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Post by Stevie on Dec 29, 2017 23:44:24 GMT
You are correct graeme. There are many Nationals that don't quite fit the bill and are a subject of debate. MM's Havana 12 string is one that comes to mind.
Mine is stamped "Michael Messer Blues" on the front and MMB 004-2008 on the top. Here's the thing- it is stamped beneath the bound matt black painted surface with no visible damage caused by the letter punches. It is made from brass and it is nickel plated. I stripped the distressed paintwork off and there are various areas of pitted and less than stellar polished nickel plated surfaces, but I much prefer it that way to the hideous splodged paintwork that it had.
My only disappointment was that I thought long and hard, listened over and over to the sound samples and was advised very well by Forum members and this resulted in my choice of a steel MMB, but once I had it in my hands, I loved it and don't really think about it at all. On reflection, the best advice I was given back then was to go for a 12 fret to the neck example (even though 14 fretters were not available back then.) I know it's subjective but for me they look, sound and feel just right as a 12 fret to the neck instrument.
You know, they are damned fine guitars. One contributor advised that I would not be disappointed whatever I decided upon and I reckon he was spot on.
e&oe...
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Post by Michael Messer on Dec 30, 2017 9:44:43 GMT
Hi Stevie, If the serial number on your guitar is under the black paint, the neck must have been painted in the UK by Robin, or our luthier at the time, Ron. All MM serial numbers at that time were done in the UK by Robin, Ron and me. Occasionally we got confused and duplicated a number, but mostly our system worked. What colour was your guitar before you stripped the body, do you have any photos of it before you stripped it? The first batch of MM BLUES arrived in the UK with no headstock stamp, so we had our own stamp made and stamped all the headstocks ourselves. Graeme, you are right about it all being very similar to National & Dobro in the 1930s. I have been aware of that since day one and I enjoy the little anomalies in numbering or body colours that turn up. In the early days, the first year or so, we were less experienced and so were our manufacturers. Typical of most factories they did not like any wastage, so every guitar they built was packed and sent to us. If they screwed up the nickel plating they would do those terrible aged finishes and put them in my shipment. As we all got more confident and experienced those anomalies got less, these days we very rarely see anything that is not a perfect MM guitar built exactly to my specifications. Everything is still hand-done, there are no CNC machines, but everyone is better at doing their job. Shine On Michael.
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Post by Stevie on Dec 30, 2017 15:47:31 GMT
From memory, the colour was a swirl of muted greens and greys. I reckon I may have back up pictures on some drive somewhere, but I am enjoying the wholesome Cornish weather down on The Lizard at the minute, so no pictures right now. If the seller "hansi" did not use photobucket (or that other forgotten hosting site that went belly-up) then the images may be available from the 2008 or 2009 thread where he advertised it for sale.
I am now wondering what convinced them to paint the neck matt black (well for all of 15 seconds!) The neck is super smooth with no tendency to get sticky. Works for me!
This is all very interesting but you can't get away from the fact that they're superb instruments.
e&oe...
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Post by pete1951 on Dec 30, 2017 17:38:29 GMT
There are also a few MM guitars that entered the market via my workshop. (I don't think this is one) several with neck damage were repaired and sold in Cambridge. I would often spray a repair to smarten it up, but I used a brown to match the original neck colour. This might have been repaired by someone else! Putting a solid colour on the neck might be to cover some damage. PT I would never change a serial number , though I might sometimes add a 'B' to indicate B-stock
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Post by damflask on Dec 30, 2017 18:36:22 GMT
Hahah! Just checked back in to see if there had been anymore comments and there have. I'm afraid that I am going to have to sell it after all, because I am now facing a court case in the new year which is going to cost a lot.
( google Sheffield Tree Campaign Simon Crump for the full story). So...without causing any more grief, what's a fair price?
Simon
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Post by lexluthier on Jan 2, 2018 3:53:13 GMT
Hi! Just for the academic/guitar geek interest, my brothers MMB 14 fretter is also made from brass. It has the green/gray paint job and from memory has a bound fingerboard, though I may be wrong about that. Can't remember the date exactly but pretty sure it was 08 or 09 as I noted at the time it was an early one. I was very puzzled about the brass body when he turned up with it and assumed it was just an experiment before the models settle to their present spec's. I wonder if there may be a few more brass bodies lurking under paint jobs from this time. I guess it would have been hard to tell at the time when the paint was pristine. Sweet sounding guitar anyway and an illuminating thread. I'll post the exact spec's when I get the chance to see it again.
Chris
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 3, 2018 9:53:25 GMT
Hi Chris,
You may well be right about there being a few more brass 14 fret MMBs than I am aware of.
Back when MM Guitars first started in 2008, I was not so hands-on as I have been for the past four years. The business started as a partnership with Busker Guitars and all setups, packing and customer service was handled by Robin at Busker. My role was to design the guitars, to work with the manufacturer in China and to front the whole thing with my name. So in fact, I did not see every guitar that went out to our customers. Since I completely took over running MM Guitars, every guitar goes through my hands twice. First when the shipment comes in and I check every single instrument, and then when the guitar has been setup and I pack them to go out to my customers. At that point I check everything again to make sure that what is going out is exactly how I want it to be. In between those two inspections, Dave King checks and sets up every guitar. Whatever a guitar needs to bring it up to our standard is done by Dave without question. Dave King is a master luthier and is the most experienced resonator luthier/repairer/restorer in the UK. So back in those early days of MM Guitars it is certainly possible that more brass MMBs slipped through the net than I am aware of. Robin did an amazing job, but he did not have the same level of expertise and understanding of National & Dobro guitars that Dave and I bring to the table.
Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on Jan 3, 2018 11:00:22 GMT
Attachment DeletedHi everyone, although my MM blues may not be the only brass bodied one, I bet none of the others look like this! Best wishes to you all, John
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Post by lonelyjelly on Jan 3, 2018 11:49:16 GMT
Very pretty, John! :-)
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Post by bonzo on Jan 3, 2018 12:27:00 GMT
Thanks Lew, plays nice too! I posted it because Michael had referred to it earlier in the thread and I thought you all might like a look at it. Best wishes for the New Year, John
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 3, 2018 12:58:05 GMT
John, can you post a photo of the serial number and of the 7 string headstock?
Thanks
Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on Jan 3, 2018 13:33:15 GMT
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 3, 2018 14:22:19 GMT
Thanks John. I have cropped and rotated the photos.... Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedThat is a special serial number. There was another serial number that our luthier at that time, Ron, removed to personalise it for Ian Anderson. It still shows slightly, which I hadn't realised until I saw your photo. It was Ron that converted it into a seven string and he did it really well. A year or so before you bought it from Ian, I did a repair on it and I signed and dated the neck stick to say that I had been in there. The MICHAEL MESSER BLUES stamp on the headstock was done in Wales by Ron with our own stamp. That is also unusual, there are less than 30 MM guitars with that stamp on the headstock. In a few decades from now that will be a collectable guitar, especially as it is a seven-string like Spider John Koerner's National was. I was going to get a seven-string tailpiece made, but that never happened so the two G strings both go into one slot, which can be a little frustrating! I like personalised National guitars and the palm trees certainly do that. Putting stuff on the headstock of National guitars was something that lots of people did back in the 60s and 70s. Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on Jan 3, 2018 14:33:29 GMT
Thanks for the additional information Michael, your knowledge and the fact that you know how to crop and rotate photos on the forum is what makes us proud to call you our leader!
Best wishes for the New Year, John
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Post by Michael Messer on Jan 3, 2018 15:59:43 GMT
You only want me because I am able to crop and rotate photos! (every time I write that I think of crop rotation ;-) )
Shine On Michael
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