Martin Shenandoah Opinions
AReed
acoustic. Does anyone here own one or have an opinion on it at all? I
believe it was made in the late 80's or early 90's.
Any opinions as to playability/value would be really appreciated.
Alan
Daniel Finegan
Hi Alan - As always, I'm sure it depends on the particular guitar. While
I've heard good remarks about various Shenandoah Martins, my direct,
side-by-side comparision of a Martin D-35 and a Shenandoah version of a
D-35 was that the Shenandoah was pretty dull and unresponsive. I was
pretty disappointed. It actually was a dog.
Dan
AReed (ar...@zoomnet.net) wrote:
: I'm considering making a deal that includes a Martin Shenandoah thinline
Hojo2x
>I'm considering making a deal that includes a Martin Shenandoah thinline
>acoustic. Does anyone here own one or have an opinion on it at all?
Folks on this newsgroup always tend to have opinions, whether they're JUSTIFIED
or not.....
To answer your question, the Shenandoah series Martins were well-made imports
that the Martin company brought in for a while. The boxes and necks were made
in Japan, then assembled and lacquered at Martin HQ in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
Since more than 50% of the value was added with final assembly and finish,
under the customs laws of the period Martin could then mark the guitars as
"Made In USA."
From what I understand, the thinline model you're asking about was one of the
very last Shenandoah models Martin came out with - they had just been
introduced when the US Treasury changed the customs laws, and Martin rather
abruptly decided to drop the line. So a lot of those thinline models got
jobbed out rather than going through normal retail outlets. What's more, a
great many of them got sold in "kit" form, as Martin simply sold off the bodies
and necks, along with tuners and other necessary parts. Hobbyists and would-be
luthiers around the country bought those up and cobbled them together.
So I'd be cautious, and look the guitar over very carefully. If it's missing
its Martin Shenandoah decal on the peghead it's almost certainly one of these
post-clearance hobbyist specials.
It could still be a perfectly usable instrument, but the chances are that a
Nazareth-assembled Shenandoah will be the better instrument.
Neither one is going to be worth a whole lot of money, regardless. They
feature laminated back and sides with solid tops, and the thinline models are
not going to have much in the way of oomph to them.
What those models do have, and are designed for, is a good plugged-in sound at
higher volumes. The pickups in them will tend to be the passive Fishman
Thinline of the period, which is okay but nothing special. If you like the
playability of the guitar, it might be a good idea to switch the pickup for
something more modern.
Anyway, to sum up I'd say that a factory-assembled Shenandoah thinline like the
one you're contemplating can be a good utility instrument, mainly if used
onstage plugged-in. One that's been put together on somebdy's home work bench
would be a total crap shoot, with no promises of reliability of workmanship.
Hope this helps.
Wade Hampton Miller
Steve
>I'm considering making a deal that includes a Martin Shenandoah thinline
>acoustic. Does anyone here own one or have an opinion on it at all?
Um...don't.
The Shenandoah guitar was, IMO, ill-advised for Martin. The experiment didn't
last long. Although it says "Martin" on the headstock...
Let's just say that the Shenandoah was as much as Martin as the Cimmaron was a
Cadillac.
Steer clear. Negligible value (they were cheap to start with) and poor sound.
-Steve
Steve (SEFSTRAT)
webpage: http://members.aol.com/sefstrat/index.html/sefpage.html
Sean Murphy
counterparts can be attributed to the fact that the Shenandoad line has
laminated back and sides. I've heard a couple of sources say they go for
around $650 range used give or take.
Sean
AReed wrote:
> I'm considering making a deal that includes a Martin Shenandoah thinline
Mark McDonald
bought new in '86. Yeah I probaby paid too much for it and for just a
few hundred dollars more I could have gotten the real thing. But in
today's market, at the $400-500 range I think you are getting a great
deal. Decent pick up and a decent sounding guitar. Mine is straight
and true, always in tune. Good workhorse for sure. The top on mine is
really beautiful and it has had hundreds of hours played on it with very
little wear. The finish on these things are phenomenal. One of the
reasons they were discontinued is that it cost Martin so much to finish
these things that they were loosing money. And that is why they were
discontinued. I also own a 000-28EC and alot of the finish work on the
Shennadoah is on a par with the 000. And that says alot.
Of course in today's market, there are a lot of great used guitars out
there in the $500.00 range. But I would definitely say that the
Shennadoah is a good as it gets in that price range. I know alot of
guys that put food on the table with a Shennadoah. And that says
something about 'em.
--
Mark McDonald
(707)545-3220
http://www.inlandproperties.com
m...@sonic.net