Zircote / Adirondack Style 5 Terz

[Allen]

This ones been strung up for over a week now and been waiting for the weather to fine up a bit in order to get some pictures. We got a break from the constant downpour of the last 3 months for a few hours today, so out with the camera.

I had planned on building this guitar for some time, and when the customer came around to pick wood, he fell in love with the very pieces I would have use had it been my own. I love it when it works out like that. And it's not often that you get someone wanting a terz guitar.

Anyway, the details are thus:

Back and Sides - Zircote
Top - Adirondack Spruce
Bindings - Blackwood
Neck - Brazilian Mahogany
2 Carbon Fibre rods plus double action truss rod
Fret Board - Minneretchi
Bridge - Minneretchi
Bridge patch - Honduran Rosewood
Braces - Adi Spruce
Linings - Spanish Cedar
Fret Wire - Gold EVO
Tuners - Golden Age Restoration Tuners, Antique finish with etching
Finish - Mirotone 3220 over WEST Systems
Stings - 12 - 54 tuned 3 half steps up to Terz tuning

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[Clancy]

Oh Baby, come home to Papa!
drooool.....

[ozziebluesman]

What an unreal little guitar! The headstock is a stunning feature and your finish is first class as per usual. Love the fret marker shapes as well. Beautiful mate!

Cheers

Alan

[Kim]

Yes this one is a lovely looking little guitar Al. I really like the delicate structure of the peghead, very nice indeed. By delicate I mean it is elegant, yet the tuners butch it up just enough to give balance so the look is classy rather than dainty.

Great work as usual mate.

Cheers

Kim

[charangohabsburg]

What a beautiful guitar! Great artwork, including the pictures themselves!

[John Maddison]

Fretboard and rosette inlays - classy combo .

[Lillian]

It's beautiful. The timber choices and appointments are stunning. How are you going to let that one go?

[Allen]

It's beautiful. The timber choices and appointments are stunning. How are you going to let that one go?

That's easy Lillian. She's paid for. Just waiting on a case from Cedar Creek that's suppose to be in the mail.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments. Trying to take pictures of these things is actually a lot harder than one imagines. Reflections and such either have to be eliminated....no easy feat, or try and make a feature of them....that's not so easy either.

I was trying to go with a bit of a vintage look, but the wood choices give it a rather modern flair, so it's a blend of both I guess. I'm pleased with the outcome and I think I pulled that off here.

[Lillian]

It's beautiful. The timber choices and appointments are stunning. How are you going to let that one go?

That's easy Lillian. She's paid for. Just waiting on a case from Cedar Creek that's suppose to be in the mail.

Well that does take a bit of the sting out of it, now doesn't it.

[Nick]

What can I say Allen? Beautiful craftsmanship as ever & the Ziricote is just plain stunning with one of your gawwwgeous coats of jam over it. I've lost my Borat piccie until I can retrieve my laptop, so you'll just have to make do with a good wholesome dose of the clap!

[Dominic]

Lovely little guitar Allen. Must be proud of this one.
What kind of sound does the design in general produce, relative to an OM say?
Cheers
Dom

[Allen]

This one has lots of fundamental and each note is very clearly defined. The Adi spruce is just so very stiff that it's going to take some time to open up. 3 weeks with strings on it, and it's just getting to where my other guitars have got to in a day or two.

I tried tuning to standard tuning, but the strings just wouldn't drive this one at all. So at a terz tuning is obviously brighter than your regular OM. Volume is building as it's opening up, as is the sustain which is really great. The customer is going to be picking it up in May when he's in Cairns and I'll try to get a video with sound sample if he's willing.

[Luke]

Hi Allan, wow this one looks wonderful.
Can you elaborate more on the tuning.

[Bob Connor]

Lovely work as usual Allen.

[Allen]

Found this on the Acoustic Guitar Forum. It is a copy of a letter from Dick Boak that goes in the case pocket of every Style 5 Mini Martin

Dear Martin Enthusiasts,

The fact that you are reading this letter means you are probably one of a select group to have in your possession one of the Size 5 “Mini-Martin” guitars. These little instruments are very close to my heart and I am proud to have played a part in reviving them for this special Martin edition. As many of you know, Size 5 Martin models came to be known as “terz” guitars because the instrument was invariably tuned to a minor third (3 half notes) above standard guitar tuning or G, C, F, Bb, d, g.

The Mini-Martin is equipped from the factory with Martin MSP-4050 Custom Light “SP” Phosphor Bronze strings. I recommend that you first tune your Mini-Martin to standard pitch (E, A, D, G, b, e). You’ll see that the strings are not stretched quite tight enough. Play the bass “G” note at the third fret, then tune the low “E” string up to that note. Accordingly, tune all of the remaining strings up three half steps to achieve the terz tuning: G, C, F, Bb, d, g. Now the strings will feel more correctly tensioned.

I personally prefer to string my personal Size 5 instrument with a customized “high string” or “Nashville tuning” set. This is similar to using the high strings only from a 12-string set. The first four (bass) strings are thus an octave higher while the two treble strings remain unchanged. I first saw such as string set when I visited Paul Simon. I was so impressed, I came back and experimented with a variety of gauges. My clear preference is:

Standard Pitch Gauge Terz Tuning Bb Tuning
E .025” wound G (one octave higher) F
A .017” plain C (one octave higher) Bb
D .013” plain F (one octave higher) F
G .008” plain Bb (one octave higher) Bb
B .012” plain d d
e .010” plain g f

I have enclosed a customized set of these “high” strings. They have an extremely sweet, almost “piano-like” tone. I encourage you to experiment with both standard and alternate tunings using these strings. For example, tuning the two G strings down a full step to F and the C string down to a Bb, yields an open Bb tuning. These string sets are not yet available in stores, so if you fall in love with this tuning, you might want to pick up individual string gauges to make up your own sets. I hope you enjoy the Mini-Martin as much as I do!

Sincerely,


dick boak
C. F. Martin & Co., Inc.

----------------------------

NOTE:

High string standard pitch for mini
E .032
A .023
D .016
G .011
b .017
e .013

[Luke]

Thanks Allan it is sinking in now.

[liam_fnq]

It looks fantastic against the background of those beautiful gardens. I'm no accountant but you should be able to write off those landscaping costs as a business expense now

[christian]

Allen !!! what a beautiful instrument !!! first class workmanship all the way, I'm a huge fan of the smaller bodied guitars much more focused tonally and aesthetically, as mentioned its super elegant because you kept it relatively simple and let the wood speak for itself.
Awesome work mate !!!

Cheers,

Christian.

[Taffy Evans]

Wonderful looking guitar Allen, very attractive and nice work.

[MBP]

Lovely guitar!!!

Who did you get the ziricote off?
What a lovely piece.

[Allen]

That set came from Don Williams many years ago now when he was getting out of the tone wood business.

[Bruce McC]

Hi Allen

Nice looking guitar. Do you insert bushes into the peghead to support the
tuners posts ?

[Allen]

No bushes on this one. The first one I did used different tuners and I did install bushes, but it was a real pain in the arse to get them in.

[Bruce McC]

Hi Allen

Thanks for your reponse. I think I can imagine why you say what you say.
Is it common practice to fit bushings to tuner posts on slotted peghead steel string
guitars?
I am currently working on an OM style and am planning to use Golden Age Restoration
tuners with a slotted peghead Queensland maple neck, hence my enquiry.

[Allen]

I'd never use bushings on a slot head again after that first time around.