orchestra_model The Orchestra Model Acoustic Guitar
On - Blog of Stuff .com| orchestra_model The Orchestra Model Acoustic guitar (also called the AXE since the shape of electric guitars are somewhat axe-y) posted by qiouw | ||
 In 1929, bandleader and banjoist Perry Bechtel approached Martin with a request for a flattop guittar with a longer, slimmer neck. Like many other banjo players in dance orchestras of the late '20s and early '30s, Bechtel wanted to be able to switch between 4-string banjo and 6-string guitar, but found the short, wide necks on Martins too restrictive. He already had a Gibson L-5, but wanted the sweeter tone of a flattop. To fulfill Bechtel's request, Martin took its largest model at the time, the 000, and shortened the body, especially the upper bout, moving the sound hole and bridge up so the neck could be joined to the body at the 14th fret instead of at the 12th. Since the 12-fret 000 had a long scale (25.4’’), the Orchestra Model was given that scale length as well. |
 In short, if you look at a mid-1931 OM-28 that is in mint condition, it looks more like a contemporary instrument than a reissue of an old style, for all the structural and visual elements seen on countless different modern guitars are in place. Gibson's L-5, as designed by Lloyd Loar in the early 1920s, is widely heralded as the first true jazz guitar, but Martin's Orchestra Model OM was the first modern flattop. The Orchestra Model is one of the most popular body styles among contemporary guitarmakers, and virtually all builders either offer an OM or a model that's very close to the same size and shape. Besides C.F. Martin, the undisputed source, other makers who market models called OM include Borges, Bourgeois, Collings, Goodall, Huss & Dalton, Merrill, Larrivee, Santa Cruz, Schoenberg, Tippin, and an even longer list of individual builders. |
|
 Along with the change in neck length and shape, the new model was given a solid headstock with geared straight-through tuners, and soon also became the first Martin to come standard with a small celluloid pickguard glued to the face. Today, the result looks like an ordinary guitar, but at the time it was revolutionary, for necks with 12 frets clear of the body had been the standard for virtually all flattop guitars for over a century (and before that they were even shorter). Although Martin used its small rectangular "pyramid" bridge on the OM for the first few months, the model was also the first to get the modern "belly" bridge that was soon the standard design all Martin steel-string guitars, and right-angle tuners quickly replaced the banjo gears. Around the same time, the small pickguard was replaced by a larger teardrop shape that curled around the soundhole. |
 The Orchestra Model has become so popular that a number of variants are now commonly listed, such as cutaway OMs, short-scale versions, and "Jumbo OMs," meaning models that are either deeper or wider than the original, and sometimes both. As often happens in any specialized market, some people new to the field adopt the nomenclature without knowing the origin and history of the terms they are using, and the results can be confusing. How else can you explain descriptions of a "12-fret OM," for example? To old-timers, that like ’s almost as baffling as an advertisement for a "single-shot video camera," or any other retro version of something that is, by definition, a modern invention. And although the meaning of the term "Orchestra Model" isn’t as obscure as "Dreadnaught," it’s hardly less baffling to newcomers. "If it’s so great for fingerstyle," one customer asked in frustration, "why do you call it an orchestra model? Who ever heard steel-string fingerstyle guitar played in an orchestra?" You must admit, he had a good point! |
|
Opinions or information posted on blogs are not endorsed or validated by Blog of Stuff .com.
All material is assumed to have been submitted in good faith by authors, any violations of
copyrighted material or content will be removed upon request with proper documentation. 4
Copyright ©2005-2009 Blog of Stuff .com all rights reserved worldwide.
Typing Test