profile makes it easy to wrap.

Hope that makes sense.

[FeliceTaylor]

Ahhhh I'm so glad u said that about the Taylor's being difficult to bring the thumb over as I only have Taylors (714ce spruce top,
GA-7, And my trusty 214e) so i figured the problem was with me/my experience level (or lack thereof) - I'm glad to know the neck design figures so prominently as to that skill. My last name is not Taylor, I was merely expressing my preference for the brand - the taylor sound is just amazing; it can fill me with euphoria in that it...I don't know - it elevates my soul if that isn't too ridiculous a statement- and (not "but") I'm also impressed with the complexity of the martin sound, the introduction to such a booming bass really gets me, particularly that OMJM, hence the posting

[rolltide]

Gibson is lucky people didn't feel that way about Les Paul

[cmd612]

As a fellow "fairly new player," I'd strongly recommend you go to a shop where you can actually play a bunch of different Martins with different neck profiles. I have small hands and had read so many comments about how awful the modified v neck is that I was really surprised when I discovered it was at least as comfortable for me as the modified low oval I'd been playing on, perhaps even more comfortable. (At least, this was true of the ones I tried - I understand there are variations of the mod v). Some folks can't stand it, though.