Maury's Blog

Season 2 Episode 7 of Martins & More picks up where Episode 6 left off, with the focus shifting to the exotic and domestic tonewoods used for the back and sides of Martin and Blueridge acoustic guitars.

Season 2 Episode 6 of Martins & More gets us ready for winter, with a look at the species of evergreen trees that that get turned into spruce guitar tops, a major source of an acoustic guitar’s tone. Has Martin always used the same type spruce? Which spruce sounds like what? Why do they sound the way they do?

Season 2 Episode 5 of Martins & More features the iconic D-18, which set the world-wide standard for what an excellent mahogany Dreadnought should be, from long before Martin even had a “Standard Series.” Thanks to anonymous listener X for requesting this topic!

Season 2 Episode 4 of Martins & More has Maury and Spoon sound off on the guitarists, songwriters, and singers who influenced their musical tastes, and their guitar playing. Which artists do they share in common admiration? Is it one of your favorites? Thanks to loyal listener “T” for suggesting this podcast topic!

Season 2 Episode 3 of Martins & More has us proudly presenting Maury’s Top 10 Martin Guitars. Where Part I featured Spoon’s Top 10 List of Martins currently available for sale, Maury took a different approach.

Season 2 Episode 2 of Martins & More was challenging for Spoon, as Maury asked him to name his Top 10 Martin Guitars, so they could compare them with Maury’s Top 10 Martin Guitars.

Season 2 Episode 1 of Martins & More has guitarists Maury Rutch of Maury’s Music getting really picky about guitar picks with his good friend, the New York City guitarist T Spoon Phillips of OneManz.com.

Due to constraints surrounding the procurement of old-growth Sitka spruce, Martin Guitar will allow the use of Lutz spruce in combination with Sitka spruce as needed. Read more.

Season 1 Episode 25 of Martins & More pins down the end of Season One with an expose on bridge pins.

Martin Guitars & Ebony in 2022. Martin is constantly reviewing their specifications, and revising as necessary while maintaining the sound, structural integrity, and high-quality standards of their fine instruments. Many models with ebony fretboards & bridges are now showing streaks & natural cosmetic irregularities. Read more.

Season 1 Episode 24 of Martins & More seeks to discover the many and often surprising virtues of the most affordable Martin and Blueridge guitars available today. No matter one’s budget, a bargain is a bargain.

Season 1 Episode 23 of Martins & More features our friend Tim Teel, Head of Instrument Design for C. F. Martin & Co.

Season 1 Episode 22 of Martins & More strings together the string theory of Maury Rutch and Spoon Phillips, as they discuss acoustic guitar strings.

Season 1 Episode 21 of Martins & More is dedicated to the wonderful OM-42, which has awed players and their audiences since it first appeared in the 1990s as an elite rosewood Orchestra Model.

Which Martin D-18 is the best?

Season 1 Episode 20 of Martins & More is all about Martin neck shapes, with Maury tapping into Spoon’s detailed knowledge of the various neck shapes available at C. F. Martin & Company now and those created long ago, but which remain influential to this very day.

Season 1 Episode 19 of Martins & More brings back the quiz format as Maury tries to stump Spoon and the listening audience as to who at Maury’s Music is in charge of what activities in the day to day operation of the beloved guitar shop.

Season 1 Episode 17 of Martins & More is dedicated to Martins made with smaller bodies, which can appeal to many players for many different reasons.

Season 1 Episode 16 of Martins & More adds a bit of fun and frivolity as we play "Would Maury or Spoon Lie to You?" Or to each other for that matter!

Maury & Lori will be away on vacation from August 22-26.  Andrew will be shipping all website orders & answering emails without Maury's help. You can still order from our secure website 24/7, but please allow a little extra time for order fulfillment & email replies.

Season 1 Episode 15 of Martins & More puts the spotlight on the concert artists and recording stars that were honored by C. F. Martin & Company with a limited edition model celebrating their contribution to popular music. Some have been honored with more than one such model. Thanks to all our listeners on the Maury’s Music Facebook page for replying to the poll that led us to doing a podcast about Artist models made by Martin!

Season 1 Episode 13 of Martins & More focuses on the “More” as Maury takes us through the many offerings from Blueridge guitars. Spoon chimes in with his opinion of the unique chime in the Blueridge voice, and the many attractive features of these finely crafted instruments.

Season 1 Episode 12 of Martins & More gets down home and personal, as Maury Rutch and T Spoon Phillips share stories and details of their personal Martin guitars. Thanks to listener John, for requesting this topic!

Check back daily for Maury’s MartinFest 2022 updates!

Season 1 Episode 11 of Martins & More offers you Maury and Spoon’s authentic opinions and authenticated knowledge of Martin’s Authentic Series. Each guitar is a meticulously researched reconstruction of specific classic vintage Martins from before, during, and after their Golden Era of the 1930s.

GuitarBench magazine interviewed Maury back in early 2021 for their monthly podcast. The two had a nice conversation & the episode finally aired in July of 2022.

Season 1 Episode 9 of Martins & More has Maury Rutch of Maury’s Music discussing the most modern and deliciously deluxe Martins from the Modern Deluxe Series, with his longtime pal, the always knowledgeable and ever opinionated T Spoon Phillips, pipping up and pipping in from Brooklyn, New York.

X marks the spot in Season 1 of Martins & More, as Episode 7 finds Maury and Spoon investigating the mysteries of Martin’s X Series! Each a modern marvel in its own right. From the mighty electric-acoustic Dreadnought models like the stunning D-X1E, to the contemporary Grand Performance sized GPC-X2E, these never fail to impress anyone who has yet to play an X Series model when it comes to the Tone to Dollar Spent ratio.

Season 1 Episode 6 of Martins & More is dedicated to Maury and Spoon’s personal opinions of the amazing new Martins released at the 2022 trade show for the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM.) There was only one NAMM show this year and Martin made the most of it!

Season 1 Episode 5 of Martins & More presents this bulletin from Supreme Allied Headquarters, Coaldale, Pennsylvania. At 16:00 Hours, on June 6, aka H-Hour on D-Day, the combined allied forces of guitar dealer Maury Rutch and acoustic guitar scholar T Spoon Phillips unleashed a joint operation, having previously met behind closed doors to embark on the intrepid mission to crack the code of the mysterious Martin CEO models.

The 2022 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California is upon us, and Martin Guitar has officially launched several new models! Which one are you most looking forward to?

In Season 1 Episode 4 of Martins & More Maury takes advantage Spoon’s exclusive Martin insider knowledge to explore the fascinating details of Martin guitar bracing, across all their various series and instruments.

Season 1 Episode 3 of Martins & More is a fun, fact-filled conversation about the acoustic guitars that set the industry standard for professional-level acoustic guitars, offered from within Martin’s venerable Standard Series.

Season 1 Episode 2 of Martins & More focuses on some of the best-bang-for-the-buck Martin guitars, found in the amazing Road Series. When did the Road Series first appear? How has it changed over the years? Why might you want to buy a Road Series guitar for yourself or a loved one?

We proudly present Season 1 Episode 1 Martins & More, Maury’s Music’s entertaining and informative podcast featuring special guest T Spoon Phillips, the veteran New York City guitarists and venerable scholar of C. F. Martin & Company history, and all things related to acoustic guitars. This inaugural installment is about mahogany, and mahogany, and more mahogany!

Ordering a Custom Martin the Right Way – Part II. We shall begin where with left off, with more common customizations that relate to our previous discussion of body shapes, while introducing unusual options to consider as you plan out your perfect custom Martin guitar.

Ordering a Custom Martin the Right Way
There are few things more exciting than shopping for and buying a new Martin guitar. The one thing that will top that experience is designing the guitar that will be created in the Martin Custom Shop just for you. Maury’s expert guidance helps work out the specifications that will allow the Martin Custom Shop to make your dream come true.
 

Martin moved into their new distribution center in October of 2021 - and it's enormous! Martin ships more than 70,000 guitars a year. If you're curious to see where the wood is stored & where those guitars start their journey - check out our video footage... complete with soundtrack by our pal Spoon Phillips.

Martin D-35 Sunburst Triple Feature! At Maury’s Music, we happened to have three identical D-35 Sunburst models on the premises. This allowed us to take a close look at just how much alike they truly are, and where their individuality might be noticeable.

Extra! Extra!! Seven New Martin Models Added to the Modern Deluxe Series!!!
We interrupt this blog for an awesome news bulletin. Our friends at C.F. Martin & Co. have released a bevy of Modern Deluxe beauties, currently available for pre-order at Maury's Music!

In 2019, the invention of the first 13-fret Martin took the world by storm with the introduction of the Martin SC-13E Koa, with its revolutionary Sure Align neck system and the ergonomic design of its Velocity neck and asymmetrical S body shape. Today, that which had expanded the possibilities of what an acoustic-electric guitar could achieve was taken to new levels, with the introduction of the upgraded SC-13E Special Ziricote model, the SC-13E Special Ziricote Sunburst model, and also the SC-10E, the most affordable S-size Martin yet!

Martin has fallen behind in production &  many of our new orders are into late-2023. If you've found a Martin Guitar on our website and are ready to purchase - don't delay... contact us today.

Happy New Year, from Maury's Music! We hope 2022 brings you twelve months of happiness and healthiness. We also wish for you very happy and healthy guitars, which look and sound their best. A great place to start achieving that goal is with a new set of guitar strings that are clean and fresh!