The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Maury's Blog - Maury's Music

    Haven’t been interested in Martins for awhile so maybe a good thing.

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  3. #2

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    Let us hope for the best. The new guy is a guitar player and at least understands the basics of luthiery and has a sterling CV. Fingers crossed. And my martins are staying where they are - within arm's reach.

  4. #3

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    Hmmm. Pro finance guy, “plays guitar”, sterling CV.
    Lord help Martin, that sounds like JC at Gibson.

  5. #4

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    Likely because of its greater relevance, this news has already generated a (currently) 4 page discussion on the merits of the new CEO on the Acoustic Guitar Forum. Early opinions seemed solidly against him (“beancounter” was used liberally), but comments now seem to be running more in the “give the guy a chance” mode.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by bmw2002
    Likely because of its greater relevance, this news has already generated a (currently) 4 page discussion on the merits of the new CEO on the Acoustic Guitar Forum. Early opinions seemed solidly against him (“beancounter” was used liberally), but comments now seem to be running more in the “give the guy a chance” mode.
    That’s where I first saw it - the similarities to Gibson are why I posted.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Martin's Press Release
    An avid guitar player, Thomas collects fretted instruments and even took a sabbatical in 2019 to work with a luthier to learn about the process of building acoustic guitars - in the style of Martin.
    If he actually built a flattop from scratch alone then he did something almost none of his line-workers will ever do.

    CFM is a factory and working the line at CFM is a factory job. When I was into building in the 1980s there were exactly two people working for CFM who could build a guitar alone: The master pattern-maker (Donald Deck IMR) and Dick Boak, who ran the Woodworker's Dream operation.

    That's not a slam; I've done factory work. The vids make it look like CFM line-workers appreciate making stuff that will still bring joy and beauty to people beyond the workers' lifetime. But it's not 'luthiery' as we would generally mean the word.

  8. #7

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    Martin's string operation seems to be having issues. I just ordered some Retro strings online, and they were out of stock. The seller has no estimate for when they will be available, and said Martin has been unreliable lately. I'm trying some new monel strings from SST as a backup, and if they work for me I may well stay with them.

  9. #8

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    I certainly wish Thomas Ripsam great success with his new position. This is a tremendous responsibility when it comes to maintaining the excellent perception / legacy of Martin Guitars.

    As with any CEO change, a line has now been drawn in the sand from which instrument quality and success are measured.

    Chris Martin IV has done an incredible job preserving and advancing Martins legacy. He was very conscious of moving forward with sustainable wood choices / models. Many of the instruments produced under his leadership are arguably the best Martin has produced - except for perhaps some from the Golden period, but the authentic series comes very close due to the torrefaction process - and painstaking efforts to produce that prewar tone.

    Glad I own some fine Martins produced under Chris Martin IV tenure.


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