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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | A parlor size (5/8) Martin 5-28 (terz tuning - a minor third up) standing next to a vintage 1119. I am a happy camper. This little baby roars, I am truly surprised at it's volume and projection. Now I wish I can have a carbon fibre textured top Adamas in that size!
(Cliff, what do you think?) |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Michael:
I've always been amazed at the power of Martin parlor size guitars. I've got a very very old 0018 12 fret that's a nylon string, and the bass response is incredible.
By the way, I finally started your tapes this weekend. I'll give you a call towards the end of the week. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Michael, VERY nice!, but this ain't no Parlour guitar. A size 5 is considerably smaller than anything considered "Parlour" which is usually "0" or "00" with a standard scale length. Terz guitars were developed as a higher voice in "orchestral-style" or ensemble classical guitar arrangements and were originally gut-strung. Martin's steel-string version became pretty popular in Nashville studios as a rhythm instrument because it kinda sits right between regular guitar & high-string. Quite a few Nashville songwriters used the Martin size 5 in standard tuning, Marty Robbins is probably the most famous, who used a 5-18. The Tacoma Papoose is similar in concept, though it is tuned a 5th rather than a 3rd higher. The biggest sounding guitar I've ever heard was a 1920's all-mahogany Martin 17-style, size 2, which is a little bigger than a Terz guitar. Since then I've never been surprised at the bass response of smaller guitars. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | Paul,
You are probably right (as usual) about the terminology. Martin calls it a mini or terz guitar. I just borrowed the term "parlour" from some of the articles I'd read. The first time I saw this guitar was actually from Sting's video - the one he did a concert in his house in Italy, in the midst of 911. I just always wanted a travel size guitar without the shoebox or tinbox sound. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Michael, that's one hell of a "travel guitar" |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | I agree with Paul, and , although Ive never heard one of those, I have to say that Martin knows how to make small guitars sing. I keep hearing in my mind an OO something that a jazz type player at the San Diego State folk festival in the 70's played that, I swear, sounded like it was plugged in when he was jamming at the jam sessions that the players did with us unwashed hoi polloi just to keep us in our place. His name might be recognized by some here if I could think of it, it is just outside of my consciousness. But that guitar looked small and sounded BIG.
Bailey |
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What's sitting on this Custom Legend
