Maury's Blog

The Martin Museum has been recently renovated. If you have the chance to see this in-person, you truly owe it to yourself to make the trip. 

Martins made with a mahogany back and sides are prized for the purity of their uncomplicated tone and their classic, understated good looks. But the mahogany mystique is most unique in the guitars from Martin’s 15 Series, as they are constructed with the addition of a mahogany top that produces a special kind of tone.

Maury's Music goes LIVE every Wednesday on YouTube and Thursdays on Facebook - and it wouldn't be the same without Ecamm Live software.
 

Pinning Down the Right Pins
In our last blog post we discussed the differences between the end pin and strap button on an acoustic guitar, and how some players can get them confused. Today we are moving on to other pins in our ongoing series of blog posts about acoustic guitar hardware found on Martin and Blueridge instruments.

Blueridge BR-180 vs. Martin D-45
The Blueridge BR-180 is one handsome acoustic guitar with a powerful voice. The gorgeous tonewoods are inlayed with high-color abalone pearl, making this stunning stallion stand out from the herd, as the top-of-the-line dreadnought in the Historic Series. The Martin D-45 is the flagship of C. F. Martin’s Standard Series, setting the standard for professional-level acoustic guitars. In this blog post we will compare and contrast these two exceptional examples of modern luthiery.

You might be surprised how many guitarists do not know the difference between a strap button and an end pin. Maury’s Music encounters this issue so often that we would like to set the record straight, with the hope that customers will not order the one thinking it is the other.

The clear, woody tones singing from the sound hole of an Auditorium-size acoustic guitar with mahogany back and sides and topped with Sitka spruce makes beautiful music indeed. The Blueridge BR-143 is just such an instrument. On paper, the BR-143 appears to be quite similar to the celebrated Martin 000-18. You know what? They actually are quite similar, with perhaps the biggest difference between them being the expense required to own a 000-18 compared to the amazingly affordable price of the BR-143.

The latest installment of Maury’s popular A vs. B series compares two popular guitar models, the Blueridge BR-163 from the Historic Series of traditional designs inspired by various pre-war Martin guitars, and the Martin OM-28 from the Standard Series, which upgraded in 2018 to get its own pre-war Martin styling. These two awesome Auditorium-size acoustic are similar, yet offer a unique playing experience from one another.

Maury has been a proud member of the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum since 2002 & he's attended every MartinFest. This year, Martinfest was officially cancelled again (for all the right reasons) - but many UMGF members & friends have also joined the Friendship & Music Facebook Group... and we've decided to get-together for a one-day jam.