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Martin D 16 H

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James Temple

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Aug 17, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/17/98
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I just bought a Martin D 16 H, dated 1992, but I can't find info on
it--original price?; how many made?; still being made; etc. Can anyone
help?

MCylinder

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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James

What you bought is essentially a very good guitar. It is made like a D 18 only
your guitar has Rosewood fingerboard and bridge unlike the D 18 which has
ebony. Your D 16 has much more tasteful appointment, however. Your D 16 also
has the same bracing as the
D 18 Vintage ressiue and the HD 28 Vintage reissue.
I used to own one and never should have sold it!
How much did you pay for it?

Mark

santee-lynches

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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MCylinder wrote:
>
> James
>
> What you bought is essentially a very good guitar. It is made like a D 18 only
> your guitar has Rosewood fingerboard and bridge unlike the D 18 which has
> ebony.

Don't the Standard Series D-18s have Rosewood fingerboards and bridges
now? I think Martin switched to these materials for style 18 in the
late '40s. Anyway, the the D-16 also has the tourtise binding, which
the old D-18s used to have (now they have black binding); however, the
D-16 has a bolt on neck. For the money, they are very nice guitars.

Hojo2X

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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>santee-lynches wrote:

>
>Don't the Standard Series D-18s have Rosewood fingerboards and bridges
>now?

Affirmative. The other differences pointed out are correct as well -
basically, the D-16H is a very nicely appointed mahogany dreadnought with a
bolt-on neck. Good quality, good value. They fight tooth decay, as well.

Well, sure they do...if you're playing music, you're not cleaning out the
dessert cart, are you?

Wade Hampton Miller

hufstuff

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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I'm not sure, but not all D16 have the new "T for technology" neck. The
earlier ones had the dove tail and some folks think they are better.

BJ

Jomack

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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>>>>
>Don't the Standard Series D-18s have Rosewood fingerboards and bridges
>now?

Affirmative. The other differences pointed out are correct as well -
basically, the D-16H is a very nicely appointed mahogany dreadnought with a
bolt-on neck. Good quality, good value. They fight tooth decay, as well.<<<

AND it'll get you parking spaces downtown...but the original D-16H had a
dovetail neck joint.
The current 16 Series employs a glued-in mortise and tenon neck joint - the
"bolt" is acting as a clamp as the two parts of the joint are glued up. To
quote from the 8/96 issue of "The Sounding Board", "our neck attachment does in
fact utilize a brass screw and threaded insert during the process of securing
the neck in place, but unlike other 'bolt-on' neck designs that rely on a
'bolt', the '1 Series' necks that utilize our patented process are glued in
place. The brass screw serves the purpose of providing clamping pressure during
glue-up, since there is no other effective method of pulling a mortise joint
tight into the body. After the neck is glued, the brass screw could, for all
practical purposes, be removed and discarded. Instead, we have chosen to leave
it in its concealed position for extra strength directly behind the serial
number plate, which is visible through the soundhole." I've clipped the
editorial opinions that follow, as they may be viewed as provocative by some.
This is not to start yet another debate of bolt vs. mortise&tenon vs.dovetail
vs. 10 penny nails, but simply to reduce some of the confusion which
(apparently) still exists about some of our instruments.
thanks
Joe

Brent Graves

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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In article <199808201750...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
hoj...@aol.com (Hojo2X) wrote:

> basically, the D-16H is a very nicely appointed mahogany dreadnought with a
> bolt-on neck. Good quality, good value.

Actually, the new D-16T is a bolt on neck. In 92-93, the D-16H was a
limited edition that had the same neck joint as all standard Martins. The
D-16H was basically a continuation of the D-16M, D-16A, etc. Which were
very popular limited editions in mahogany, ash, oak, etc. I have the
D-16H-93. Every difference between the D-16H and the D-18 is nicer on the
D-16 (fretboard and bridge inlays, scalloped bracing, herringbone rosette
and backstrip, ebony tuing buttons). I asked a guy at Elderly why the
D-16s were cheaper, and he said that the wood was not as high a grade.
Mine has some swirls in the top. Now days, people call this "bearclaw,"
and try to pass it off as something special. I think that people used to
call anything that deviated from straight grain "imperfections." Such is
marketing.

With regard to bolt-necks, I have heard that the new bolt-neck Martin
design is very similar to the neck attachment of Taylor guitars. I have
also heard that the neck is actually glued in; the bolt is just used as a
clamp while the glue dries, and it is left there since the bolt doesn't
look as bad as a hole in the endblock, and it may stabilize the neck a
bit. But I have been told that you could take the bolt out and it would
not hurt the neck joint a bit. Any truth to all of this?

Brent Graves
Marquette, MI

Bob Dorgan

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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That is all essentially correct.
Bob Dorgan

MCylinder

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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Mr. Wade Hampton Miller,

The D16H was not a bolt on neck. They did not start with the bolt on neck
until they introduced it in the D16T ("T" stands for Technology) This is just
another reason why the D16H will be considered fondly in the storied Martin
history.
Have you ever played one?
As I said in my original reply I used to own one and found it to be a worthy
player, so much so I currently am kicking myself for selling it!

Jerry Dallal

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Aug 20, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/20/98
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Brent Graves (bgr...@nmu.edu) wrote:

: With regard to bolt-necks, I have heard that the new bolt-neck Martin


: design is very similar to the neck attachment of Taylor guitars. I have
: also heard that the neck is actually glued in; the bolt is just used as a
: clamp while the glue dries, and it is left there since the bolt doesn't
: look as bad as a hole in the endblock, and it may stabilize the neck a
: bit. But I have been told that you could take the bolt out and it would
: not hurt the neck joint a bit. Any truth to all of this?

I heard the same thing at a Martin clinic by Richard Starkey host locally
this week. I've no reason to doubt it. The one comment about joints that
grabbed my layman's interest
was that the mortise parts were interchangeable--any neck could
be fitted to any body--while the dovetail joints were carefully labeled
so that the proper neck and body were matched up. Don't know if this
means anything insofar as playability or sound are concerned, but it
struck me as interesting.

Hojo2X

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Aug 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/21/98
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I was mistaken when I rashly wrote that the D-16H had the bolt-on neck.

I'm a sinner. If I was Roman Catholic, I'd be looking at some serious
Purgatory time here.

As it is, I'm an Anglican, and they just want me to "get in touch with my
feelings" on the matter.

Wade Hampton

Jomack

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Aug 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/21/98
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Wade Hampton<<<

Guitar Solo in San Francisco (415) 386-0395, has a new, unsold 1993 D-16H .
List is $1650. Excuse the spam, but it seemed timely.
Joe

Phillip and Julia Maloney

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Aug 21, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/21/98
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In article <199808212139...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
jom...@aol.com (Jomack) wrote:

Elderly sold this model in 1993 for $929.50. I know because I bought one-it's
a great guitar that is aging nicely in its 5th year./Phillip

Jim M. Holler

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Aug 22, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/22/98
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That year D16 does not have a bolt on neck. I have a 1993 and I paid
$950 for it new. I love that guitar but I played 4 that I did not
like before I found this one.
Jim Holler, Luthier
Trinity Guitars
8/21/98,8:48 PM
Jeep 97 TJ
Moss Green spice soft top
Mostly box stock but not for long!

bbillbr...@gmail.com

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Aug 19, 2015, 4:18:16 AM8/19/15
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Hi everyone today is the greatest ever! My uncle Tucker Brown from Omaha who used to live in Vancover Wa,
gave me his Martin D-16 H 92 serial # 518567. Now two weeks ago at a family reunion we played some guitar, he said you're at the point where you get serious about guitar or stay where you're at? I'm 48 years young started playing at 12. I took a couple days and thought about it, he came to my city for his B-day. Didn't know he was going to give me this absolute treasure of a guitar. I said Tuck, I'm ready to get serious. I knew that smiling at me he said, Tucker turned went to his truck with the hood broken & tied down by rope, He said that's why I brought you this he grabed the big beauitful black case with the Martin & Co branded into it & handed it to me. He doesnt have much and was delt a real rough hand in life, what he could of sold this for would of done him alot of good. I've had my heart set on a used D-45. I adore this man, this guitar was one of his prised possessions, because this guitar is his & he's been my idle since knee high, it's truly the holy grail to me. I no longer want the D-45 LOL. This guitar hasn't been played for 9 years. The strings haven't been changed all that time. I swear it sounds better then my Martin DCX1RE with brand new strings. Thank you, thank you, thank you a billion trillion besides your brother you're the greatest man I've ever been blessed to know.
God bless you Tuck.
I LOVE YOU uncle Tucker.
Billy

Tom from Texas

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Aug 21, 2015, 10:21:43 AM8/21/15
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Music and instruments are meant to be passed along and shared. The guitar meant a lot to him I'm sure and you must mean a lot to him, too. Enjoy it and when the time comes, you pass it along.

Tom from Texas
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