Conference napalm::guitar

    I played one when I was in the market for a good fingerstyle steel
    string acoustic.  I agree that it sounded awesome. ***BUT*** only
    some of the assembly is done by Martin.  The top braces are shaped
    by Dana and I believe the top is scalloped out between the braces
    thus making this guitar the most lightly constructed instrument
    you are likely to find. If you look at the top edge on, there is
    almost a quarter inch of bow in it.  Mind you, this baby is strung
    with real light strings. This instrument is basically a souped up
    Martin OM-28.  I had three reasons I did not buy one.
    
    First was price.  It was $2,500 at the Music Emporium versus $1,875 for
    a real OM-28 built by the custom shop at Martin.  Ouch.  Second
    was the fit and finish.  The inlays and borders did not match at
    all well where they joined at the peg end of the instrument.  There
    were other instances of noticeably poor craftsmanship all of which
    led me to doubt the longevity of the instrument.  Which leads me
    to the third point.  This instrument does not have a history by
    which to judge it.  I didn't want to spend that kind of money on
    an instrument that might self destruct on me in 10 years.
    I had already had that happen to my 25 year old Epiphone steel
    string so I was well aware that it was a possibility.
    
    Bottom line, I bought the OM-28.  I paid cash in advance and got an
    additional discount on the price. They ordered two instead of the
    usual one to have it in stock so I got my choice.  I love the sound
    of this instrument.  The Schoenberg had a slightly sweeter sound
    from about the 10th fret up based on listening to Eric play both
    for me.  When I play my instrument these days, I don't even think of the
    Schoenberg, only the music I'm making. jt      
    
    BTW If I were a pro and had money to burn...... I'd go back and get the
    Schoenberg.
    

re: .2 Thanks for the additional info...I"m not really in the market for 
anything that expensive, but I was impressed by the guitar when I played it.

Mr Moderator what happened to the note title? I swear I put one in...

dbii

As I understand it, the primary difference is that Dana individually "voices"
each top by adjusting the the shaping of the scalloped braces.  While Dana gives
the same lifetime guarantee as Martin, the Martin folks have been around a lot
longer.  

This week I got my '73 D-28 back from Martin.  The bridge had begun to lift
slightly, there were worn frets and a couple of other minor problems.  They
had reglued the bridge, repaired a minor crack near the pickguard, oversprayed
and buffed out the top, took the neck completely off of the quitar and reset
it with the geometry that I wanted (i.e. much lower than Martin's standard
height).  The people at the Music Emporium said that this was about $400-500
worth of work.  Martin charged me $40 for the fret work, everything else was
covered under their warranty.  Everyone who has looked at the guitar has said
the workmanship was outstanding.  The action is now better than it has _ever_
been on this instrument.  What can you say, these people stand behind their 
product.

I would look into a Martin custom instrument.  You can order special bracing
options and you can pretty much have the trim options you want within reason.  
You will give up the Dana Bourgeouis "voicing" of the top, but you will probably
get as good or better workmanship from Martin, more choice in options, and it
will be a Martin which should have a higher resale value.

    RE: the title, currently ""
    
    The author of the base note can modify the title -- try
    MODIFY NOTE/TITLE="text".  You may have to be accessing from the
    same node as when you entered .0 ...

>Apparantly Eric Schoenberg (who I have never heard of) signs each one as well 

Eric is the proprietor of The Music Emporium in Cambridge and was involved in
the ragtime guitar revival of the sixties and early seventies.  He and his 
cousin, Dave Laibman, recorded an album of ragtime/stride duets called 
something like, "The New American Ragtime Guitar".  It's good listening.

Bob

Eric also had *some* involvement in the initial concept and design of the 
guitar.

Bob

If I am not mistaken, there are actually multiple "Schoenberg" guitars.  I 
recall reading about D- and OM- style guitars, Indian and Brazilian rosewood 
guitars and cutaway and non-cutaway guitars.  All of them are largely built
by Martin.  I understand that Eric supplies the woods for the guitars.

    He also supplied the wood for the Engelmann (sp?) top for my Martin.
    The OM style Schoenberg that I played was a cutaway. jt

When I was in the shop Firday Dana was sorting a pile of rosewood backs that
Martin had rejected in the late '60's and he picked up for a song out of thier
warehouse...most of them were throwaways but a few seemed ok (that's what he 
said anyway) where he planned on using them I don't know... he did say that 
no on can buy brazillian rosewood that good anymore...

FWIW: Dana did an excellant job on my strat, leveling the frets and carving a
bone nut. I was extremely pleased with the results.

dbii

I need to moderate the tone of my first response regarding Danas'
    craftsmanship.  It was not as ***TERRIBLE*** as the way I made it
    sound.  Its just that when you look at an instrument as expensive
    as this one was, you expect it to look and sound perfect.  I sounded
    perfect but did not look perfect.  I am a fairly serious woodworker
    as well as an aspiring guitarist and I am probably a little too
    fussy.  I could not have done anything even close to this myself.
    
    Which brings up another thing, I have been seriously considering
    building one of those martin kits and playing around with the
    soundboard and bracing myself.  This is probably another note topic,
    but does anyone have any experience with this?? jt