The H162 Harmony Conversion is a Martin killer!

Sapient said:
:D

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She is playing the holy grail of vintage flattops here. This is the type of sound we are aiming for. Some of the rebuild get real close for pennies on the dollar in comparison. This guitar is probably around $50-60k. Ours are between $1000-3000. Molly Tuttle is also one of todays best pickers too.

Here is Mark O’Conner playing a guitar my son, John Baxendale, built for him awhile back. Our specialty since I began building guitar was to try and make guitars that compared directly to the golden age of Martin and Gibson, which in Martin’s case was from 1934-1938. John started building guitars with me in 2001, after helping me in the repair shop since he was 5.


I’m less into the bluegrass/flat picker scene but here is one I built for Jimmy Herring.


These are built from scratch which is different than the rebuilds. The rebuilds are a much greener process and allows to put our sound into guitars average folks can afford. My customs are only bought by lawyers and doctors because the base price is $7500. On a $7500 custom I only end up making around $24 per hour after overhead.
 
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Scott Baxendale said:
She is playing the holy grail of vintage flattops here. This is the type of sound we are aiming for. Some of the rebuild get real close for pennies on the dollar in comparison. This guitar is probably around $50-60k. Ours are between $1000-3000. Molly Tuttle is also one of todays best pickers too.

Here is Mark O’Conner playing a guitar my son, John Baxendale, built for him awhile back. Our specialty since I began building guitar was to try and make guitars that compared directly to the golden age of Martin and Gibson, which in Martin’s case was from 1934-1938. John started building guitars with me in 2001, after helping me in the repair shop since he was 5.


I’m less into the bluegrass/flat picker scene but here is one I built for Jimmy Herring.


These are built from scratch which is different than the rebuilds. The rebuilds are a much greener process and allows to put our sound into guitars average folks can afford. My customs are only bought by lawyers and doctors because the base price is $7500. On a $7500 custom I only end up making around $24 per hour after overhead.
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Yep ..that guitar sounds good for sure. It's a little hard to hear with the stage ambiance and performance mixing in but I can tell "it's there". Your OP guitar sounds pretty good as well but in my opinion it's not keeping up with a Martin and is most definitely not a "Martin Crusher". Lol.

I'm really big on Martins and have 3.....

GPC-18e, 00-14 Slope Shoulder Custom Shop, GPC-Aura GT
Pv2zXwW.png


To me all 3 completely hit the mark on tone, look, and feel. I'd never need another acoustic having only one of them to be honest. Martin still carries the torch by far IMO.
 
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Sapient said:
Yep ..that guitar sounds good for sure. It's a little hard to hear with the stage ambiance and performance mixing in but I can tell "it's there". Your OP guitar sounds pretty good as well but in my opinion it's not keeping up with a Martin and is most definitely not a "Martin Crusher". Lol.

I'm really big on Martins and have 3.....

GPC-18e, 00-14 Slope Shoulder Custom Shop, GPC-Aura GT
Pv2zXwW.png


To me all 3 completely hit the mark on tone, look, and feel. I'd never need another acoustic having only one of them to be honest. Martin still carries the torch by far IMO.
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I have a 1939 O-17 which is great. I have a 1970 00-18 and I have a 1970 D-8 which I’m about to rebuild and rebrace the top like a 34 D-18. I’ve owned lots of martins. Mostly pre 1975.

Here is a better sound recording of my son’s guitars from the store in Nashville that sells them. I have a OOO-28 12 fret style long body with a slotted head that John made for me out of a set of premium Brazilian rosewood that I bought in 1985. I save two sets and I built a 16” jumbo which I sold and then John built my guitar out of the other set. In 1985 this wood was $250 a set, but today this wood is worth over $5k just for the wood. It’s like wood Martin used in the 30’s, and it’s nearly impossible to find now.


Here is the guitar he built for me.

 
Sapient said:
Yep ..that guitar sounds good for sure. It's a little hard to hear with the stage ambiance and performance mixing in but I can tell "it's there". Your OP guitar sounds pretty good as well but in my opinion it's not keeping up with a Martin and is most definitely not a "Martin Crusher". Lol.

I'm really big on Martins and have 3.....

GPC-18e, 00-14 Slope Shoulder Custom Shop, GPC-Aura GT
Pv2zXwW.png


To me all 3 completely hit the mark on tone, look, and feel. I'd never need another acoustic having only one of them to be honest. Martin still carries the torch by far IMO.
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I’ve got a customer who plays with Zac Brown and Clint Black who used to tour with his prewar martins. He has several 30’s martins that he paid manythousands for. After he got his first Baxendale Conversion, which was a 40’s era OM size spruce over mahogany with a figure 8 shaped body we recorded them side by side and they were so dang close that he bought a second one and now only tours with the conversions. Nearly every time he goes into the studio with one either one of the other musicians or the producer contacts me about getting one in their studio. We’ve been on multiple Grammy winning albums.
 
Yea, those guitars do sound real nice. I'd put them up with the big guys for sure IMO. He's quite talented to NOT fall flat where so many others do! Lol.
 
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