Welcome to the inaugural Guitar Gavel newsletter! Thank you for signing up!
You have to start somewhere… and most of you receiving this first edition are my OG’s. Love you guys, appreciate your support and encouragement!
As promised these are intended to be short informative reads about guitars or guitar related stuff. Perfect for killing some bathroom time.
The very first sign-up was from my man Angus so this one’s for you. Angus is a Martin guitar guy (and if I’m remembering wrong Angus, just roll with it).
And damnit Angus, could you not narrow this one down? Martin encompasses half the acoustic guitar world, and pre World War II Martin’s are some of the rarest/highest priced guitars on the planet. There is so much about Martin so we’ll cross paths with this brand numerous times in the coming years but I’ll start with this one…
1959 Martin D-18E
It was the first commercial attempt from Martin to create an electric acoustic and it didn't go over very well. Highly collectable due to the limited production run of one year (1958/1959), but the natural tone isn't going to match a non-electric version thanks to all the bulky electronics that required a top bracing change.
Who cares, it's a vintage Martin.
And it's what Kurt Cobain played on MTV Unplugged in 1993. What is visually striking is the guitar looks like something Cobain created himself. "Crunchy" just for him in 1993, not a flatpicker in 1960.
The album, MTV Unplugged in New York, garnered Nirvana’s only Grammy. Posthumously for Cobain.
THANK YOU Martin- though your initial innovation didn't provide the intended sales success, it landed in the hands of an artist helping to define a genre of music and a generation of fans.
Cobain's D-18E went on to sell at auction for approximately $6 mil in June 2020. The highest ever for a guitar at auction.
Specs:
Mahogany back and sides
Adirondack Spruce top
Mahogany neck
Two DeArmond pickups
Volume knob and two tone knobs
Three-way pickup selector switch
Pickguard trimmed to accompany pickup
Here’s a special thank you message for being a 1st subscriber. “See you” Monday morning. **that is my intense chord strumming face**
