2017 Martin Custom Shop OM18

Covid definitely put a damper on face-to-face transactions for the better part of a year. More recently, though, I could not resist a local Craigslist alert for a Martin Custom Shop guitar in pristine condition selling for less than half the original list price of over $5,000. The owner apparently had some arthritis issues that hindered his ability to continue playing. We were in correspondence less than an hour after the listing went up, and he already had multiple interested parties, including from out of state. When we did meet up in an outdoor location, the guitar was exactly as advertised. One quick Venmo transaction later, I drove off with my prize.

This Martin Custom Shop OM18 Cutaway has a solid Adirondack Spruce top and bracing, solid Mahogany back and sides, and an Ebony bridge. With it's light orchestra-size body, 2 5/16" bridge, and 1 3/4" nut, it is a perfect finger-picking guitar. 

The guitar was in mint condition and came with the original Martin hardshell case with a plush dark green liner. It sounds clear as a bell and is a pleasure to play up and down the neck. The woody aromas and tight craftsmanship add to the joyful experience. This one is a keeper. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, and may your GAS be treated to the occasional serendipitous find. Cheers.

1990 Gibson J-30

When I travel, I am in the habit of scoping out local high-end guitar shops for any interesting used acoustic guitars. Staff at these places work there because they love guitars too, so it's easy to just walk in and ask if anything interesting has come in recently. They will be happy to tell you which guitars they are excited about.

While in Milwaukee last week, I stopped by my favorite guitar shop there: Wade's Guitar Shop. They pulled down for me a 1990 Gibson J-30 with Vintage Sunburst finish that had just come in two days prior from the original owner.

The Gibson J-30 was made from 1985-1998. It is a dreadnought model with a Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. It was/is popular as a poor-man's Hummingbird as it shares the same specifications without the higher end appointments and pricier tag.

The guitar was in surprisingly excellent condition and, having benefitted from an in-shop set-up, it was a pleasure to play. I appreciated the slenderer neck profile than on other Gibson acoustics I've come across. The kicker was when the staff pulled out its beautiful original deluxe Gibson case in excellent condition as well. After Wade was willing to work with me on the asking price to include shipping it back home, I pulled the trigger on my very first Gibson guitar. This is going to be a lot of fun to play, and such a pleasing guitar should be easy to pass along to another happy owner eventually.

Yamaha FGX730SC acoustic electric

The asking price for this Yamaha FGX730SC guitar on Craigslist one town over had me intrigued. The FGX730SC was introduced in 2008. It is an acoustic electric guitar with a cutaway body, solid Sitka Spruce top, Rosewood back and sides, bound Rosewood fingerboard, and mother-of-pearl inlayed name and logo on the headstock. The A.R.T. one-way piezo/preamp system with three-band EQ, adjustable midrange frequency control, and built-in chromatic tuner, allows for easy plug-in amplification. Current MSRP is $815 with a street value price around $500. Blue Book value has it at $350-430 in excellent condition.

Turns out this had been a travel guitar (without a case or gig bag!) for ten years and, besides the usual minor scratches, had a couple dings, one in the lower and upper bout, respectively. It was also in need of a good cleaning. The electronics were in working order, with a brand new battery according to the seller. Other than the cosmetic issues, it was good to go. I negotiated another 33% down from the asking price and brought my prize home. Cleaned up and with a repurposed case, this FGX730SC will make an attractive and durable addition to someone's guitar arsenal without breaking the bank.

2007 Guild F-47M

There is an advantage to being a fan of the under-appreciated Guild acoustic guitar - there are far fewer online bidders even on a national platform like eBay so it is easier to get a good deal.

Take this like-new Tacoma, WA-built 2007 Guild F-47M acoustic-electric in Antique Burst. I was the only bidder at the opening bid and a week later I had the guitar in hand at more than half off the $3,000 street value new ($3,770 MSR) and below the $1,525-1,900 Blue Book value in excellent condition.

This is a grand orchestra-sized guitar with solid Red Spruce top and solid flame Maple back and sides. It features nickel Gotoh tuners, MOP Guild crest headstock inlay, a 20-fret Rosewood fingerboard with MOP block inlays, compensated saddle, bone pins, and D-TAR Wavelength electronics.

The smaller body makes it a comfortable fingerpicking guitar, without sacrificing good volume and great sustain. The Maple body ensures a warm overall tone. With new strings on, this Guild F-47M is a pleasure to play. I should have no trouble finding it a good home. Happy New Year!

1986 Martin D-62LE (maple!)

Sometimes you just get lucky and a unique guitar becomes available at an attractive price. Thank you Craigslist!

The Martin D-62LE (Limited Edition) was Martin's custom-built Guitar of the Month for October 1986. Only 48 were made. It features flamed maple back and sides with a Sitka spruce top, scalloped forward-shifted X top bracing, tortoise-shell binding, style 42 snowflake fingerboard inlays, and a label hand-signed by C.F. Martin IV. Not only is this apparently Martin's first maple dreadnought model, but this model has a wider neck that measures 1-7/8" at the nut, unusual in a 14-fret guitar. My online alerts had flagged this listing, but it was originally being offered on the high end of Blue Book value at $2,250. Several price reductions later to below Blue Book, my interest was piqued.

I drove 45 minutes to check it out and it did not disappoint. Maple has a warm quality, which was amply evident in this 30+ year-old guitar. The action and crispness of the sound at both the high and low ends of the register were perfect. The tuners and pins had been upgraded and the frets dressed. The Sitka top had aged to a pleasing honey gold tone. With only very minor dings and some limited finish crazing this was a lightly played and well-cared for guitar. The original Martin case, a sound-hole humidifier, and couple sets of new strings rounded out the package. I paid the asking price.

I think I'll be holding on to this one!

2002 Guild F47-RCE

It's no secret that I'm a Guild acoustic guitar fan. In fact, scoring a used 2001 Guild F47-RCE guitar off of Craigslist a few years ago is what lured me back into the hunt for fine acoustic guitars on the second-hand market and led to this blog. I still enjoy that guitar and I've since also owned a 1999 F47-RCE, so when I saw a Guild F47-RCE in good condition listed on eBay recently for a starting bid of $699 with no reserve, I was interested. Especially as this now-discontinued model (last made in 2003) is rarely available and the only other current online listing I could find was on Reverb for more than twice as much.

The Guild F47-RCE has a cutaway grand concert-style body (with 4.8" body depth, 25-5/8" scale length, and 1-11/16" nut), solid Spruce top, solid Rosewood back and sides, scalloped bracing, Mahogany neck with bound Rosewood fingerboard and pearloid block inlays, and logo and Chesterfield pearl inlays on the headstock. This particular Guild F47-RCE was made in Corona, CA, after Fender purchased Guild and moved the Guild manufacturing plant from its long-time home in Westerly, R.I. An obvious difference with the Westerly model is the Chrome tuners instead of the earlier Gold Grover tuners. This particular guitar also has a noticeably downgraded Fishman pickup and EQ preamp system, but on the plus side the bridge pins had been upgraded to ones with Mother of Pearl dots. The guitar last listed for $2,400 new and has a Blue Book value of $1,300-1,450 in excellent condition.

Guild manufacturing has since moved again (several times) since Corona, and apparently the Corona plant serial number records were lost along the way. Unable to confirm the year of this Corona-made guitar against official Guild lists, I turned to Hans Moust, unofficial Guild historian and author of The Guild Guitar Book-The Company and the Instruments, 1952-1977, who was not beyond rescuing records from Guild's dumpsters. Checking his own records against the serial number I provided him, Hans was able to date this guitar to 2002. Should you need his help as well, Hans can be reached at www.guitarsgalore.nl.

With only two other eBay bidders interested in this guitar on the listing's last day, I was able to SnipeIt! for not too much more than it's starting bid! For those unfamiliar with auction sniping services, these allow you to place your bids outside of the eBay platform so as not to show your hand and heat up the bidding until the last few seconds when the service will automatically enter your bids up to your maximum bid. For a small fee, you can thus save lots of money by not giving other bidders a chance to increase their maximum bids if they are outbid by just a few dollars. The guitar having arrived in good shape, it's now time to give it a little TLC, including some cleaning and new strings so I can enjoy it before passing it along to someone who can appreciate it as well.

Guitar Hero (6): Prince (Taylor 612 CE)

The recent untimely passing of Prince has brought to the fore what a brilliant guitarist he was. Best known for iconic electric guitar riffs and grooves, here he is showing his amazing acoustic guitar feel on a custom purple Taylor grand concert guitar. This is from a short acoustic guitar set from the MTV special Prince: The Art of Musicology in 2004.

Prince featured this guitar as part of a more extended acoustic set throughout his Musicology tour in 2004. Taylor later issued a special limited run of these guitars, a purple Taylor 612 CE. It features a purple-stained select Spruce top and three-piece flame maple. They can still be found second-hand. Here is a recent listing on Reverb.

And how about that lucky fan to whom Prince gifted his purple guitar at the end of the set?! Classy.

R.I.P. oh purple one!

2009 Martin OM-21 Special

I noticed this Martin OM-21 Special via a Craigslist listing by a fellow local guitar aficionado and arranged to stop by and check it out. The Martin OM-21 Special first started production in 2007 and was discontinued in 2011. It is a sweet little 000-sized guitar with many vintage features found on mostly pricier instruments so consider yourself lucky if you find a used one.

Vintage features on the OM-21 Special include a maple herringbone rosette and back center strip, a black ebony pyramid bridge, bone nut and compensated saddle, and black ebony bridge pins with grained Ivoroid dots. Also special is the Indian Rosewood binding, maple purfling, Ebony heel cap, and scalloped Sitka Spruce bracing. The black ebony fingerboard features abalone diamond fretboard markers in the old-fashioned "short pattern" unique to pre-war Style 21 models. The vintage vibe is completed by the polished gloss Sitka Spruce top with vintage toner, small teardrop tortoise pick guard, Martin-branded open-geared Gotoh Nickel butter bean tuners, and a large old-style logo decal on the Rosewood head plate.

Once this OM-21 Special was in my hands, I savored the lush smell of the solid East Indian Rosewood body and appreciated its comfortable solid Cedar low profile neck with Satin finish that is 1-3/4'' at the nut. This is a wonderful small-bodied finger-picking guitar, with responsive and crisp tones. Projection and sustain are surprisingly robust. This guitar was just too pleasing and enjoyable to leave behind. Unfortunately, heavy pick marks had worn through the finish between the pick guard and bridge. An ill-conceived cosmetic fix of what looks like clear nail polish over the affected area will look better once reversed. Meanwhile, an installed K&K Western Mini under-saddle pickup was an added bonus. Having negotiated a fair price, I look forward to enjoying this special guitar for years to come.

1989 Guild D-15M

Could not resist a Craigslist posting last week for a 1989 Guild D-15M, of Westerly RI-vintage, with several upgrades for short money. The D-15 "Mahogany Rush" is a dreadnought-sized guitar made from 1983 to 1994 that is listed on the old Westerly Guild Guitars site (and in the Blue Book) as having a Mahogany top, back, and sides. This 1989 D-15M, though, appears to have a Mahogany-stained Spruce top and has an arched laminated back, both features also available in later D-25 models that also originally came in solid Mahogany. The sides appear to be maple as opposed to the darker Mahogany on my 1981 D-25M. Unfortunately, Guild is notorious for having incomplete production records, so it is not surprising to have a Guild guitar that is not officially recognized anywhere!

Turns out this was a lefty model that was later converted to a righty with a new bridge and compensated bone saddle, bone nut, and second pick guard a la Richie Havens' Guild Signature Model. The original tuners had also been replaced with Sperzel locking tuners. Condition-wise, this D-15 was in good shape besides a few small dings. The action was good and the sound clean. The seller, a professional musician, was winnowing the herd. With a few other interested parties in the wings, I was only able to negotiate a small reduction in the asking price, but it was too good a deal on a classic Guild to pass up.

Another 30-Year Closet Find (1981 Yamaha FG-750S)

I have not had time lately to monitor Craigslist or eBay listings consistently, so serendipity has to strike for me to catch a good deal before it disappears. That was the case when a vintage Yamaha FG-750S was listed on my local Craigslist for short money. By the time I emailed the seller, someone else had already expressed some interest earlier in the day, but had not followed through so I was able to schedule to check it out that evening in a neighboring town.

The Yamaha FG-750S made from 1979 to 1981 should not be confused with the later model going by the same designation. Both have a solid Sitka Spruce top (designated by the "S" suffix), but the older model has a Mahogany body while the newer model is Sycamore. The 1981 FG-750S also still has the tension rod adjustment in the head of the guitar instead of the body. Note the cool wood truss rod cover that is characteristic of the late 70s Yamaha guitars versus the later headstock featuring Yamaha's leaf logo. These mid-level guitars (top of the line Yamaha production models of this era were designated as the L series beginning in 1978) are valued for their solid craftsmanship, durability, and playability. I find the tone on these older Yamahas to be much richer and less tinny than the more recent models. If you are lucky enough to find one in good shape, these guitars will give you years of enjoyment without having to break the bank.

Turns out this was another great closet find! The guitar had been the current owner's dad's and the seller had never learned to play it. As a result, the guitar was in great shape overall, with tell-tale ancient strings that clearly had not been changed in decades. The fretboard was dirty but not indented, the frets showed only minimum wear, and all of the original saddle height was intact for any needed adjustments. The top was the golden honey tone one would expect from over three decades of mellowing. Only the nut showed damage, having been chipped, but it was an easy replacement for my luthier to make. It's always gratifying to bring a classic Yamaha acoustic back to life.

As an unexpected bonus, the guitar came with a newer TKL hardshell case, worth at least a third of what I ended up paying for the guitar, and which I promptly adopted for my recent 1970 Martin D28 acquisition whose case I had had to trash due to mildew. Outstanding.

Guitar Shrubbery

In case you have a large plot of land in need of some shrubbery, here's some inspiration for your own guitar-inspired design!

7,000 Cypress and Eucalyptus trees make up this guitar design on a farm in Argentina. Read the whole story here.

1998 Martin HD-28

I traveled a little out of my way for this 1998 Martin HD-28, enticed by its alleged great condition and a drop in asking price below Blue Book value. I pounced immediately and was not disappointed. This is another Craigslist beauty!

The Martin HD-28 is an updated version of the 1930s/1940s version of the Martin D-28 that features the herringbone purfling (hence the "H"), scalloped bracing, and the tortoise-colored pickguard of that era. Introduced in 1976, the Martin HD-28 is a dreadnought-style guitar with a solid Spruce top and Indian Rosewood body, and has featured Martin's new low-profile neck since 1987. The current Martin HD-28 model lists for $3,649, with a street value of $2,700 and a Blue Book value up to $1,850 second-hand. Models from the 1990s, 80s, and 70s, are progressively more valuable with age.

This 1998 Martin HD-28 was kept as a "house" guitar by a fellow guitar aficionado who had other guitars for use out on his occasional gigs. The guitar was ding-free and showed no signs of play wear on the neck or body. Even better, the Spruce top had started darkening to a beautiful golden hue. The set up looked to be perfect with a bone compensated saddle upgrade so I was initially puzzled to hear a mysterious buzzing as I played the guitar. When I tapped the lower bout behind the bridge, however, the tell-tale vibrations of a loose brace under the top of the guitar were unmistakeable. Without a luthier's mirror to investigate the full extent of the needed repair, I negotiated an additional discount from the asking price, and made off with my prize. My luthier will have to tell me whether the brace simply needs re-gluing or is broken and needs to be replaced. Regardless, this is a beautiful guitar that deserves to be restored to its full glory.

Martin Guitars Exhibit at the Met!

Happy New Year fellow pickers! If you will be in New York City in 2014, do not miss the Metropolitan Museum of Art's special exhibit sponsored by The Martin Guitar Company featuring Martin guitars gathered from private collections, the Martin Museum in Nazareth, PA, and the Met's own collection. This early American guitars exhibit just opened and will be up through December 7th, 2014.

Among the 35 historic Martin instruments on display are the earliest known guitar signed by C.F. Martin who came to America in 1833, the first known Martin model featuring the now preferred x-bracing construction supporting the guitar top, and Eric Clapton's 1939 Martin 000-42 featured in his Unplugged MTV concert in 1992. This last guitar sold at auction in 2004 for $791,500 to benefit Eric Clapton's Crossroads rehabilitation centre in Antigua, setting a world auction record for a Martin guitar!

Please drop a comment if you get to see these one-of-a-kind guitars before I do. Here's a preview and another!

2011 Martin D-18P

In another eBay bargain purchase, I decided to give the 2011 Martin D-18P a try. This is the classic D-18 with a solid Sitka Spruce top and Mahogany body, but Martin put its slimmer performance artist profile neck on this guitar and called the model the D-18P. Apparently, the high performance neck was popular because Martin went ahead and made it standard on the 2012 D-18, along with some other changes, making the D-18P designation obsolete after only one year. (Note that one should not confuse this model with the 1987-1989 D-18P, which was the designation made by Martin for D-18 model guitars that they continued to make with the old neck style after a change to a lower profile neck on the standard D-18 in 1987). Street value new for the 2011 Martin D-18P is $2,000, while current Blue Book value in excellent condition is between $1,175 and $1,375.

When I received this brand new guitar I was initially disappointed as it played all buzzy and was in serious need of a proper set-up. Now that I have gotten it back from my guitar tech, though, I can't stop playing it. What a difference! This is a responsive guitar that is wonderfully playable all the way up and down the frets. It sports a 1.75 inch nut (compared to the earlier D-18 nut at 1.6875 in.), a compensated saddle, and a low profile high performance neck, which makes it easier on the hands and ideal for finger picking. The tone is super clear and bright. I applaud Martin's move to the faster neck on its iconic D-18 model, which makes this dreadnaught an even better workhorse for the serious player. If you haven't played any of these new Martin D-18's, I think you'll be impressed when you finally do.

O-oh, That Musty Feeling (1970 Martin D-28)

Serendipity struck again last month as I scored a beautiful 1970 Martin D-28 guitar off of Craigslist. Turns out the seller is the same guy who had previously sold me a wonderful Martin 000-1. He is slowly whittling down his collection as he no longer plays much due to some chronic tendonitis. I peppered him with questions over the phone and confirmed that the guitar was in excellent condition so I headed over to see it within hours of its listing.

The D-28 is the flagship Martin dreadnought guitar. It features a solid Sitka Spruce top and solid East Indian Rosewood back and sides. The 1970 D-28 model was the first to be made with East Indian Rosewood after Brazil put an embargo on Brazilian Rosewood logs, making it impossible for Martin to obtain sufficient quantities. It has a Blue Book value between $1875 and $2350 in excellent condition. By comparison, a 1969 D-28 made with Brazilian Rosewood is valued between $4500 and $6500 in excellent condition!

Before even picking this D-28 up, I was struck by its darkly burnished golden hue that only comes with decades of aging. The plastic binding around the body had likewise yellowed, but was still tight to the body with no cracks. The guitar itself had no cracks and only a few minor dings and faint checking in the finish. The frets and fretboard were in surprisingly good shape given that the guitar was definitely played. The seller explained that he had had the guitar recently serviced by a well-respected local luthier who had re-glued the slightly shrunken pickguard. That the guitar was also perfectly set up at that time was immediately obvious upon playing the instrument. This is a booming guitar that played comfortably up and down the neck with no intonation issues. At this point I knew I might not ever get another chance to own such a beautiful instrument at the asking price so I gladly paid up and left with my prize.

By the time I got home, though, it was obvious that I had a mold issue as the guitar case was stinking up the car. When I took the guitar out, it too was impregnated with a powerful musty smell. Bummer!

The first thing I did was clean the exterior of the guitar with a guitar cleaner and soft guitar cleaning cloth. As the guitar still reeked, I dropped some rice in the body and left the instrument to lay flat out of the case for 24 hours. That, and sitting out of the case for a few weeks, has definitely helped.

The guitar case I set open outside in the sun for a week with little effect. Products like Febreeze simply mask the smell, but don't attack the cause. If baking soda and a white vinegar spray don't work next, sadly I may just have to trash the case (despite it having a certain mojo, including several bluegrass festival stickers). If you have successfully banished that musty smell from a guitar case, let me know what was your secret formula in the comments below.

2010 Taylor 310CE (Tobias Rauscher)

Here's talented German fingerpicker and percussive-style guitar player Tobias Rauscher giving his 2010 Taylor 310CE a good workout on his original composition Memories. The 300 series guitars are Taylor's introductory solid wood acoustic guitars. The Taylor 310CE is a dreadnought with a solid Sitka Spruce top and Sapele back and sides, and a venetian cutaway (softly rounded). It currently retails new for $1,700.

Note that Tobias explores the guitar's many voices without adding electronic effects, taking advantage of the built-in Taylor Expression System and applying only a bit of EQing with Logic afterwards. The results are clear and bright tones in all the registers, including percussive taps to the body. Wunderbar!

   

The Martin Experience

I had the privilege of hearing Ed Golden, retiring manager of the Martin Custom Shop after 20 years with Martin, play and speak about a selection of Custom Shop guitars he had designed from a size 5 up to a Dreadnaught this evening at the Music Emporium. It was part of a broader presentation about the history of the family-run Martin Guitar Company founded in New York City in 1833 and currently run by the fifth generation of Martins.

Martin guitars enjoy a devoted following because of the quality of the construction and their consistent Martin "tone." Some of the most prized Martin guitars are 70 years old and up. What the Custom Shop has been able to do in more recent years (they have now grown to 14 artisans in the Custom Shop) is respond to a strong demand for meeting individualized design requests while maintaining signature Martin elements from their traditional lineup. Available "aux choix" now are all of Martin's current and past body sizes, neck lengths and profiles, nut and bridge widths and designs, and appointment styles such as "18," "28," "35," "45," and even "100."

Acoustic Picker on a custom Martin OM-42

Every prospective Martin guitar owner now has the ability to design their ideal instrument based on their playing style and subjective preferences. While custom upgrades that can include exotic woods and specially-designed inlays will be pricey, a Custom Shop Martin guitar that simply includes standard elements that are not currently available in the combination you desire need not be prohibitively more than a regular production model. Keep in mind, though, that you will have to wait about eight months for your own signature guitar to be made due to the high demand!

1990 Lowden O12C (Jon Gomm)

Lowden guitars are handcrafted in Ireland. With current MSRPs starting around $4500 and reaching into the five figures for models made out of reclaimed Brazilian Rosewood, these boutique guitars are for the professional or avid connoisseur of fine guitars. One of my guitar heros Pierre Bensusan plays his own signature model Lowden guitar.

English guitarist Jon Gomm bought his used 1990 Lowden O12C acoustic guitar "Wilma"in 2000. He has since put thousands of shows and miles on it while touring the world. His original playing style integrates percussion and rythmic scratching (inspired by his early experience with Flamenco guitar) giving his instrument the visible wear and tear of a touring musician's life. The guitar is admittedly beat up, but boy does it still respond on stage. Here is Jon's hit "Passionflower" that went viral last year after several well-known personalities tweeted this YouTube clip (currently at 4.5M views).



Jon plays the piece above with his Lowden tuned to Eb G Bb F G Bb. He's installed banjo tuning pegs for the bottom two strings so he can tune these strings up a whole step and back during the piece. Those are hand-made Newtone strings, which can be ordered with a larger diameter core that will tune down without losing the tension of a standard tuning string. The guitar's electronics are a Fishman Rare Earth humbucker and microphone system and a Fishman Acoustic Matrix transducer. Each pickup goes through one of Jon's three Boss PQ3B parametric EQ pedals and he uses a Tech 21 Blonde overdrive pedal, a Boss OC3 octave pedal, and Line 6's Echo Park delay and Verbzilla reverb pedals for effects.

Once you've experienced the music that Jon and his Lowden O12C guitar make together, you will have some insight into the intimate relationship between performer and instrument that Jon shares with his beloved Wilma! Enjoy.

Live Brain Surgery! (Schoen Turbo Diddly)

Brad Carter is an actor and former musician suffering from Parkinson's disease a progressive neurological disorder. In an effort to reverse the hand tremors that had cut his musical career short, doctors at UCLA Medical Center successfully implanted a brain pacemaker during an awake brain surgery last week. While this in itself is not unusual, doctors live tweeted the operation, including Brad testing his fine motor skills by playing his guitar during placement of the electrode in his head.

The unique resonator guitar Brad is playing above is handmade by Kurt Schoen in Washington State. Schoen electric and resonator guitars are all one-of-a-kind built to order custom guitars. The Schoen cigar box style resonator guitar Brad owns is known as the Turbo Diddly. Kurt builds his guitars out of centuries-old reclaimed wood such as from antique dynamite or liquor boxes. His guitars are prized by well-known aficionados such as Bon Jovi and Led Zeppelin. Owners of the Turbo Diddly model similar to the one played by Brad Carter include Billy Gibbons, lead guitarist for ZZ Top.

Here's wishing Brad Carter a successful recovery and many more years of guitar picking on his wonderful Schoen Turbo Diddly!

Space Oddity (Larrivée P-01)

Canadian commander of the International Space Station (ISS) Chris Hadfield just returned to earth two days ago accompanied by the release of his music video of David Bowie's iconic "Space Oddity" recorded in space. It stars the Commander, an accomplished musician, floating around the Space Station with the first guitar in space, an acoustic parlor-size guitar, the Larivée P-01. The video also features superb footage of the Space Station and Earth from space. It's garnered 11.5 million views in three days. Don't miss this!



NASA psychologists sent the guitar up to the Space Station to help with the mental health of its astronauts. A high-quality parlor-size guitar was required as space is at a premium on the Space Station and it costs upward of $45,000 per kg to ship stuff up there. Two identical Larivée P-01 guitars were thus purchased from a local Guitar Center in Houston so comparisons between the instruments, one on earth and one in space, could be made. The Larrivée parlor guitar Commander Hadfield played has actually been on the International Space Station for over a decade now and has completed close to 60,000 orbits around earth!

The Larivée P-01 is a 24" scale length guitar with 12 frets to the body and a 13.25" lower bout and 7.75" waist. The depth is 4.5" with a 1 & 3/4" nut. This all-solid wood guitar features a select Spruce top, Mahogany back, sides, and neck, and Ebony fretboard and bridge.

The P-01 model has been out of production for over a decade according to John Larrivée, Jr., but he announced today that he is taking orders for a limited edition "ISS Commemorative Parlor" that is a P-01 replica. It will be interesting to see whether all the buzz around this space recording will revive interest in parlor-size guitars the way Eric Clapton was able to revive interest in 000-size models after his MTV Unplugged success.